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After this meeting, I returned home, without going to the marriage dinner, as I generally avoided such entertainments as much as I could, having no life in, or liking to them, being sensible that great companies and preparations at weddings were growing inconveniences among us, the which I was conscientiously concerned to discourage. And a few days after my return home, at our meeting at Frankfort, I was concerned particularly to exhort friends to keep to plainness in language, dress, &c. according to the examples given us in the holy scriptures, particularly that of Daniel and his companions; and to caution against vain and indecent fashions, which, with concern, I have observed to prevail too much among some who make profession with us.

In this second month I went to the yearly meeting of friends at Salem, and by the way had two meetings at Woodberry-creek. At Salem we had a large meeting, and our gracious Lord was with us, to the bowing many hearts before him, and many testimonies were given of the goodness, love, mercy, and grace of God, and his dear Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. From Salem we travelled to Alloway's creek and Cohansie, and from thence to Elsinburgh, and ferried over the river Delaware, with our horses, to George's-creek, and had meetings at all those places. At George's-creek, one, not a friend, came to me after meeting, and said, he thanked me for my advice and counsel, and seemed heartily affected with the doctrine of Christ. From George's-creek we travelled to Nottingham, and had a large meeting on a first day, and another, very large, on the second day, where were many people of divers persuasions. The house could not contain us, so that we met in an orchard. A solid meeting it was! wherein the mighty power of the Creator was declared of, as also the divinity of Christ, and his manhood, and the people were exhorted to be careful of forming any personal ideas of the Almighty; for the holy scriptures do plainly manifest, that God is a wonderful, infinite, eternal spirit, and therefore is to be worshipped in spirit and in truth, and outward representations of the Lord Jehovah borders too much on idolatry.

Pretty much was delivered on that head; and I was told, after meeting, that divers papists were there, though I knew nothing of it. From Nottingham I went to Newcastle, had a meeting there, and then visited a sick friend, with which he expressed much satisfaction; and then went on to the Center, Kennet, and Marlborough, and so to the monthly meeting at New-Garden, where we had a large open meeting, wherein was shewn, that those who meddled with our discipline, in the will, nature, spirit, and wisdom of man only, could do but little service, and that our discipline, as also our worship and ministry, ought to be performed in the wisdom and power of God, through the grace and spirit of Christ. From NewGarden, we went to Birmingham, had a large meeting, and I was much drawn forth to the youth, of whom many were there. From Birmingham we went to the quarterly meeting for discipline and worship at Concord, in Chester county, which was larger than I had ever seen there before. In the quarterly meeting of discipline, friends were exhorted to keep to the cross of Christ, and to speak to matters in the fear of God, and to avoid and shun as much as in them lay, self-will, humour, pride, and passion; shewing that the rough, crooked, unhewn, unpolished nature of man, could never work the righteousness of God, and is contrary to the meek, self-denying life of Jesus. John Salkeld and Jacob Howell then signified that they were going to visit friends on Long-Island and Rhode-Island, the sense of the call, labour, and work of the ministry of the gospel, and of the love of Christ, in the freeness of it, to mankind, took some good hold on divers in that meeting, and the great name of God, and his dear Son, through the holy spirit, was glorified.

From this meeting I came home (having been out on this journey near three weeks, at twenty meetings, and travelled more than two hundred miles) and found my wife and children in health, and we rejoiced to see each other; but my rejoicing was in fear, even almost to trembling, lest I should be too much lifted up, when things were agreeable to me.

After my return home, I went to several neighbouring meetings, and on a fifth day was at Philadelphia, at the marriage of Richard Smith and Elizabeth Powell. The

meeting was large, and the marriage solemnly celebrated, and the people were earnestly entreated to love Christ above all, and to manifest that love by keeping his commandments, and that not in show or words only, but in the heart and affections.

