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this Way of Writing to discharge my Mind of what 1738. lies weightily thereon: And,

First, I defire that you be very careful (being far • and back Inhabitants) to keep a friendly Correfpondence with the native Indians, giving them no Oc• cafion of Offence; they being a cruel and merciless Enemy, where they think they are wrong'd or defrauded of their Right, as woful Experience hath taught, in Carolina, Virginia, and Maryland, and efpecially, in New-England, &c. And,

Secondly, As Nature hath given them, and their Fore-fathers, the Poffeffion of this Continent of America (or this Wildernefs) they have a natural Right thereto in Juftice and Equity; and no People, according to the Law of Nature and Juftice, and our own Principle, which is according to the glorious Gofpel of our dear and holy Lord Jefus Chrift, ought to take away, or settle, on other Mens Lands or Rights, without Confent, or purchafing the fame, by Agree⚫ment of the Parties concern'd; which, I fuppofe, in your Cafe is not yet done.

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Thirdly, Therefore my Counfel and Chriftian Advice to you is (my dear Friends) That the most reputable among you, do, with Speed, endeavour to agree with and purchafe your Lands of the native Indians or Inhabitants: Take Example of our worthy and honourable late Proprietor, William Penn who, by his wife and religious Care, in that Rela<tion, hath fettled a lafting Peace and Commerce with the Natives, and, through his prudent Management therein, hath been Inftrumental to plant in Peace, one of the most flourishing Provinces in the • World.

Fourthly, And who would run the Rifque of the • Lives of their Wives and Children, for the fparing a little Coft and Pains? I am concerned to lay thofe Things before you, under an uncommon Exercife of Mind, that your new and flourishing, little Settle

•ment,

1738. ment, might not be laid wafte, and (if the Providence of the Almighty doth not intervene) fome of the Blood of yourfelves, Wives or Children, be fhed "and fpilt on the Ground.

Fifthly, Confider you are in the Province of Virginia, holding what Rights you have under that Government; and the Virginians have made an Agreement with the Natives, to go as far as the Moun⚫tains, but no farther; and you are over and beyond the Mountains, therefore out of that Agreement ; by which you lie open to the Infults and Incurfions of the Southern Indians, who have deftroyed many of the Inhabitants of Carolina and Virginia, and even now have destroyed more on the like Occafion, [The English going beyond the Bounds of their Agree•ment, Eleven of them were killed by the Indians while we were travelling in Virginia.]

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Sixthly, If you believe yourselves to be within the • Bounds of William Penn's Patent from King Charles ⚫ the Second, which will be hard for you to prove, you being far to the fouthward of his Line; yet, if done, that is of no Confideration with the Indians, without • a Purchase of them; except you will go about to • convince them by Fire and Sword, contrary to our Principles; and if that were done, they would ever be implacable Enemies, and the Land would never be enjoyed in Peace.

Seventhly, Please to note, that in Penfylvania no • new Settlements are made, without an Agreement with the Natives; as witnefs, Lancaster County, lately fettled; though that is far within the Grant of • William Penn's Patent from King Charles the Second; ⚫ wherefore you lie open to Infurrections of the Northern as well as Southern Indians.

And, Lafly, Thus having fhewn my Good-will to you, and to your new little Settlement, that you might fit every one under your own fhady Tree, where none might make you afraid, and that you

⚫ might

⚫ might profper naturally and fpiritually, you and 1738. your Children; and having a little eased my Mind of that Weight and Concern (in fome Measure) that lay upon me, I, at prefent, defift, and fubfcribe, in the Love of our holy Lord Jefus Chrift, Your real Friend,

`T. C.

After my Return from this Journey, I ftay'd much at home that Winter, Travelling now being hard for me, fo that I could not perform long Journeys as formerly, being more broken in the long and hard Travelling in this Journey, than in divers Years before.

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In the Year 1739, I took feveral fhort or leffer 1739. Journeys, and had many Meetings in divers Places, as in Salem and Burlington Counties, in West-Ferfey, and Frankfort, Philadelphia, Chester and Bucks Counties, in Penfylvania; having many large and comfortable Meetings, and fome fatisfactory Service in divers of them.

