nefs of America; for without Vanity I may fay, that 1723. I always lov'd Temperance, and have been fometimes zealously concerned to preach against Intemperance; and tho' I cannot now take fo long Journeys as I have formerly, my Spirit earneftly travels for the Welfare of Sion, and the Peace and Profperity of all those who love, fear, and ferve God, and believe in his Son.

On the Sixth Day of the Eighth Month, it pleased God to give me another Son, whom I named George, after my Father, Brother, Nephew, and King; and though this Name is now a great Name among Men, I confider'd that no Name can preferve Life, fo I gave him up to the Will of him who gave him to me, and defire, if I have no Name thro' Children to Pofterity, I may have a Name in the Lamb's Book of Life, which I have ever efteem'd far above a Name amongst Men.

After my Removal to this Place I was not idle, but vifited neighbouring Meetings, and in the Eighth Month I went to Shrewsbury General-meeting, where Shrew of there were many Hundreds of People, and the Truth bury. declared had good Impreffion upon the Minds of many; fome after Meeting, who were not of our Society, acknowledged to the Truth, and that they were glad they were there. In this Meeting I was concerned for the Welfare of Mankind, and the Exaltation of the holy Name of the Almighty, to declare the univerfal Love of God to Man, from feveral Texts of holy Scripture, as that Paffage concerning Jacob and Efau, and Peter and Cornelius, and fomething concerning the Objection made against us, the People called Quakers, that we do not acknowledge the holy Scriptures to be the Word of God; for tho' we believe that the Scriptures came by divine Inspiration, yet we are clearly convinc'd by their Teftimony, and by the Spirit of Truth in our Hearts, that Chrift is the eternal Word of God, by whom all Things were made and created, and do ftill exift.

H 4

From

1723.

From Shrewsbury, with divers other Friends, I rode to Crofwicks, where on the Fifth Day, we had a Crofwicks. very comfortable Meeting, in which the ancient Love and Goodness of our heavenly Father was with us, to the tendering our Hearts into Tears of Joy; fome of us being likewife affected, in Remembrance of the Goodness of the Almighty to us, in the Meeting we had in this Place under the Trees about twenty-five Years fince. The great Subject of Faith and Works was spoken to; as that the Romans feem'd to lay too much Stress on Works, and the Lutherans, Calvinists, and others, too little: But our Principle led us to join both together; the Almighty having joined them together, none ought to feparate them. This Subject of Faith and Works having been much in Debate amongst profeffed Chriftians, it is on my Mind here to mention a few Things deduced from the beft Authority:

Cheber

County,

The First is, Without Faith, it is impoffible to pleafe God, Heb. xi. 6.

Second, Faith is the Gift of God.

Third, Faith works by Love.

Fourth, Faith is the Evidence of Things not feen, and the Subftance of Things hoped for.

Fifth, Faith without Works is dead.
Sixth, The Just live by Faith.

Seventh, You believe (or have Faith) in God, believe alfo in me, John xiv. i.

And the Author to the Hebrews fpeaks excellently concerning the Power of Faith, and the mighty Wonders wrought by it. Note, this living, faving, true and divine Faith, muft be in the Heart, through, and in Chrift Jefus the Son of the living God, who is, and always will be, the Author and Finifher of it in every true Believer.

After I came from Shrewsbury, I visited divers neighbouring Meetings, and fome in Chester County, where I had Meetings for nine Days fucceffively, fome

of

of which were very large (particularly at Providence 1723. and Gofben) in which I was opened to exhort them to keep to that plain, honeft Way of Life and Converfation, which our Fathers and Elders were found in, and to remind them of the Sufferings they endur'd for their Teftimony to the bleffed Truth, in the firft breaking forth thereof in the laft Age; and I was concerned to fhow them that the Almighty, who had blessed us with plenty of temporal Bleffings, would continue the fame to us, if we were careful to live in his Fear; but that otherwise, we might expect his Judgments for Difobedience.

And after my Return I continued about Home for fome Time, it being Winter Season, and bad Travelling, and I not fo capable of travelling as formerly: But I had great Peace and Tranquility of Mind, in that I had freely given up my youthful Days to serve my Creator, and the fame Love and Zeal was yet fresh and warm in my Heart, for the Glory of his great Name; and I ftill have a full Refolution, through his Strength and Grace, to ferve him, the great Lord of all, all my Days, according to the Light and Strength given to me.

