beel, as it did your Lord and Master's; but it shall never finally prevail against you, if you keep the eye of your minds to him, and have faith in him, who faved Daniel in the lion's den, and Shadrach, Mefhach, and Abednego in the fiery furnace, and has upheld us to this day under various afflictions.

And though Balaams there are, that may be hired by the Balaks of our age, to curfe our Ifrael-family of God, of which fome of us have been very fenfible, yet this we know, The Son of God is among us, who commands the fire and the water, and the winds, as well now as then: and there is no inchantment against Jacob, or divination against Ifrael, that can profper. And who knows, but even fome of these prefent Balaams may yet live to fay before they die, as others of them have done fince we were a people, "How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob! How pleasant "is thy dwelling-place, O Ifrael!" But then, friends, we muft KEEP our tents, we must be a retired and a peculiar people, and dwell Alone. We must keep above the world, and clear of the spirit of it, and thofe many trifles, cares, and troubles that abound in it, with which but too many have vifibly wounded and pierced their own fouls.

Beware of this, in the name of the Lord, and do not tempt GOD: it is in CHRIST ye have peace; in the WORLD is the trouble: keep, therefore, in him who has called himself (and we have found him fo) the WAY, TRUTH, and LIFE; and you fhall live, because HE lives: he the root, you the branches; by < whom you will be kept green and fruitful, bringing forth the fruits and graces of the Holy Spirit, in all your converfe and commerce, that it may be seen and faid, "God is with you, and amongst you." O! let humility, charity, meekness, and self-denial, fhine amongst you; fo will you come to fit, as did the primitive Chriftians, in heavenly places in Chrift Jefus, and be preferved through the noise, fnares, and hurry of this prefent evil world.

• Much

Much I could fay, for my heart is open, and full too of divine love and matter to you; but time fails < me: therefore, FEEL me, my dear friends, in that love of God which is over fea and land; where diftance cannot separate, or time decay, nor many waters quench. În which love I embrace and falute you all, with the kifs of our heavenly fellowship, ' which the Lord hath given us in the bleffed TRUTH. And my ftrong defires are to him, that we may 'maintain our bleffed relation by the fame means by 'which we came at firft into it, viz. the true fear and love of God; which did not only make us careful not to offend him, but also to be willing to forfake 'all things that came in competition with him, or our 'duty to him.

Oh! let this chafte fear and firft love abound amongst you, my beloved in Chrift, our blessed light and life; or you will decay, wither, and die to God, and your good beginnings; which God Almighty forbid.

I know there is a ferious and diligent people among you, who do not only know when good comes from the hand of the Lord, but wait upon him for it, and that daily; that their fouls may be ftrengthened ' in the way and work of the Lord: and thefe can no 'more live without his prefence, his myftical and hid'den MANNA, in their fpiritual journey to the eternal Canaan of God, than outward Ifrael was able to live ' without manna in the wilderness, in their journey to 'their temporal Canaan. And I befeech my God and my Father, and your God and your Father, my dear brethren, to attend all thefe holy waiters upon him 'with the good things of his house, and daily make them glad in his holy houfe of prayer.

But the condition of fome, who pretend to follow Chrift, yet are afar off, affects my fpirit; for they 'know little of these enjoyments, and hardly eat fo 'much as the crumbs which fall from CHRIST's table, ' and seem to fatisfy themselves with a mere convince'ment of the truth, or, at beft, with a bare confession to VOL. I.

K

• it.

it. Who taking up with a formal going to meet⚫ings, and hearing what others have to fay of the work and goodnefs of God in and to them, they fhun the daily crofs of Chrift, whereby they should die daily to their earthly wills and vain affections, and overcome the world, the flesh and the devil. Oh! these are ftill their own, and not the LORD'S; • and gird themselves, and go whither, and do what, they lift! For which cause they are lean, barren, and • unfruitful to God, and to their own fouls; and worship him in the form only, and not the power of godliness; fuch muft needs be weak in faith, ready to flip and start aside at every windy doctrine, or fenfual temptation.

