5th. He was universally beloved by his neighbours, and I do not remember any difference between him and them, in the many years I lived with him; but all was peace and love.

"6th. He was very loving to his relations, and true to his friends, and a hearty well-wisher and lover of his king and country.

"T. CHALKLEY.”

CHAPTER VII.

1726-1728.

FURTHER RELIGIOUS SERVICE CHIEFLY NEAR HOMEVOYAGE TO BARBADOES ON BUSINESS-SEVERAL MEETINGS ON THE ISLAND-OCCURRENCES AFTER HIS RETURN -TWO OTHER VOYAGES TO BARBADOES, &c.

OUR general meeting at Frankfort, the 30th of the Fourth Month, was large, our friend William Piggot, from London, being there (in the course of his visit to Friends in America) and had close work and good service in this meeting.

In the Fifth Month, 1726, I visited the meetings of Friends at Philadelphia, German Town, and Bybury, in some of which meetings, as also at our own at Frankfort, I had very comfortable satisfaction: : my testimony was pretty sharp sometimes to transgressors, and therefore some of them hate me, as the Jews did my great Master; because I was concerned to testify, that their deeds were evil, and to excite my friends to manifest a Christian zeal, by openly denying ungodly men, while they continue in their ungodly works; but when they become truly penitent, and reform their lives, the arms of Christ, and his church, will be open to receive them.

Being under some melancholy thoughts, because some persons, for whom I wished well, and to whom

I had been of service, were so envious and malicious as to tell false stories of me, tending to defame me ; as I was riding to our meeting, it opened with satisfaction to my mind, The more my enemies hate me, the more I will love, if that can be; and I had hearty desires to come up in the practice of this resolution and I then thought I should come up with them all, for if a man loves and prays for his enemies, if they are gained, he is instrumental to their good, and so hath cause of rejoicing; and if they are not gained, he heaps coals of fire on their heads; so that every true Christian, by keeping under the cross of Christ, and in the practice of his doctrine, gets the better of his enemies.

In the beginning of the Sixth Month, I was at the burial of Robert Fletcher, a worthy man, and one universally beloved by all sorts of people, as far as ever I heard. There was a large meeting at his funeral, wherein several testimonies, suitable to the occasion, were borne: some of his last words were mentioned, which were, that he had lived according to the measure of grace given him. And the doctrine of the resurrection was maintained according to the Scripture, and the people were exhorted to prepare for their final change. The death of this Friend was a loss to the country, to our Society, and to his neighbours, as well as to his family and friends.

After meeting I travelled towards Uwchland, had a meeting there on First-day, and on Second-day another meeting at Lewis Walker's, and on Thirdday was at the general meeting at Haverford: Friends were exhorted to dwell in the love of God, one towards another; for if they lost their love, they would lose

their religion, their peace, and their God; for God is love, and those that dwell in God, dwell in love.

My neighbour, Daniel Worthington, accompanied me in this rough travel, some part of the way being hilly, and very stony and bushy, and the weather wet. We had four meetings, and rode about fourscore miles; and though I had travelled much in this province, I had never been at some of those places before: but a few nights before I set out, I had a plain prospect of them in a dream, or night vision, as I saw them afterwards, which I thought somewhat remarkable.

The people inhabiting this province, are now become numerous, and make many settlements in the woods, more than I have observed in my travels in any of the British plantations; and there hath long been a desire in my mind that they might prosper in the work of true and thorough reformation; and a goodly fear and concern being upon me, I have sometimes put them in mind of the state of this land, when their fathers first came and settled in it; and to caution them of growing careless, and forgetting the Lord, lest he should forsake them, and turn their now fruitful fields into a barren wilderness, as this was so lately; which it is easy with him to do, if he pleases, for the sins of the people.

After my return home, I visited many meetings, as Abington (youths' meeting), Philadelphia, and Chester. At Chester I was concerned to direct the people to that power in themselves, which is the life of religion, and to be careful not to rest in the best forms without it; for if we had only the form of godliness, and had not the life and power of it, it might be as reasonable for people to turn away from us,

as it was for our forefathers to turn away from other societies.

In the Seventh Month I was at our yearly meeting held at Burlington, for the provinces of New Jersey and Pennsylvania, which was a very large meeting, there being Friends from New England, Rhode Island, and Europe.

First-day morning I went to Evesham to the burial of our serviceable friend, Jervis Stockdale, he being in good esteem, there was much people. The meeting was in a good tender frame, and continued several hours so, in which divers testimonies were delivered, in order to stir up people to truth and righteousness, and godly living, that they might die well. I lodged the night before at Peter Fearon's, and in the morning I was awaked out of my sleep, as it were, by a voice expressing these words; He that livethH AND BELIEVETH IN ME, SHALL NEVER DIE. This I took to be the voice of Christ; I do not know that it was vocal, but it was as plain as one. From these expressions I had to observe to the people, the happy state and privilege of those who live and believe in Christ, and that such must not live in sin.

During the time of our yearly meeting, some rude people came up the river in a small sloop, provided by them for that purpose, and spent their time in drinking, carousing, and firing of guns, to the grief and concern of Friends, who were religiously discharging their duty, in serving and worshipping the Almighty; and it is observable, that one of these disorderly persons had his hand shot off at that time, and that the chief promoters and actors in this riotous company were soon after cut off by death, in the prime of their days.