all of us, with our Horfes, got fafe on Shore, through 1703: the good Providence of God. And on Return through North Carolina, we had feveral large Meetings, and an open Time it was; as alío at Ñanfimund and Chuckatue, and several other Places in Virginia; and when my Service was over in those two Provinces I went back to Maryland, and vifited Meetings there, and then went Home. As near as I can compute it, I rode about a Thousand Miles on this Journey. After which I ftaid at Home, following my Business, in order to the Maintenance of my Family, being blessed with Wife, Children, and Servants, and with other Things; for which I am truly thankful.

Philadel

phia.

While I was at Home I vifited the neighbouring 1704. Meetings as I found a Concern on my Mind; and on the 6th Day of the third Month 1704, I laid before our Quarterly-meeting of Minifters and Elders an Exercise that was upon my Mind, to vifit our Friends Meetings on Long Island, Rhode-Island, and in New-England, and the Places adjacent; from which Quarterly-meeting I had a good Certificate (which I thought it my Duty to endeavour to live up unto;) and being accompanied with feveral Friends to Burlington and Crofwicks, Jofeph Glafter being my Jerseys.. Fellow-labourer in the Work of the Gofpel; at the two aforefaid Places we had Meetings, and then we travelled to New-York and Long-Island, where we had L Island. divers Meetings; as at Flushing, Westbury, Jerufalem, Jerico, Bethpage, Matinicock, and alfo at West-Chefter, on the Main, and from thence we travelled to Rhode-Iland Yearly-meeting, which was large and serviceable to many. From hence Jofeph Glafter went towards Bofton, the inland Way, and I went by the Sea-fide, and we met together, after I had been at Meetings at divers Places, viz, Dartmouth and Dartmouth. Nantucket Ifland, at which Inland there are large Meetings, People there being moftly Friends, and a fober growing People in the best Things; though not

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of

Long

Rhode

Ifland.

1704. of our Society when they firft received the Truth, yet they received it with Gladnefs; and altho' divers of the People called Prefbyterians were very cruel in their Expreffions, and bitter in their Spirits against us, yet there were fome who went under that Name, who were more open and charitable towards us, and received us gladly with Tendernefs; and at fome Places we had Meetings at their Houfes to our mutual Satisfaction. We likewife had Meetings at Suckanufet, andwich. Scituate, and Sandwich. About this Time the Indians were very barbarous in the Deftruction of the Englib Inhabitants, scalping fome, and knocking out the Brains of others (Men, Women, and Children) by which the Country was greatly alarmed, both Night and Day; but the great Lord of all was pleafed wonderfully to preferve our Friends, especially those who kept faithful to their peaceable Principle, according to the Doctrine of Chrift in the holy Scriptures, as recorded in his excellent Sermon which he preached on the Mount, in the vth, vith, and viith Chapters of Matthew, which is quite oppofite to Killing, Revenge, and Deftruction, even of our Enemies: And because our Friends could not join with thofe of fighting Principles and Practices, fome of them were put into Prifon; divers People railing and speaking very bitterly against their peaceable Neighbours, and wishing the Quakers might be cut off. Some of the New-England Priefts and Profeffors were fo bitter against Friends, that inftead of being humbled, under the mighty Hand of God upon them, in fuffering the Indians to deftroy them, they exprefs'd their Enmity against the poor Quakers, on a Day appointed for Humiliation and a Faft; and particularly in a Sermon preach'd by one of their Priefts, which he divided into three Heads, viz. First, That the Judgments of God were upon them, in letting loofe the favage Indians to deftroy them: Secondly, In that he with-held the Fruits of the Earth from them (for there was great Scarcity)

