1725. their Decds in this Life; if their Deeds be good (as Chrift faid) their Sentence will be, Come ye Blefjed; if their Deeds be evil, Depart from me all ye that work Iniquity, and go ye Curfed, &c. And, if thou do'ft well, fhalt thou not be accepted? And if thou do'ft not well, Sin lieth at the Door. And again, I bave no Pleasure in the Death of the Wicked, but that the Wicked turn from his Way and live. Thefe, with many more Texts of the fame Nature, contained in the holy Scriptures, are contrary to the Doctrine of perfonal Election and Reprobation, as fome hold it. We had a Meeting alfo in the Afternoon of the fame Day, which was fatisfactory to many; our Hearts being filled with the Love of God, for which we thankfully praised him. The next Day we had a Meeting of Minifters, in which they were exhorted to wait for the Gift of the holy Ghoft, without which there can be no true Minifter nor Miniftry. I was concerned to put them in Mind to keep close to Chrift, their holy, fure Guide, and Bifhop, to be cautious of going before, left they fhould mifs their Way, and of taying too far behind, for fear we should lofe our Guide; and to be careful to keep a Conscience void of Offence towards God, and also towards Man; that we might fay to the People truly, Follow us, as we follow Chrift that our Converfation might confirm and not contradict our Doctrine, For our Saviour says, By their Fruits ye shall know them; Men do not gather Grapes of Thorns, &c. and of fuch as fay and do not, he charged his Followers not to be like them, Matth. xxiii. 3. The next Day we had another very large Meeting there, in which many Things were opened and declared, tending to establish and build us up in our Faith in Chrift. After this Meeting, parting with my Friend John Cadwallader, who had accompanied me, I came homeward, lodging that Night at Morris Morris's (whofe Wife was very weakly) with whom we had a tender Time.

The

German

The 29th of the Fifth Month I was at the General- 1725. meeting at German-town, which was a large and good Meeting; going Home I went to fee Richard Buzby, who was not well; he faid the Company of his Friends revived him. Next Day I went to vifit Jane Breintnall, who was feized with the Dead Palfy on one Side, and the Lord was pleased to comfort us together, as the expreffed to our mutual Satisfaction.

phia,

On the 30th of the faid Month was our Quarterlymeeting of Minifters at Philadelphia, where humble Philadel Walking with God was recommended and pray'd for, and it was defired that Minifters might be exemplary therein, having Chrift for their Pattern.

On the 1ft of the Sixth Month, I was at our Meeting at Frankfort, which was a dull Meeting to me and divers others, a lively Exercife of Spirit being too much wanting among many, and clofe walking with God in Converfation: If we would really enjoy the Love and Prefence of Chrift in our religious Meetings, we ought to keep near to him in our daily Converfation, which that we might do, was humbly defired in Supplication and Prayer to God.

The young Man who came to me under great Concern of Mind after the Funeral of John Rutlidge, wrote to me that he was followed with the Judgments of God for his manifold Tranfgreffions, defiring that I would pray for him. In Answer to his Letter, I wrote him to the following Effect:

Frankfort, 7th of the 6th Month, 1725.

HINE from Burlington of the 26th of the 5th Month I received, by which I perceive the Hand of the Almighty hath been upon thee for thy Vanity and Folly; and I defire that thou may be ⚫ very careful to keep close to that Hand, and do not go from under it, but mind the Light of Chrift that hath difcovered God to be great and good,

L 3

6 and

1725.

and his dear Son to be thy Saviour, and Sin and Satan to be evil, which Evil (if thou follows it) will certainly bring thee to Destruction and eternal Woe; but if thou follows Chrift, and walks according to that Light by which he hath manifefted Sin to be exceeding finful, in his Time, as thou waits in Patience, he will bring thee through his righteous Judgments unto Victory,

Wait, O wait in Patience upon God, if it be all thy Days! I will bear the Indignation of the Lord, becaufe I bave finned against him, faid the Prophet Micab. Again, All the Days of my appointed Time will I wait till my Change comes, fays Job.

Thou art young in Years, and young in Experience in the Work of Grace, wherefore advife with folid, good Men, if thou meets with inward or out"ward Straits and Difficulties, for the Enemy will not eafily let go his Hold which he hath had of thee; therefore walk circumfpectly, and fhun evil Company. As to praying in a Form of Words (without the Spirit helps, in order to open them according to thy State and Condition) that will not awail: A Sigh or a Groan, through the Help of the Spirit, is much more acceptable to God, than any Forms ⚫ without it.

