1724.

6

he is curb'd by a wife Father: And thus, according n to my Obfervation, it hath pleafed our heavenly Father to inftru&t his Children in the Miniftry, and as a Child in Chrift, I would fpeak a little of my Experience unto the Child, or Children of God. When I firft felt a Neceffity on me to preach the Gofpel, I had but a few Sentences to deliver, in great Fear and Tenderness, with fome Trembling, with which my Brethren were generally fatisfied and edified; and after fome Time I felt a Concern to • preach the Gospel in other Countries, and to other • Nations (than that in which I was born) which to me

was a very great Crofs; but feeling the Woe of the • Lord to follow me in not giving up to it, I in fome Time took that Crofs up, for Chrift's Sake and the Gospel's: And in taking it up, I experienc'd the Truth of the Apoftle's Doctrine, That the Gofpel of Chrift is the Power of God unto Salvation, to every one that believeth, Rom. i. 16. Thus through a continual Labour and fpiritual Travel, I witneffed a • Growth in Experience, and an Enlargement in Expreffions and heavenly Doctrine; and my Heart was mightily enlarged to run the Ways of God's • Commandments, and divers were convinced, and fome, I hope, thoroughly converted, and many comforted, and God, thro' the Miniftry of his dear Son, glorified, who is thereof only worthy for ever.

In all which I have nothing to boast of nor glory in, faving in the Crofs of Chrift; for what is Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, but Inftruments? (I would not be understood to compare with thofe Apostles, but to endeavour to follow them as they followed Chrift.) Chrift is All in all: He is the great Teacher of Teachers, and the highest Schoolmaster of all: And he fays, He that will be my Difciple, must first deny himfelf, and take up his Cross, and follow me.

We do not find any where in the New-Teftament, that Chrift's Minifters or Meffengers were only to

speak

❝ speak or preach to one Meeting of People, or that 1724. they were called or hired by Men; for then it would have been neceffary Man fhould pay them; but • Chrift fays, Freely you have received, freely give and go forth, &c. Matth. xxviii, 19, 20.

And, my Friend, I find to this Day, that it is fafe for me when I am miniftring to the People; when the Spring of divine Life and Power, (from which ⚫ found Truths and edifying Matter fprings and flows into the Heart or Understanding) abates or ftops, to ftop with it, and fit down, and not to arife, or fpeak publickly to the People, without fome fpiritual Impulse or Moving, and Openings.

I would have this taken no otherwife, but as one • Friend and Brother opening their States and Condition to another for Edification, and the ftrengthning each other in Chrift. And as I fear left I fhould exceed the Bounds of a Letter, therefore • fhall conclude thy real Friend in Jefus Chrift,

T. C.

The 25th of the Twelfth Month I was at the Burial of the Wife of Randal Spikeman. It being our Fifth-day-meeting, divers fober People were there not of our Perfuafion, and I was drawn forth to fpeak to the People of the Death of Chrift and his Merits, and to fhew them that there is no Merit in the Works of Man, as he is Man, or in a formal Righteousness or Holiness.

In our Yearly-meeting at Burlington it was agreed, that the Families of Friends should be vifited, and foon after our Monthly-meeting appointed me, with other Friends, to vifit the Families of Friends of our Meeting; in which Vifitation, many were comforted and edify'd, both Youth and Aged; and we could truld fay, that the Power and Grace of God, and the fweet Love of Chrift accompanied us from House to House,

1724. Houfe, to our mutual Comfort; and we were fo extraordinarily opened and guided to speak to the States of the People in their Families (that were unknown and Strangers to us) that fometimes fome of them were ready to think that we spoke by Information, when in Truth we were clear of any fuch Thing, and only fpoke from what was immediately given to us, without any Information from Man or Woman; which to us was fometimes very wonderful, and caus'd us to praise the great Name of the Lord.

Burlington:

1725.

In the First Month, the General-meeting at Philadelphia was a folid, good Meeting, and ended in a Senfe of Grace and Truth, which comes by Jefus Christ. Next Day, being our Week-day-meeting, our dear Friends, Elizabeth Levis, and Jane Fenn, took Leave of us, they intending for the Inland of Barbadoes; and it was fuch a Parting Meeting that will not foon be forgotten by fome of us then prefent.