Scarcity.) Thirdly, That the Quakers prevailed, and 1704. were fuffered to increase so much among them; which he faid, was worse than the Indians deftroying of them, and gave, this abfurd Reason for it, The Indians deftroy our Bodies, but the Quakers deftroy the Soul.* This is an abominable Falfhood; for it is Sin that destroys the Soul: And fuch as those that preach to the People that there is no Freedom from it in this World, contradict Chrift's Doctrine, Be ye perfect, &c. And that of the Apostle's, He that is born of God cannot fin. And thus their blind Guides mistake Light for Darknefs, and Darkness for Light. Among the many Hundreds that were flain, I heard but of three of our Friends being killed, whofe Deftruction was very remarkable, as I was informed (the one was a Woman, the other two were Men.) The Men ufed to go to their Labour without any Weapons, and trufted to the Almighty, and depended on his Providence to protect them (it being their Principle not to use Weapons of War, to offend others, or defend themselves) but a Spirit of Diftruft taking Place in their Minds, they took Weapons of War to defend themselves; and the Indians, who had feen them feveral Times without them, and let them alone, faying, They were peaceable Men, and hurt nobody, therefore they would not burt them, now feeing them have Guns, and fuppofing they defigned to kill the Indians, they therefore fhot the Men dead. The Woman had remained in her Habitation, and could not be free to go to a fortified Place for Preservation, neither fhe, her Son, nor Daughter, nor to take thither the little Ones; but the poor Woman after fome Time began to let in a flavish Fear, and did advise her Children to go with her to a Fort not far from their Dwelling. Her

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* This Prieft was foon after killed by the Indians, as I was told by a Minifter.

1704. Her Daughter being one that trusted in the Name of the Lord, the mighty Tower, to which the Righteous flee and find Safety, could not confent to go with her; and having left a particular Account in a Letter to her Children of her and their Prefervation, I think it worthy to be inferted here in her own Words.

ic

THEN the cruel Indians were fuffered to kill

WH

and destroy, it was fhewed me, That I "muft ftand in a Teftimony for Truth, and trust in the Name of the Lord, that was a strong Tow"er, and we fhould wait upon him. And I often "defired my Mother and Hufband to fit down, and "wait upon the Lord, and he would fhow us what "we should do: But I could not prevail with him, "but he would fay it was too late now, and was in "great hafte to be gone; but I could not go with "him, because I was afraid of offending the Lord: "But ftill he would fay I was deluded by the Devil, "fo that my Mother would often fay, A Houje divided "could not stand; and fhe could not tell what to do, "altho' fhe had moft Peace in ftaying, yet fhe had "Thoughts of moving, and said to me, Child, Can

thee certainly fay it is revealed to thee that we should "Stay; if it be, I would willingly stay, if I was fure it was the Mind of God. But I being young, was afraid to fpeak fo high, faid, Mother, I can say "that it is fo with me, that when I think of ftaying

and trufting in the Name of the Lord, I find great "Peace and Comfort, more than I can utter, with "a Belief we fhall be preferved; but when I think "of going, Oh the Trouble and Heavinefs I feel, "with a Fear fome of us fhould fall by them! And "my dear Mother fighed, and faid, She could not "tell what to do. But I said to them, If they would go, I would be willing to ftay alone; if they found "Freedom, I was very willing, for I was afraid of offending the Lord. But ftill my poor Husband

"" would

<< would fay, I took a wrong Spirit for the right. And 1704. "he would fay how I fhould know, For if I was « right I would be willing to condefcend to him. And "then I faid, in Condefcention to him I would move;

but I hope the Lord will not lay it to my Charge, "for was it not to condefcend to him, I would not <move for the World; and after I had given away "my Strength, in a little Time there came Men "from the Garrifon, with their Guns, and told us, "They came for us, and told us, The Indians, they

thought, might be near; and then away we went ; "and my Mother went in with my Brother-in"law, altho' I perfuaded her not to do it, But the "faid, Why, my Child is there: And why may not I " be with him as well as thee? And fo we went along "to Hampton, to my Hufband's Brother's. Buc Ŏ "the Fear and Trouble that I felt! And told my "Husband it feem'd as if we were going into the "Mouth of the Indians. And the next Day was the "first Day of the Week; and our dear Friend, "Lydia Norton, came with my dear Mother; and

in her Teftimony, fhe faid there was there that " was very near to her Life, that was very near "Death. O then I was ready to think it would be "I, because I believed we had done amifs in mov"ing, and great Trouble was I in, and told dear Lydia "of it; but she comforted me as much as fhe could, "and faid, She did not think it would be I. And my "dear Mother went to my Sifter's again, to the "Garrifon, where the found herself not eafy; but, "as fhe often faid to many, that he felt herself in a "beclouded Condition, and more fhut from Counsel "than ever she had been fince fhe knew the Truth; "and being uneafy, went to move to a Friend's House "that lived in the Neighbourhood; and as she was "moving, the bloody cruel Indians lay by the Way, "and killed her. O then how did I lament moving! "And promised if the Lord would be pleased to spare 66 my

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