This Year the War broke out between Great-Britain and Spain; the Spaniards giving great Occafion of Offence to the British Nation; notwithstanding which, King George the Second fought to accommodate Matters peaceably; but the Crown of Spain not complying with the Terms agreed on for an Accommodation, therefore War was proclaimed; which occafioned much Disturbance and Distraction in our little peaceable Province and Government; War being deftructive to Life, Health and Trade, the Peace and Profperity of the People, and abfolutely against the Doctrine and Practice of the Prince of Life and Peace, our Lord and Saviour Jefus Chrift; a great Concern came on my Mind to promote his Doctrine; in order to which I was largely concerned to treat thereof in or at the General Spring-meeting at Philadelphia; with which Service divers wife and pious People were well fatisfied, though fome were offended.

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When the Meeting was over, I having a Defire and Concern once more to vifit Friends in the three lower Counties, Newcastle, Kent and Suffex, among whom I had not travelled for near twenty Years, and being now a little better in Health than I had been, I fet out from my Home, and went to Chester, and from Wilming thence to Wilmington, and had a Meeting there; and Newcastle, then to Newcastle, where we had another; William George's Hammond being with me, he and I went from NewcafCreek. tle to George's-Creek, had a Meeting there and then went to Duck-Creek; after having two Meetings at Duck-Creek, I went to Little-Creek Meeting, and fo proceeded to the Mother-Kills, where I had a large, open Time in preaching the Gospel to the People, which divers of them received with Gladnefs; and there were many, not of our Society, who were very fober and attentive, a Door being open among them; yet, notwithftanding there may be much Opennefs both in Speakers and Hearers, I have obferved with Sorrow, that there are but few who retain the Truth fo as to be really converted; many are convinced, but few converted and come to be regenerated or born again, as our Saviour taught.

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From Mother-kills I went back to Little-Creek to Creek. Timothy Hanfon's, he accompanying me, and from Timothy's I went to Duck-Creek, and from thence to Appoquine Appoquinamy to the Burial of a Friend's Son, who died of the Small-pox; on which Occafion we had a folid Meeting, the mournful Relations being thankful for our Company. From Appoquinamy I went to John Newcafile. M'Cool's, and from thence to Newcastle; where we had a large open Meeting, to the Satisfaction of divers; though I was very weakly and poorly, as to my Health, so that it was hard for me to ftoop to take any Thing from the Ground, and with Difficulty I walked from the Friend's Houfe to the Meeting; but being helped by Grace, and carried through the Service of the Meeting beyond my Expectation, was, with

divers others, truly thankful to God the Father, and 1740. Chrift, my Lord and Saviour.

ton.

From Newcastle I went to Wilmington, had a Meet- Wilming ing there, and from thence to Newark to the Marriage Newark: of Alexander Seaton; the Meeting was uncommonly large, and to general Satisfaction.

From Newark I went back to Wilmington, and from thence to the Center Monthly-meeting, and fo on to Center. Kennet, where was a very large Meeting: Here divers, Kennet. who had profeffed among us, refrained coming to the Publick Meetings for divine Worship with whom, next Day, we had a Meeting, wherein the evil Confequence of forfaking the affembling ourselves together was fpoke to, and that it would be a great Hurt to the young and rifing Generation, and themselves alfo; being a bad Example to them, and contrary to the Advice and Counsel of the holy Apostle, Not to forfake the affembling of ourselves together, as the Manner of Some is.

From Kennet I went to Concord to the Burial of Concord. Benjamin Mendinball, where we had a large and folid Meeting, feveral lively Teftimonies being born therein: This Friend was a worthy Elder, and a ferviceable Man in our Society, and one of the first or early Settlers in Pensylvania; A Man given to Hofpitality, and a good Example to his Family, and hath left divers hopeful Children furviving him.

The Night before this Meeting I lodged at the Widow Gilpin's, whofe Husband, Jofeph Gilpin, was lately deceased; there was true Chriftian Love and Friendship between us for above fifty Years. When first I faw Jofeph in Penfylvania, he lived in a Cave in the Earth, where we enjoyed each others Company in the Love and Fear of God. This Friend had fifteen Children, whom he lived to fee brough up to the States of Men and Women, and all but two married well, and to his Mind. X 2

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