and opened my prospects into diftant nations, with fome belief that the Lord was opening a large field of labour for me in foreign countries, to be entered into in his own due season. I faid, good is thy will, O Lord!-difpofe of me, thy unworthy fervant, as thou pleasest.'

6

So at a suitable season I opened my concern refpecting a visit to the fouthward, in a felect meeting of minifters and elders, who expreffed a good degree ●f unity and clearness. After this, believing it beft to remove my family to my old home at NorthProvidence, and having done it accordingly, I applied to the preparative meeting at Providence, in order that my concern might get regularly forward to the monthly meeting for a certificate. And having obtained a certificate of the concurrence of the monthly meeting, it was carried to the quarterly meeting in the first month 1789; and there the Lord was pleased to fill my foul with ftrength, and gave utterance to my weight of exercife and concern, to the greatly tendering of my own heart, and the hearts of my brethren and fifters. I opened it both in the men's and women's meeting-and received a certificate of their concurrence with my concern; their near fympathy with me under the exercise attending it, and their prayers for my prefervation through every baptifm and trial that I might meet with. Being thus furnished, and having early had a profpect of being at Philadelphia at the time of the general fpring meeting of ministers and elders, to be held there in the third month 1789, and ftill feeling bound to endeavour to be at that meeting, I got ready, and my friend Daniel Aldrich having found a concern upon his mind to accompany me, and obtained a certificate of the concurrence of his friends, we set forward on the journey the ninth of the third month 1789, having taken an affectionate and heart- tendering farewell of my dear

wife and family, recommending them to the Lord for prefervation, confolation, and fupport, in full confidence that he would not fail them if their truft continued firmly in him. We rode feveral days, paffing through the ftate of Connecticut, without meeting with any of our brethren, except a few in one place, after parting with my dear father-in-law, my beloved brother-in-law, Jofeph Anthony, and our kind young friend Obadiah Brown, who rode part of the first day with us. We met with very kind treatment among the Prefbyterians in Connecticut; and I had to believe, from the ftate of mind which many of them appeared to be in, and from the impreffion which I had among them, that a time would yet come when the bleffed Truth would have a much freer entrance, operation, and acknowledgment among that people, than has yet been evident-may the Lord haften his great work in the earth; and when and fo far as he pleaseth, ⚫ take unto him his great power and reign' throughout the kingdoms of men. We got to New-York on 7th-day, the 14th of the month, and ftaid their fore and afternoon meetings on first day, but were quite fhut up therein. Next day went to Rahway in New-Jerfey, and fo on to Philadelphia, where we arrived on 6th-day the 20th at evening, having attended a little meeting by the way at Bordentown in Jersey, and alfo the quarterly meeting at Haddonfield. Here the Lord favoured us with his prefence, and opened our way to confiderable fervice.

7th-day 21ft-Began the general fpring meeting of minifters and elders at Philadelphia. Truth mercifully owned our folemnity, and wonderfully favoured in the feveral fittings of the felect meeting -the feveral meetings for publick worship-as alfo in the three monthly meetings in the city, which came on in courfe after the general meeting concluded,

We

We left Philadelphia on 6th-day the 27th, and were next day at a felect meeting at Wilmington, and on Ift and 2d days, at their general meeting for worship there, where Truth gave us the victory and afforded ability to exalt the precious teftimony thereof, though through deep fufferings in fpirit. After this we had meetings' at Chriftiana-Bridge, and the Head of Elk, among people moftly not of our fociety. But though I felt a strong oppofition in fome at the laft place, yet Truth gave the victory at both of thefe meetings, the laft being eminently owned by the overshadowing of divine life, in the power and demonftration whereof the everlasting gospel was preached among them-may it fasten as a nail in a fure place.

4th mo. 2d, being 5th day of the week, we tried to get to the monthly meeting at Deer Creek, but could not get over the river Sufquehanna until too late to reach meeting seasonably; but we found we had a fervice among feveral young Friends near the river. After we had cleared our minds to them, the way foon opened for us to cross the river: so we had a meeting next day at Deer Creek, in which I was quite closed up.

7th, 1ft and 2d days-We had meetings at the Fawn, Bush River, and Little Falls-3d, 4th, and 5th, we were at Gunpowder, Patapfco Foreft, and Baltimore: moftly fhut up. We ftaid at Baltimore until after their two meetings on first-day; were shut up, yet favoured with faith and patience.-On 3d-day, the 14th, we had a meeting at Elk Ridge; were fhut up, except the expreffion of a few words. 4th-day we were at their preparative meeting at Sandy-fpring, a bleffed and highly favoured timevery open; divers attended the meeting for worship who were not of our fociety. Truth's doctrines flowed freely and largely among them, I trust in a

good

good degree of the evidence and demonftration of the Spirit.

Fifth-day, we attended a preparative meeting at Indian-Spring, and a felect meeting after it; both exercifing, though we got a little relief, through attention to that which enabled to labour honeftly as ability was afforded.

Sixth-day, 17th.-Were at their monthly meeting there, before which, in the morning, we were at the adjournment of their felect meeting: it was indeed a day not to be forgotten, I truft by us, nor by many of them who were prefent. In the felect meeting truth very unexpectedly opened fome important and inftructive (though to the natural man myfterious) doctrines clearly to the understanding of my mind; and the power of the word of life accompanying, I opened them, fo far as required, to the meeting, to the great relief of my own mind. The meeting for publick worship was eminently owned by the overshadowings of divine love, under which covering, utterance was largely given, and the doctrines of the gofpel were opened and promulgated this day, to the reaching and tendering many minds, if not most prefent-the doctrine of God's free and univerfal grace, and its entire fufficiency for the falvation of all, being especially illuftrated, and at the fame time that the work of falvation goes no further forward in us than we yield to, join in, and co-operate with this bleffed principle.

In the meeting for church difcipline, we had large opportunity in the fresh extendings of gofpel love, to clear our minds to both brethren and fifters, both parents and children, on divers important branches of our religious teftimony. Our fouls were comforted, and the living among them rejoiced with us.

Things are low in this land; but yet we were witneffes that a remnant are on the right foundation, and engaged to promote the right thing; and we had a hope that the number would increase, and that a revival might take place in these parts.

Seventh-day, we rode to a place called the Clifts. This night, as I lay awake in bed, I was almost overcome with the fresh extendings of the love and goodness of God to my foul, and feemed swallowed up in the infhinings of his luminous and glorious prefence. In this almoft extatic enjoyment, my foul bowed in awfulness and reverence before him, and the whole man was renewedly offered up to his férvice, to be difpofed of as he pleased: and after thus continuing for fome time, fubjectly given up to his holy will, witneffing his glory to rest upon me as a royal diadem, and receiving fome fweet manifeftations or confirmations of his fatherly care having been day and night extended to and over me from my youth, for my prefervation and advancement in the way of life and falvation, it pleased his infinite majefty to condefcend once more (as at fome few gracious, folemn, and peculiar feafons in the courfe of my pilgrimage before) as it were to fet open the windows of heaven, and fpread before the view of my mind the excellency and glory thereof; and (which above all rejoiced my foul) he also set open the arms of his mercy; fhewing me and giving me feelingly to know, that although, at many times in the course of my life, I had not fo kept under a fense of his preserving influence as to fhun the fnares of the enemy, but had fometimes been entangled in them, yet there was nothing retained against me, but that all was freely remitted and washed away in the blood of the Lamb; and that if I henceforth stood firm in obedience to him, and in the promotion of his caufe, as ability was given, 1 fhould reign with him in glory, world without end. I

found