The Children of godly Parents have much to answer 1718. for, in Slighting or Neglecting the wholefome Counfel, good Advice, and faithful Admonition, of their faithful and careful Parents; whom they Disgrace and Dishonour, contrary to the Command of God, who fays, Honour thy Parents, that thy Days may be long in the Land, which the Lord thy God giveth thee: And none can truly Honour their Parents, who Difhonour God their Maker.

The fourth Inftance of a young Woman who often abfented herself from Meetings, for the fake of much bad Company.

TH

HE fourth Inftance, which I fhall give thee, is concerning a young Woman, of about 25 Years of Age, who was brought up very finely, tenderly, and delicately, with her Lockets, and Chains of Gold, and Waiting Maid: But her Parents living too high for their Income, broke in Peoples Debt; and their Children, as they grew up, were put to their Shifts. What pity it is! that Youth are not brought up to fome Bufinefs, whereby they may get a Livelihood in the World, if their Parents fhould drop before them: And though Parents may have a handsome Interest in this World, yet it has been thought by fome great, as well as wife Men, that to put out Youths to Trades and Business, is both profitable and honourable: Instances of the evil Confequences of the contrary, have been very many, as woeful Experience doth daily teach us; and this young Woman was one: For falling into evil Company, fhe ran into Debt, and was put into Prifon; where was a Murderer, whom, it is faid, fhe was acceffary to loofe from his Chains; and for fo doing was put in Chains herself, along with him, when he was taken again: And now, instead of her Gold Chain, fhe must take up with an Iron One; and in a little Time, is to be tried for her Life: And in Expectation

1718. of Death, and being in great Diftrefs, fhe fent for me, and entreated me to come and fee her die, and much lamented her Condition: "Oh! faid fhe, "that I might be a Warning to all young People, to be "careful that they keep not evil Company, and spend "their Time which fhould be fpent in Worfhip, in "airy Company, and other vain Diversions, when "they should be doing their Duty to God." And

then she would weep bitterly; fhe being very penitent, it very much affected me; and I told her, "That I did believe, if fhe in her Heart was clear, "and no ways confenting to the Murder, her Life "would be given her: But then Woe and Mifery "would be her Portion, if fhe did not amend her "Ways." And as I was leaving her, the charged me, "to warn young People that they might be careful that

they fpend not their Time in Vanity, and to "keep out of vain and wicked Company," which the faid had brought her to that Milery and Shame: "And that they should take the Couniel and Advice "of good Friends (which if I had done, faid fhe) I "had not brought Reproach on my Friends, and "on my Parents."

In a little Time after, fhe was brought to Trial, and acquitted by the Jury. I faw her once fince, and reminded her of her Duty; which, fhe faid, "She "hoped to perform; and that it fhould be a Warn"ing to her, while fhe lived in this World:" And that fuch Examples may be a Warning to all People, is the earnest Defire of a Lover of Souls, and Servant of Jefus

SIN

T.. C.

INCE I wrote the above, there being a Perfon in this Place, who would be fometimes overtaken in Drink, I fent it him to copy over, might have fome good Effect on him:

hoping it And truly

before

before he had copy'd the Relation of the firft Perfon, 1718. he was fo fmitten with the Senfe of the Judgment of the Almighty, that he cried out, even to Roaring, and faid, "He was a condemned Perfon, and that he felt the Fire of Hell." He fent for me, and several others, and begg'd of us to pray for him: He was told, "That the Hand of God was upon him for his Sin, and defired to take Warning in time, and repent, left the Lord fhould cut him off in his Ini"quity." The Lord did accordingly cut off this Perfon, he dying fuddenly, by hard Drinking, as I was informed by a Letter from Barbadoes; tho' he promised, "if the Lord would fpare him then, to be

more faithful for the Time to come ;" and was then under deep inward Exercife of Mind. I mention this as a Corroboration of the above Inftances, for further Admonition. This Perfon was in a confiderable Poft in that Goverment; His Name I forbear to mention, for divers Reasons. If thou and Friends fee meet, I could defire, from the Exercise that is on my Mind, that this might be fpread; paradventure it might be fome Stroke upon fome, for their Good.

1718.

A

LET TË R

Το

AQUILA PACA,

HIGH SHERRIFF of Baltimore County, in the Province of Maryland, and to other Friends there.

Barbadoes, ft of the 12th Mo. 1718,

Loving Friend AQUILA PACA,

M

EETING here with Captain Swaddle, bound for your River, I found à Concern on my Mind to fend a few Lines, remembring the good Opportunities I had at your Meeting in that Neighbourhood, together with thofe few poor honeft Souls that I met with there; and I defire thee to give my dear Love in Chrift to them.

Dear Friend, I am tenderly concerned in the Love of God, and his dear Son, to beg of thee, that thou let not the World, nor any Thing therein, either the Riches, Pleafures, or Friendship thereof, draw thy Mind from that Measure of Grace which hath been manifefted to thee; for God hath vifited thee in his tender Love and Mercy, as thou well knoweft, and hath often begotten good Defires in thee, and convinced thee of the holy Truth, as it is in Jefus. Oh! faith my Soul, that thou may more and more grow

therein,

therein, to thy bringing forth much good Fruit, to the 1718. Glory of God, and the eternal Good of that Part in thee, which will never die.

Salute me to thy Wife and Children, and the Neighbours, and their Children alfo, all whom I wish well in this World, and alfo in that which is to come, the fame I wish to all those who love Chrift, fo as to keep his Commandments.

If thou feeft meet, thou mayft read what follows at the Close of your Meeting on a First Day, which Meeting I hope you keep up in Order to worship God in Chrift's Name; for to fuch as meet in his Name, he hath promised to be in the Midft of them,where-ever they fo meet; the which, he hath gracioufly fulfilled at many Times.

Dear Friends, it is in my Mind to vifit you with the Salutation of Brotherly Love, in our holy Lord Jefus Chrift, and may let you know, that though I have been long abfent from you in Body, yet have I' been often prefent in Spirit with you, and you have been often in my Mind, with Prayers to the Lord for your Growth in the holy Truth which he hath been pleafed to make known to you, and many times I have defired of the Almighty, that he would be pleafed to preserve a Seed in your Parts that should ferve him, and be accounted to him for a Generation. alfo defired that the Lord would vifit your young Ones, and bring them to the Kowledge of his Truth: And I pray God, that the tender Vifitation that was on divers of them, when I was prefent with you, may by them never be forgotten, but that they may be Plants of Righteoufnels, of God's own Right-hand planting.

I have

And, Dear Friends, forfake not the Affembling of yourselves together, in the Name of Chrift, remembring how you have been vifited with the Heart-melting Power, and the fweet Prefence of the Moft High, in your filent waiting on, and worshipping him in his

L. 4

holy