Our Yearly-meeting at Philadelphia this Year was large, in which our Friend Benjamin Kid, from England, being with us, had good Service. I cannot forget a Concern which was upon me at this Meeting, that the univerfal Love of God, through Chrift, might prevail amongst Mankind, and to prefs Friends to manifeft to all People the Influence thereof, by their exemplary Lives and Conversations.

Shrewf

In the Second Month 1724, I went into New-Jer- 1724. Jey as far as Shrewsbury, where, on a Firft-Day, we had a large Meeting, to general Satisfaction; and bury. the next Day we had another, wherein the Love and Goodwill of God, through Chrift, was opened freely to the People, and our Duty to forgive one another was largely treated of; and it was plainly fhewn, that with

out

1724. out forgiving others, we could not be forgiven of God, as Chrift faith, If ye forgive Men their Trefpaffes, your beavenly Father will alfo forgive you: But if ye forgive not Men their Trefpaffes, neither will your heavenly Father forgive your Trefpaffes, Matth. iv. 14, 15, &c. and much more to the fame Effect on that Subject; as alfo Chrift's Answer to Peter, who asked, How oft a Man fhould forgive his Brother if be trefpaffed against him? Peter fays, till feven Times? Our Lord Jefus answers, 1 fay not unto thee, until feven Times, but until feventy Times feven, Matth. xviii. 22. And again Chrift fays, If thy Brother trefpafs against thee feven Times in a Day, and feven Times in a Day turn again unto the, faying, I repent, thou shalt forgive him, Luke xvii. 4. Which hard-hearted People think a great Hardship, but Chrift's Crofs must be taken up, and born daily, if we will be his Difciples and Followers in Deed, and in Truth, as well as in Profeffion.

After we had reconciled fome Differences at Shrewf Menesquan. bury, we went to a Place called Menefquan, and had a good, open Meeting, and moft of the People of that Place were there. It was a good Time, and I hope the Opportunity will not foon be forgotten by divers that were there. From this Place we travelled to Crofwicks. Crofwicks, and had a good Meeting. After Meeting, a Friend told me that some would fay, I spoke by Information, because I bad opened fome Matters which were exactly to the State and Condition of fome there. But I knew nothing of their State and Condition, otherwise than as it was then immediately opened in my Mind ; neither had I been told any Thing concerning them directly or indirectly: And from thence we travelled Burlington to Burlington, where the Monthly-meeting of our Friends had defired, that I would be affiftant to help to end a Difference which had happened through Miltake, and continued for feven Years (ince the first Occafion was given) and thro' divine Affiftance, our

Hearts

i

Hearts being filled with the Love of Christ, we fo 1724.
prevailed upon the differing Perfons, that they gave
each other Satisfaction, with Hopes that they should
live in Love for the future; and Friends of the Place
greatly rejoiced at the End of that Difference. As I
went along this Town, fome Friends told me of a
religious People fome few Miles diftant, whom they
defired I would have a Meeting with. I defired them
to fee if it would be granted, and let me know; which
was done, and we had a Meeting, and were kindly re-
ceived, and the divine Nature of the Gofpel of Chrift
was freely opened to them, and in great Love we
parted from one another. I travelled in this Jour-
ney about two Hundred Miles; and when I came
Home, my dear Wife and Family gladly received
me with Hearts full of Love: And this Teftimony I
think proper, for feveral folid Reasons, to leave be-
hind me of my virtuous and loving Wife, That fince
we were married, fhe never hindered me in that Service
my great Mafter called me unto, in all the Time of
our living together: We always parted, for the Sake
of the Gospel of Chrift, in pure Love, and in the
fame Love we always met again.

Soon after this Time I met with several
great Loffes
by Sea and Land, and myself and my little Daughter
were dangerously fick, fo that our Recovery feem'd
doubtful; yet through the Mercy of God, we both
recovered, for which I praise his Name.

After fome Stay at Home, I was again moved in
the Love of Chrift, to vifit the General-meetings of
Duck-Creek and Salem. At Duck Creek we had a large
and fatisfactory Meeting. From Duck Creek I ap- Duck
pointed a Meeting at George's Creek, which was a good Creek.
Meeting. The next Morning we went over to Elfin- Creek.
burgh, and fo on to Cobanfie, where I met with two of Cobanfy.
my Fellow-labourers in the Work of Chrift, Thomas
Lightfoot and Benjamin Kid. We had a Meeting to-
gether at Cobanfie, in which the People were exhorted

to

George's