thou livest with, as thy business and leisure will admit, and let thy obedience and attention to them be the same as to me and thy mother. Go not out at any time without their leave; do nothing that would grieve them, or occasion anxiety to their minds.How joyous to us it will be to receive good accounts of thee; and I am not afraid that it will not be the case, if thou only does as well as thou knows how.

My dear son, be faithful and trusty in whatever thou art set about; do just the same behind their backs, as thou would, knowing thy master and mistress were looking at thee. This will make them love thee the more. When masters find they can trust their apprentices, they are easy in their minds, and then things go on pleasant and agreeable to all. As thou art concerned to fear the Lord and serve him, he will preserve thee; for it is his fear that keeps the heart clean. Oh! remember him in thy lying down and in thy getting up, and throughout the whole day. Take delight in reading the scriptures and other good books, and improve thyself in writing; for this purpose thou can retire up stairs alone, first-day mornings and afternoons, and other leisure times."

7th month 16th. For some time past, it has been with me a close, stripping season, a time of proving; all in best wisdom, no doubt. The furnace is good, but where are they that love to go into it? We are willing to be with Christ, the seed, when we can join in singing, Hosanna, in the highest: but when suffering comes, how many then turn as it were their backs upon him. Oh! may I never be of this number. The language of my heart is often on this wise: "If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand for

get its cunning, and my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth." This language was used when the true Israel were in captivity; and is there not occasion painfully to adopt the same language, when we consider the low state of society, its mixtures, and its captivity to things that lead to weakness and confusion? "By the rivers of Babylon we sat down, yea, we wept when we remembered Zion; we hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof." Great have been the favours shown to us; blessing upon blessing has been heaped upon us; but where are the returns of gratitude, of humility and of good fruits, answerable thereunto? My soul is often clothed with mourning on account of the low state of things; the seed surely is in captivity in many minds. Yet I believe there is a precious remnant up and down, who have not bowed the knee to Baal, nor kissed even his image: with these I have near fellowship, and my prayers are that they may be kept in a state of humble walking before God. And though their trials within and without are many, yet the horn of Israel remains to be their safety, and he will be their feeder, their keeper and everlasting care-taker and redeemer.

In the 11th mo., 1792, I removed with my family to reside at New Rochelle, in the state of New York, about twenty miles from the city, and by certificate from Wilmington monthly meeting, we became members of Mamaroneck particular, and Purchase monthly meeting. Not long after we became settled here, I visited the families belonging to this monthly meeting.

5th mo. 22d, 1793. The state of things inward and outward has been such with me for some time, that I have frequently been brought very low in my mind, and ready to say, how is it possible for me to get along? When things that are apparent and those that are not, are suffered to have too much place in our thoughts, the mind becomes exceedingly tossed, like a ship without an anchor. Many are the hidden and deep trials which some pass through, unknown to mortals, and was it not for the Arm that is mighty and willing to save, they would be swallowed up.But what a mercy, that the Power which formerly stilled the boisterous sea, is yet graciously pleased to be near in times of close trial! My soul is humbled under a sense thereof, and may I be more and more concerned to walk humbly before him.

23d. Received some encouragement to-day, under the ministry of our ancient, beloved friend, Mary Griffin, from Nine Partners. She is in the eightyfirst year of her age, and on her way to Long Island Yearly Meeting. What a favour, to be lively and green in old age! In the afternoon, we crossed the sound, in company with divers Friends; and next day I rode in Adam Mott's chair with Mary Griffin to Westbury. We travelled in much stillness and quietude, and my heart was humbled and my spirit contrited before the great Preserver of men. The select Yearly Meeting was to me an exercising time: although there was considerable said by way of ministry, there was too little of the solid, baptizing power of life to be felt. Oh! the emptiness of mere sound, without life and substance! I am often deeply pained on account of a superficial ministry among us.True and living silence is too little known in many

of our religious meetings. Sometimes, when there seems to be something solid and weighty settling over a meeting, up starts one and another, and away it goes, to the wounding of those who love to feel, more than to hear. Oh! that I may, while seeing and feeling the mistakes of others, be more and more armed with care and fear on my own account. I think I have had some sight and sense of the excellency of that ministry which is clear of all mixture, proceeding only and alone from the pure unfoldings of Truth; and I long for stability in and attention to the precious gift, so as to minister in that ability only which God giveth, that he in all things may be glori

fied.

24th. After a meeting for worship, the business of the Yearly Meeting was opened. Some testimonies were borne with which I felt near unity, and the meeting adjourned to second-day morning. On first-day, attended meeting morning and afternoon. How often, for want of a deep labour and travail in awful, solemn silence, and a willingness to go down into suffering, we may miss of many precious opportunities!

In the 10th month, 1793, while the city of Philadelphia was visited with the awful scourge of the pestilential yellow fever, my spirit was often clothed with solemn weight and reverential awe before God: under which, at times, I was drawn to implore his favour, and that he would be graciously pleased to be near to the deeply afflicted, and humblingly tried inhabitants of that once and long highly favoured city; and also that he would not altogether remove his loving kindness and tender mercies from its often visited, but too disobedient and rebellious children.

In the 11th month, 1794, being at Nine Partners Quarterly meeting, I met with Joseph Cloud, a Friend from Carolina on a religious visit to these parts. He was on his way eastward, and Daniel Titus and myself accompanied him to some meetings in Connecticut; the first was at Litchfield, where no Friends reside; thence to West Hartford, where there were a few friendly people, who have since become members of our religious society, to the number of thirteen. Joseph then had a meeting in the city of Hartford; after which we took leave of each other in near fellowship, he going on for Rhode Island, and Daniel and myself returned to West Hartford, where we had an evening meeting with those friendly people and others, and it was a comfortable opportunity: next morning we bent our course homeward.

At the Yearly Meeting of ministers and elders held in New York in the latter end of the 5th mo., 1795, a weighty exercise prevailed, in consideration of the many weaknesses and departures among us as a people generally, from the simplicity and purity of our holy profession. Under this exercise, it was believed that ministers and elders had also, by giving way to a worldly spirit and the improper pursuit of temporal things, been drawn into deviations from the standard of righteousness becoming their stations: hence, that many had become weak and deficient in that religious concern and circumspect walking, necessary for the discharge of their several duties as overseers of the flock. This defect among ministers and elders was considered as one great cause of the general weakness of our society, so evident, not only in manifest deviations from our religious principles and testimonies, but also in the sensible want of the