About the latter end of the third month, I went to the quarterly meeting of ministers and elders for the county of Burlington; and from thence to Stony-brook; where, on a first day, we had a large meeting in Joseph Worth's barn, which was crowded with people, and was a solid, good meeting. From Stony-brook I went to Crosswicks and was at their youth's meeting. which was the largest I had ever seen in that place: I told them they might say as the sons of the prophets did, that "the place was too straight for them," and advised them to enlarge it. I was glad to see such a large appearance of sober people, and so great an increase of youth, in this wilderness of America, and exhorted them to live in the fear of God, that his blessings might still be continued to them; and an exercise was on my mind for the wel fare of the young people, to show them the danger of sin and vanity, and of keeping ill company, and following bad counsel; and that the young king, Rehoboam (Solomon's son) lost the greatest part of his father's kingdom, by following the company and counsel of vain young men; and that many young men in this age had lost and spent the estates their fathers had left them, by the like conduct, and brought themselves to ruin, and their families to poverty and want. Divers lively testimonies were delivered in this meeting, and it ended with adoration and praise of Almighty God; and although the meeting held more than four hours, the people did not seem willing to go away when it was over; for indeed it was a solid, good meeting. The business of the quarterly meeting was carried on in peace and love, (that being the mark the disciples of Jesus were to be known by),

and friends were exhorted with a great deal of tenderness to keep that mark.

In this journey I travelled about ninety miles, and was at four meetings, being from home four days, and was much satisfied in my journey; but met with some exercise when I came home, hearing of some losses and damage to my estate; so that I found after I had (according to my best endeavours) done the will of God, I had need of patience, that I might receive the promise. I was sensible of the messenger of Satan, the thorn in the flesh, which the apostle speaks of.

About this time a loving friend of mine informed me, that one whom I very well knew in Barbadoes, a minister of our society, had gone into an open separation, so as to keep meetings separate from his brethren, and contrary to their advice: I was concerned in love to write a few lines to him, to remind him of the unhappy state` and end of such, who, notwithstanding the brotherly love and kind treatment of friends, had separated from us, and losing the sense of truth, which had made them serviceable in the church, were actuated by a rending, dividing spirit, by which the enemy of our happiness had so far obtained his end, as to make some disturbance for a time; but few, if any, of these separatists, have had further power than to promote and maintain their separate meetings during their own lives; such meetings having, in every instance I have known (except one, and that lasted not long) dropped on the death of the founders. And though we think it our duty to testify against, and disown all such; yet this disowning is only until the persons offending from a real sense of, and sorrow for their faults, acknowledge and condemn the same; then the arms of Christ and of his church, are open to receive and embrace them: I therefore earnestly besought him to consider the danger of offending any who love and believe in Christ (though never so little in their own or other men's esteem) for we cannot have true peace in departing from the pure love of God, his truth, and people; to which I added the following sentences out of the New Testament:

1. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." John xiii. 35.Do not lose this mark.

2. "We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother, abideth in death." 1 John iii. 14.

3. "He that loveth not, knoweth not God; for God is love." John iv. 8.

4." He that dwelleth in love, dwelleth in God, and God in him." John iv. 16.

About the latter end of the fourth month I was at a meeting at Abington, occasioned by a burial; and in the beginning of the fifth month, I was at a marriage in Philadelphia; and was soon after on the first day at two meetings at Germantown, where I went to visit a friend who had not for some months been at meeting, being in a disconsolate condition; I invited her to meeting, where the love and goodness of Christ to the poor in spirit was largely manifested, and the friend after meeting said, she was better, and afterwards recovered, and kept to meetings. I was frequently at the week-day meetings at Philadel phia; for I thought that week not well spent, in which I could not get to week-day meetings, if I was in health.

In this month I was at the burial of George Calvert, who was one of a sober life, and just conversation, and being well beloved by his neighbours, he left a good report behind him. Soon after which I was at Merion meeting, which was large and solid: the people were tenderly exhorted, that neither outward favours, nor spiritual blessings, might make them grow forgetful of God; but that in the sense of the increase and enjoyment thereof, they might be the more humble; and forasmuch as the christian church in former ages was corrupted by temporal riches and power, it was intimated, that as we had favour shewn us from the government, and increase of outward things, we should be very careful not to abuse those privileges, by growing proud, and wanton, or envious, and quarrelsome; but to do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with God."

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