Confufion dwelt in ev'ry Face, When Waves on Waves, and Gulphs on Gulphs, VI. Yet, then, from all my Griefs, O Lord! Whilft in the Confidence of Prayer, My Soul took hold on thee. VII. 1730. 1730. The 4th of the Eighth Month, we met with a hard Gale of Wind, which broke the Tiller of our Rudder, and fplit our Bowsprit and Main-fail, and overfet many of our Chefts; Robert Jordan narrowly miffed his Cheft falling on him from one Side of the Ship to the other, which we looked on as a merciful Providence, and fpoke of it to one another, remembring Addison's Verses, which the Night before were repeated. In this Paffage we faw three Veffels only; it was a bluftering Time, but the fhorteft from Land to Land that ever I had, being but 14 Days and 14 Hours from the Sight of Barbadoes to the Sight of the Main-land: Arrives at We arrived at Philadelphia the 16th of the Eighth Philadel phia. A fifth Mafter. Chefter Month. In the Ninth Month I proceeded on a fifth Voyage (as Mafter) to Barbadoes, and went down the River Voyage as Delaware on the Seventh-day, and on First-day, was at Chester Meeting, at which Time there was a Burial of a Child, and a large Meeting: Our Friends at Chester were glad to fee me, and I them, and after Meeting we fet fail, and went down the River to Elfenborough, where came to and landed Robert Worthington, whofe Son Ezra was on board, and went to Barbadoes for his Health, being in a deep Confumption. This Voyage we were on our Paffage about 33 Days before we arrived at Barbadoes, when after doing my Bufinefs, and visiting our Friends Meetings in about Barbados, five Weeks, we put to Sea the 10th of the Twelfth Month, and failed along to Leeward of divers Inlands, Anguilla, till we came to Anguilla, where we landed in Expectation to get Salt, but at this Time was not any to be had there. We came to an Anchor here in the Night, hoping to get to an Harbour before it was dark; but it foon being very dark, and coming into fhoal Water, we faw a large Rock, and came to by the Side of it, in about five or fix Fathom Water, taking it to be a Ship, and when is was Day we faw our Miftake, and that that instead of a Veffel, we were too nigh a Rock, 1730. and the Wind coming about, tail'd our Ship towards Narrowly it fo near, that we were fenfible of touching twice; I or-efcapes der'd the Men to heave a little farther a-head, and fo Ship wreck, we lay clear till Morning. When Morning came, of which we were glad, feveral Boats, with a Cable, came to us, and the People advised us to put a Spring on our Cable, and cut it, that the might caft the right Way; which accordingly we did, and it had the defired Effect; fo that we foon got into a very fine Harbour, it being about a Mile off. Many Thanks were given by many of the People for this Deliverance to the Almighty. George Leonard, the Governor of this Island, heard in the Morning, that a Veffel was on the Rocks, and the People were running with Saws and Axes, in order to break her up, if the fhould not be got off: The Governor feeing them, fent a Lieutenant with Orders, that let her belong to what Nation foever, they fhould help to get her off, if it could be, and if he was likely to be made a Wreck, he charged them at their Perilnot to meddle with her, nor any Thing belonging to her, until they had firft come to Terms with the Mafter, which is worthy to be recorded. We stay'd feveral Days before we could get our Anchor; for after we were in the Harbour, it blew very hard for four or five Days; fo that with our four Oars we could not row our Boat a-head, but watching for a Calm one Night, our People went and got it, and then we went into the principal Road and Harbour in the Island called Croaker's-Bay; the Name of that we came from was Rendezvous-Bay, where lived a very kind Friend of ours, named John Rumney, who, with his Wife and Family, treated us with great Love, and courteously received us into their Houfe, and he went with me to the Governor's, who was my old Acquaintance and Friend, who, with much Love and Tendernefs (when he knew me) took me in his Arms, and embraced me, and lovingly faluted me with a Kiss of Charity, 1731 Charity, and thanked God for our Deliverance, and that he had lived to fee me once more (I having been there fome Years before) he was feventy odd Years of Age, as I remember, and had eighty odd who called him Father: They living much on Roots and Pulle, are very healthy in this Ifland. I was here nine Days, and had feven Meetings with the People; the longer I ftaid the larger the Meetings were; fo that I had fome Difficulty to leave them. Through the Grace and Gift of God I was helped to preach the Gospel of Chrift freely, and they received it both freely and thankfully, divers, if not all; for theirs and my Heart was very open one to another, the holy Lord's Name be praised for ever. Sails from The 3d of the First Month Ezra Worthrington died, and the 4th in the Afternoon he was buried on the Plantation of John Rumney, near his Houfe; the Governor and his Son-in-Law were at the Burial, where I told them, that he was an inoffenfive, innocent, sober young Man, and that Death was to be the End of us here, putting them in mind to remember their latter End. After I had done speaking, the Governor said, That Death was a Debt due to Nature, and that we must all pay it, and bleffed is the Man that in Time truly prepares for it. This was a good Expreffion for a Man in his Poft, and worthy of my Notice, as I thought. I was at one Meeting, where was the Governor.and his Daughter, with divers of the best and fobereft People of this Ifland; it was a fatisfactory Meeting, which ended in Prayer; and when I arofe from my Knees I found the Governor on one Side, and his Daughter on the other Side of me, both on their Knees; à Pofture in which People are too feldom found in this degenerate Age of the World. On the 10th of the First Month, we departed from Anguilla, the Inland of Anguilla, with a pleafant Gale; and had fair Weather and Winds for feveral Days; I spent fome fome Time of this Voyage in Reading, and met with 1731. a Paffage of, or concerning Friendship; the Comfort and Beauty of it therein was notably fet forth, yet most who treat upon that noble Subject, place (too generally) the Felicity thereof in Humanity: Whereas true and lafting Friendship is of a divine Nature, and cán never be firmly fettled without divine Grace: Chrift Jefus is the prime Friend of Mankind, and from whom all true and lafting Friendship springs and flows, as from a living Fountain, himfelf being the head Spring thereof; out of which holy Fountain hath fprung as followeth, Henceforth I call you Not Servants, and ye are my Friends, if ye do whatfoever I command you. And again, By this fhall all Men know that ye are my Difciples, if ye love one another. O holy Expreffions! much to be admired, and worthy every true and good Man's and Woman's Imitation and Practice. Obferve, that when they had done whatsoever Christ had commanded them, then they were to be his Friends, and they were not only to be his Friends, but one anothers Friends, as he was theirs, and if Occafion were, as he died, fo they would die for one another By this Mark and trueft Seal of the trueft Friendship, all the World fhould know they belong'd to Chrift, that they were united to him, and in him united to one another: Nothing but Difobedience and Sin can ever separate this Friendship. Against this Friendship, which is in Chrift, and grounded and founded upon him, the Gates of Hell can never prevail; all Friendship, upon any Confideration, meerly human, is brittle and uncertain, and fubject to Change, or Mutability, as Experience hath taught in all Ages. If any Perfon hath a Defire to have a particular Friend, let that Perfon be fure to make Choice of Chrift, and fuch as choose him, have a Friend in whom all lafting Peace, Comfort and Delight, Joy and Pleafure is, and in him alone is to be enjoyed for ever. The |