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ON

CHAP. XI.

Account of bis voyage to Europe.

N the 26th day of the 11th mo. 1792, I took a folemn leave of my dear father, father and mother-in-law, my two youngeft children, whom I left in their care, and of my brothers and fifters-inlaw; and accompanied by my kind friends Thomas Arnold and Smith Brown, went to Boston. 27th, The ship not ready to fail, I made fome preparations for the voyage. 29th, My two faid friends return- ed home; I attended the meeting in Boston, which was small, I had however a few words of invitation for them. 30th, I went to Lynn, and ift of the 12th month, visited divers families there; and 2d, attended their large meeting in filence; 3d, returned to Boston; 4th, wrote letters home; and 5th, went on board the ship Mercury of 240 tons, bound for Dunkirk, Benjamin Glover, of Nantucket, master. We failed about noon: fome time in the afternoon we loft fight of Boston. In the night all hands were called up, and the fhip put about in order to return to the harbour, the leaking, and the leak rapidly increasing, that is, from the rate of one hundred ftrokes of the pump an hour to fix hundred. The captain, mates, and crew, were alarmed; but the foon leaked lefs on this tack, and they put about again.-6th, the fhip still leaking, the captain and feveral men fearched on the outfide for the leak, but found none; after which, the leak moderating, cheerfulness returned in the faces of the company.

7th, The leak greatly increased, to near one thousand strokes an hour. Sadness again resumed its empire over the crew. The captain knew not what to do at length he put about again, and failed homeward a while. The weather was pretty rugged

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during the time of this increasing leak. The leak continuing, the captain ordered a hole to be cut through the second deck to go in and fearch for it, which was done, and the leak foon found, to wit, an open auger hole of about an inch and an half, at the hip's ftern, fo high up as not to leak conftantly, which being stopped, the number of strokes were foon reduced to twenty-five an hour. Oh! what a change this wrought in the countenances of the poor failors. They foon feemed as if they had forgot all their forrows. They put fhip about, and now feemed as if they were going to fea in earnest. The captain's looks proclaimed the relief of his heart, though he was moderate through all. My truft was only in God, my hope, refuge, and defence. I appealed to him who knew all hearts, that he knew my motives in this voyage were none other than that I might be found obedient to his holy call, and faithful in his fervice; and if it was now his will to fuffer my body to defcend into a watry grave, thy

will be done,' was the honeft language of my heart. I could not wifh myself on fhore; nor on board another veffel; for I had felt quite eafy in taking paffage in this, and remained fo. I believed the winds and waves obeyed him, and that his providential care is over all his creatures. I felt fafe in his hand, and repofed myself as in the hollow of it -bleffed be his name for ever.

8th, All cheerful on board. The motion of the fhip has kept me a little fea-fick.-9th, Cloudy and rainy. I fat a while in folemn filence, waiting upon the Lord my God; but though my mind was fomewhat ftayed, it was inwardly as outwardly, a cloudy time, indeed a time of proving to me.-10th, At evening the wind arofe, and roared tremendously; it held all night; the men tied up the fails, lafhed the helm, and let the fhip drift in the wind and waves.-11th, The_gale ftill continued all the laft

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laft night, and all this day and night with violence. The captain faid this morning he had not for eight years paft, known fo terrible a time, for fo long continuance, though that was but about the middle of it and indeed it was confiderably more violent the night following, than at all before. It ftormed through the whole; but this night the ftorm and tempeft of wind was dreadful. The fhip was bound on a whaling voyage from Dunkirk, and for that purpose had boats on board. One of these was confiderably dafhed to pieces this night: three or four yards or fpars were loft: feveral fowls died, and the only live theep we had on board was near dying, even under deck. I felt refigned through all; and, though poor in fpirit, I never wifhed myfelf elfewhere, or in any wife repented my voyage. I faw God's wonders in the deep, and it would almost feem at times as if the briny waves might prevail a gainft us-though I cannot say there was a moment wherein I really loft my confidence.

