meeting's appointment to vifit the quarterly and monthly meetings, I vifited Acoakfet, Dartmouth, Nantucket, Sandwich, and Swanzey monthly meetings, Sandwich quarterly meeting held at Nan tucket, and our own at Smithfield. We found a want of charity in fome few, very strict in outward plainnefs, who, from a mifguided zeal, held others too much at a diftance on account of their not apt pearing equally plain with themselves in dress, &c. which was caufe of grief to me, yet I am a hearty well-wisher to plainnefs: I grieve to fee the forrowful departure from it into pride and fuperfluity: I never faw an inftance of any very confiderable departure of this kind, but what I had reafon to be convinced, that a real lofs was fuftained by the individuals, or their beft advancement prevented. But I have fuffered much deep diftrefs of foul under a painful and deprefsing fenfibility, of that contracted, illiberal, and harth fpirit, which in fome inftances has the afcendancy, leading them into extremes without the life. I know the truth leads into great regularity and circumfpection of life; and I abhor that light chaffy fpirit that makes ridicule of it, and lightly efteems the exemplary appearance and true religious zeal of the faithful. I doubt not many libertine minds may lay hold of fuch remarks as the above to justify their own deviations from the plain path of truth, the narrow way that leads to life ; and think thereby to fcreen themselves from, the juft judgment of truth through the brethren; but this will not avail them; the way remains, as ever of old, a narrow way, a way of felf-denial, and the daily crofs. But Oh unhappy and deluded people, whoever they are, that in their zeal for externals, lofe charity. They depart from the life and lay hold on formality; for all outward things in religion dwindle unavoidably into formality, in proportion as charity is departed from, and zeal takes place in things pertaining to the outside of the gup and plat

ter,

ter, without a living fenfe of the inward spring of life which can never be experienced without living, fervent charity. Therefore let us ever keep fteadi ly to our plain way of living, in the life of truth; for I am affured, fo far as it is rightly kept to, truth owns and fupports it; and its influence on the mind is very beneficial. But Oh, that we may ever be preferved from a narrow, rafh, cenforious fpirit; and from over-rating any outward regularity, or exact living; left, as we grow in the form, we dwindle as to the life. Although these remarks may not have a very extenfive influence in rightly guarding others; yet I muft write what I have to write and leave it, hoping divine providence will yet build up Sion and fortify Jerufalem, directing the courfe of the fincere-hearted between all the extremes, in the fure and fafe path of virtue, where a lively active zeal is tempered with liberality of heart and fentiment, in the flowings of true charity.

We laboured in the monthly meetings as ability was afforded, and I truft to fome folid fatisfaction! I got home to my dear wife and family the 8th of the 7th month, and finding them tolerably well, I left home next day to attend our own quarterly meeting. Here I was rather too active in difcipline. I have found it my bufinefs fometimes of late to be more inward in travail, and lefs active in the exercife of the wholefome rules of fociety than I once was, and believe, when I have obeyed the call into this inward, still abode, and there felt my loins rightly girded, it has contributed much more to the right exercise of the difcipline, than when, through a defire for its proper adminiftration, I have, by over-acting, feemed to do a good deal for its execution.s lagere yovacɔ or beroligaL WIP of h

In the night, the 9th of the 8th month, there

was

was a froft which killed fome of the vegetables, even fome indian corn. This being fo very early in the year, and coming after a feafon of many re freshing showers, and at a time of very fair and promifing profpect of plentiful crops, my mind was led into a train of ferious reflections, how the Almighty, who had thus brought forward our fields, and profpects, could cut them all off; and how entirely dependant we are upon his bounty for every bleffing. Were his compaffions to fail, his pro vidential aids to be withdrawn, alas! we, poor frailmortals, fhould soon perish.

In the 9th month I visited Friends families at Richmond, New-Hampshire, a very diftant branch of our monthly meeting. At feveral of our meetings at Uxbridge, not long after this, I had livingly to found an alarm among Friends; and my foul humbly rejoiced in the relief I obtained in thefe .few favoured meetings.

1784, 2d of ad month. The exercises of my mind have for fome time paft rather increased, infomuch that, for a confiderable part of the time I have felt like being in the furnace, efpecialty in meetings, but much so out of them alfo Indeed it has felt like the power and fire of the Lord laying hold of the remains of pride and evil in me and burning like an oven; that is, inwardly and fert vently May all be confumed that cannot abide the fiery trial.

1

And it has been gradually from time to time opened and fealed on my mind, that a part of the fcrip tures, which many generally understand to speak only of outward things, may be understood by the truly enlightened to convey inward and fpiritual ins ftruction. God's defign is to confound the wifdom of the wife, and bring to nought, the understanding

of

of the prudent. He has hid and will hide divinė things from the wife and prudent, and reveal them unto babes.

The natural man not only does not, but cannot know them, because they are only spiritually dif cerned. To this purpofe Chrift fpake in parables, that fichas had an eye inward to the divine light, which alone gives the true fpiritual difcerning, might understand, receive, and know the myfteries of his kingdom, while all the wife and learned could but guess, mistake, ftumble, and be confounded. So when the difciples afked him why he fpake in parables, he informed them it was becaufe it was given to them to know these things, but to others it was not given. It was not given to them, to the exclufion of any in the fame ftate of inward feeking, docility, and childlike fimplicity.

God's defign was then, and ever will be, to hide these things from all fuch as are striving to know them by their own mere natural powers; they may, and do fudy the fcriptures, and reafon very copi oufly upon them, and think they clearly compre hend, their meaning, and yet remain in total darkness, as to the fpiritual import, meaning, and myf tery of many paffages which they are ftrongly per fuaded they understand rightly.

Before this wisdom and creaturely comprehenfion the ftumbling-block is, by God's determination and counfél, laid on purpofe laid, that man ever may ftumble and fall' and be fnared and taken, fo long as he goes this way to work to understand divine things; not that God determines any certain number of perfons fhall fo ftumble, and be fnared, &c. but all univerfally on this ground, and in this wif dom; for through all ages it is true, if any man. thinketh that he knoweth any thing, he knoweth

⚫ nothing

⚫ nothing yet as he ought to know.'* Even Paut declares, I know nothing by myself.?+ areth 29

While Paul thought he knew fomething divine by or of himself, his reafoning rofe against the Meffiah, and with all his might he fought against the only true way of falvation. So, in degree, it will be with all; if they think they know, even any thing divine of themselves, or by the exercife of their own creaturely faculties, they have never yet learned any thing as they ought; for as foon as they know any thing as they ought, they fee and know that they knew nothing by or of themfelves; but are altogether beholden to a fpiritual discerning from the divine light, fhining in their hearts, to give them this knowledge. Hence fays the apoftle, God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath fhined (take notice where this fhining is) in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jefus Chrift.'I

Here, firft, it is God that bath fined; fecondly, it is in our hearts; thirdly, it is to give us what we had not before, and could not have without this infhining, that is, the light of the knowledge of bis own glory; fourthly, it is in the face of Jefus Chrift his inward appearance, whereby he caufeth his light to fhine upon us, in order that we may be faved that we can ever fee the light of the knowledge of the glory of God, according to the true faying, in thy light we fee light+His light fhining in our hearts,' is the only possible medium wherein and whereby we can fee God, or clearly difcern his glory; for it is an eternal truth, whatsoever doth make manifeft is light 'Na tural light manifefts natural things, and spiritual In and *1 Cor. viii. 2. † Cor. iv. qu‡12 Cor. ivl 6. ++ Pfal. xxxvi. 9. ‡‡ Eph. v. 13.

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