After this Meeting I went to Burlington, to visit one that was fick, and under fome Trouble of Mind for going aftray, and greatly defired to come into the right way with whom I had a good, feasonable Meeting, to her Comfort, and my own Satisfaction. Upon this Vifit I would remark, that it is a great Pity, that Youth, when in Health and Strength, should put off the Work of their Salvation, and forget the moft High, till either Sickness or Death overtake them. And then, Oh! The bitter piercing Cries and Groans, and terrible Agonies the Soul is in, which, by timely Repentance, and Amendment of Life, might be avoided.

I was afterwards at Meetings at Philadelphia, Mirion, German-town, &c. and had fome Service and Satisfaction therein. And on the 2d of the Second Month, the Friend whom I vifited as above, was buried, and the Relations of the Deceased sent for me to the Burial. The Perfon being well-beloved, there was a large Appearance of People of divers Perfuafions,

and

and we had an Opportunity at this Funeral to exhort 1725. the People to live fo as that they might die well; and that the Way to die in the Favour of God, was to live in his Fear; and Charity to those who diffent from one another, was preffingly recommended from the Apostle's Words, that If we had Faith to remove Mountains, and to give all our Goods to the Poor, and our Bodies to be burned, yet if we wanted Charity, we were but like founding Brass, and a tinkling Cymbal, 1 Cor. xiii. 1, 2, 3. And also our Belief of the Doctrine of the Refurrection of the Dead was afferted, in Contradiction to that grofs Calumny caft on our Society of denying it.

The latter End of the Second Month, I was at a Marriage at Horsham (at which was prefent William Horfbam. Keith, our Governor) and I was concerned to speak of the End of that great Ordinance, and of the Happiness of those married Perfons who fulfil the Covenants they make in Marriage, and what Strength and Comfort the Man is to the Woman, and the Woman to the Man, when they keep their Covenants, and that they are the contrary when they break them : And I also opened the Methods prefcribed by our Discipline, to be obferved in Marriages, and our Care to prevent any clandeftine Marriages amongst us. After this Meeting I return'd Home without going to the Marriage Dinner, as I generally avoided fuch Entertainments as much as I could, having no Life in, or liking to them, being fenfible that great Companies and Preparations at Weddings, were growing Inconveniencies among us, the which I was confcientiously 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 Plainnefs in Language, Drefs, &c. according to the Examples given us in the holy Scriptures, particularly that of Daniel and his Companions; and to caution againft vain and indecent

Fashions,

1725. Fashions, which, with Concern, I have obferv'd to prevail too much among fome who makeProfeffion with us.

Salem.

Cohanfy,

&c.

Creek.

kam.

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 Teftimonies were given of the Goodness, Love, Mercy, and Grace of God, and his dear Son, our Lord Jefus Christ. From Salem we travelled to Alloways-Creek and Cobanfy, and from thence to Elfingburgh, and ferried over the River Delaware, with our Horfes, to George'sCreek, and had Meetings at all thofe Places. At George's-Creek, one, not a Friend, came to me after Meeting, and faid, He thanked me for my Advice and Counfel; and feem'd heartily affected with the Doctrine George's of Chrift. From George's-Creeek we travelled to NotNotting ling, and had a large Meeting on a First-day, and another (very large) on the Second-day, where were many People of divers Perfuafions. The House could not contain us, fo that we met in an Orchard. A folid Meeting it was! wherein the mighty Power of the Creator was declar'd of, as alfo the Divinity of Chrift, and his Manhood, and the People were exhorted to be careful of forming any perfonal Ideas of the Almighty; for the holy Scriptures do plainly manifeft, that God is a wonderful, infinite, eternal Spirit, and therefore is to be worshipped in Spirit and in Truth, and outward Reprefentations of the Lord Jehovah, borders too much on Idolatry. Pretty much was delivered on that Head; and I was told after Meeting, that divers Papifts were there, tho' I knew nothing of. Newcastle. it. From Nottingham I went to Newcastle, and had a Meeting there, and then vifited a fick Friend, with which he expreffed much Satisfaction; and then went on to Center, Kennet, and Marlborough, and fo to the Monthly-meeting at New-Garden, where we had a large, open Meeting, wherein were fhewn, that

Center.
Kennet,

&c.

those