་

That in the Lord's Time thou may'ft enjoy the Reward of Peace, is the Defire of thy Friend

T. C.

The young Man took this Counsel well, and kept to Meetings, and behaved foberly for a Time, but afterwards ran out, kept bad Company, took to Drinking to Excefs, ran himself in Debt, and at length into a Goal, which hath been the unhappy Cafe of many unftable Youths, who, When they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful, but

became

became vain in their Imaginations, and their foolish Hearts 1725. became darkened,

732 In this Month I was at Bybury and Abington Meet- Bybury. ings, in which we were favour'd with the immediate Power and Prefence of Chrift, to our great Comfort and Edification, the Vifitation of divine Love to the Youth having a good Effect on fome of them, and the latter Meeting ended with Praise to the Almighty, after Supplications for all Men, from our King on the Throne, to the meaneft of his Subjects.

In my Travels I met with a Perfon who query'd of me, How he should know which Society had most of the holy Spirit, fince most of the Profeffors of Christ do believe in the holy Ghoft (or Spirit.)

To whom I made the following Anfwer, viz.

Let the Rule of Chrift determine this Question; he fays, By their Fruits ye shall know them; Do Men gather Grapes of Thorns, or Figs of Thiftles? Mat. vii. 16. The Fruits then of the Spirit of Chrift are Love, Faith, Hope, Patience, Humility, Temperance, Godlinefs, brotherly Kindnefs and Charity, with all Manner of Virtues. Therefore the Society of Chriftians, who brings forth most of the Fruits of the holy Spirit, confequently have most of Chrift's Grace and Spirit. But fome object and fay, We will not believe that any Society have the holy Ghoft now, or the immediate Revelation or Infpiration of the Spirit, unless they work Miracles. To which it is answered, That right Reformation from Sin, and true Faith in Chrift, cannot be wrought without a Miracle, neither can we bring forth the Fruits of the Spirit without the miraculous Power of Chrift.Men by Nature bring forth the Works of Nature, and that which is contrary to Nature is miraculous. Sin is natural, but divine Holiness, or the Righteoufnefs of Christ, wrought in Man, is fpiritual, fupernatural, and mira-culous. And as to natural Men (that are in a State of Nature) seeing outward Miracles, if they will not, L 4

nor

1725. nor do not believe what is written in the holy Scrip

tures of the Old and New Testament, neither will they believe, altho' one were to rife from the Dead. Notwithstanding Chrift wrought outward Miracles, and did the Works which none other could do; tho' he cured all Manner of Diseases, and fed many Thoufands with a few Loaves, and a few fmall Fishes (and what remained, when all had eaten, was more than there was at first) tho' he raised the Dead, and himfelf arose from the Dead, yet few, but very few, believed in him, fo as truly to follow him. His Birth, his Life, his Doctrines, his Death, his Refurrection, are all miraculous; and fince all this was done in the Perfon of Chrift, and at the firft Publication of his Religion to Men, there is now no abfolute Neceffity of outward Miracles, tho' his Power is the fame now as ever; but he faid to his Difciples, He that believeth on me, the Work that I do, fhall be do alfo, and greater Works than thefe fhall be do, John xiv. 12. Upon which W. Dell fays, This must be understood in Relation to Sin; for Christ had no Sin in himself to overcome, but we all have finned, and to overcome Sin is the greatest of Miracles.- This will try the notional or nominal Christian, who fays, We can never overcome Sin in this World. Where then is our Faith in the Son of God, who for this Purpose was manifefted, that he might destroy the Works of the Devil, John iii. 8. Heb. i. 14.

Therefore let not Chriftians be flow of Heart to believe in the glorious Gospel of Chrift; and if we truly believe therein, and live in the Practice of his Doctrine, we fhall fee Miracles enough to fatisfy us for

ever.

The 16th of the Sixth Month I was at the WeeklyFrankfort. meeting at Frankfort, which, tho' a fmall Meeting, was sweet, reviving, and comfortable, to fome of us; fo that we had a fufficient Reward for leaving our Bufinefs (it being the Time of our Hay Harveft.)

Week