I had fteadily, for many months, firmly expected and believed I should fee wonders on the mighty waters. My God had fealed it on my foul, that the loud roar of winds, and the dread rolling of the waves, fhould awfully attend my paffage, and prove my hold on heaven. And, therefore, when the time of trial came, I faid in my heart, it is the Lord, let him fulfil his purposes: let him do what he will with me: nought befides his holy with can be good for me; and why fhould I wish even the moft difagreeable parts of it averted, mitigated, or even Thortened? I believed I had had his holy promife who cannot lie, that I fhould live through these dreadful toffings on the bofom of the ocean, and once more fet my foot on firm ground; yea, bless his holy name, in wonders yet to come on fhore.* I cannot fay I was not nearly proved in regard to his divine * See his prospect.

divine fuperintendency, or that I did not almost doubt the certainty of his infpoken word of promise to my foul, though I well remembered the clearness of the profpect, and the holy warmth and energy that did livingly attend the fame, months before. And though the evidence of divine things was very low in my mind, yet I could not caft away my confidence, being ftill perfuaded, that, if I had ever known the holy word at all, I had had it in the fent inftance. Here my foot fixed, and my all I ftill furrendered up to his disposal, who is God over all for ever.

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12th. About noon the wind and ftorm was fo far abated, that the captain had the fhip under fail again, though ftill the roar of elements remained. 13th, It is ftill cloudy and rainy. The fun has been seen but little fince we left Bofton; and I think it has rained or fnowed, more or lefs, every day and night but one-14th, Very little funfhine-fome rain. 15th Rainy all day, at night it cleared up, and gave us to hope for fettled and comfortable weather; but, 16th, It ftormed again, and fnowed plentifully; but at night it cleared off.-17th, Stormy again. We had foundings on the grand banks of Newfoundland at forty fathoms; but little wind for two or three days. Afternoon cleared up fo pleasantly, that great hopes were entertained of having good weather.-18th, Forenoon, stormy with but little wind, the ftorm continued until near night; then the wind fpringing up freth and fair, it cleared it away. The captain faid he had been able to get but one good obfervation during our be ing at fea, fo little funshine have we had for this almost two weeks. But my foul is fatisfied in the divine difpofal.

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19th. Fair weather, and a good fresh breeze. We now seem to look forward with cheerfulness.

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20th and 21ft, a very good breeze continued moft of these days. 22d, This day a good fresh breeze at S. W. the weather cloudy; but the cloud over my mind is in degree difpelled; bleffed be the name of the Lord-Lord, hold me in thy holy hand, and make me ever truly watchful, thankful, and tteadfaftly believing. Amen. 23d, We are still favoured with a good lively breeze, and make good way a-head. 24th, The fame as yesterday; during the Jaft night I got very little fleep; (though this is ufual with me on this voyage) yet in most fervent interceffions I befought the Lord to be with me through all. 25th, 26th, and 27th, Still good winds. O the wonders of the rolling, foaming deep! If the Lord's hand was not underneath, we should surely fink beneath the raging waves! Who can be an atheist? or what can be an atheist's hope? 28th, A very good lively wind, cloudy, and fmalk rains. Last night, a night of anguish to my provà ed four. All former experience cannot prevent renewals of unfpeakable anxiety, when the Lord is pleafed to prove his own as at Maffah,' and to * ftrive with them (in his own way) as at the 'waters of Meribah ** 29th, An excellent wind, cloudy and wet. The mariners caft the lead, found foundings at about 90 fathome. 30th, Fair wind and weather. It was agreed on board, that this morning, when the fun was about two hours and an half high, that we had not had fo much fair weather at a time, fince we left Bofton, as this morning. 31ft, In the morning found fixty fathom water; we were now abreaft Scilly iflands, according to our calculations. This afternoon we faw the Lizard. Fresh wind and cloudy. Thus ends the year 1792.

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ift of the 1ft month, 1793. The wind increafed from a good fresh breeze, to a ftrong gale-faw land * Exod, xvii. 7.

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