Oh! my dear friends, let me prevail with you, in this my farewell to you, to turn your minds INWARD, and wait to feel your Redeemer, and meet him in the way of his righteous judgments; for there is no redemption but through judgment, nor converfion, but through righteoufnefs. Come and be baptized by Chrift; he will baptize you with his fire and Holy Ghoft. He will fcower and rinfe you; for, believe C me, his fan is ftill in his HAND, and he will, if you will let him, thoroughly purge his floor, viz. your HEARTS, ‹ and make all things clean and new there, by his Spirit and power. So will you come to find your interest in Chrift, as you feel his workmanship and interest in and over you: and as you thus come to be related to Chrift, the Heavenly Head, (by knowing him to be Head IN you) fo you will come to be related to his body, the church, and fee your proper memberfhip and fervice therein; which I pray God effect, to his glory, and your comfort.

And now to the whole family and flock of God, in this European part of the world, of the fame communion, according to the difpenfation of God; be they young or old, high or low, rich or poor, wife or fimple, ftrong or weak, male or female, bond or free; I fend this parting falutation of my most dear love in the TRUTH; befeeching you all to have me and mine in

your

your remembrance, not only when upon the mighty waters, but when in the folitary deferts of America, if it please the Lord to bring us fafe thither: for I ' am not above the love and prayers of my dear brethren, knowing I need them, and have often found, by good experience, that they avail much with the 'Lord.

I must leave you, but I can never FORGET you; for my love to you has been, even as David's and Jonathan's, above the love of women: and fuffer 'me to say, that, to my power, I have from the first ' endeavoured to ferve you (and my poor country too) and that at MY OWN charges, with an upright mind, ' however misunderstood and treated by fome, whom I heartily forgive. Accept you my fervices; and ever love and remember, my dear friends and bre'thren,

Your old, true, and affectionate

Friend, Brother, and Servant in Christ Jefus,

Cowes, Ifle of Wight, weighing

Anchor, the 3d of the 7th

' month, 1699.'

WILLIAM PENN

On the ninth of the fame month they set fail, and were near three months out at fea; Providence, by the tediousness of their voyage, protracting the time of their arrival, until the danger of a contagious diftemper, then reigning in that country, was over. Upon their coming thither, they were received with the univerfal joy of the inhabitants.

Being now determined to fettle in his province, he applied himself to the offices of government, always preferring the good of the country and its inhabitants to his own private intereft; rather remitting, than rigorously exacting his lawful revenues: fo that under the influence of his paternal administration, the

province was in an eafy and flourishing condition: when fome perfons here in England, taking advantage of his absence, were endeavouring to undermine both his and other proprietary governments, under the fpecious pretence of advancing the prerogative of the crown; and a bill for that purpofe was brought into the house of lords. His friends, the proprietors and adventurers here, prefently reprefented the hardship of their cafe to the parliament, foliciting time for his return to answer for himfelf; and accordingly giving him a fpeedy account how matters ftood, they preffed his coming over forthwith; with which he feeing it neceffary to comply, fummoned an affembly to meet at Philadelphia, to whom, on the 15th of September 1701, he made the following speech, viz.

• FRIENDS,

YOU cannot be more concerned than I am at the

frequency of your fervice in affembly, fince I am very fenfible of the trouble and charge it contracts upon the country: but the motives being confidered, and that you must have met of course in the next month, I hope you will not think it an hardfhip now.

The reason that haftens your feffions, is the neceffity I am under, through the endeavours of the enemies of the profperity of this country, to go for England; where, taking advantage of my abfence, fome have attempted, by false or unreasonable charges, to undermine our government, and thereby the true value of our labours and property. Government having been our firft encouragement, I confefs I cannot think of fuch a voyage without great reluctancy of mind, having promifed myfelf the quietnefs of a wildernefs, and that I might stay fo long at least with you, as to render every body entirely easy and safe. For my heart is among you as well as my body, whatever fome people may please to think; and no unkindness or disappointment fhall (with fubmiffion to

• God's