same exercise, and she died in like peace. The last words I heard her speak were, I long to be dissolved. And as to my tender father, I would record a little briefly in memory of him, that he was,

1st, A true and faithful servant of Christ.

2d, A tender and affectionate husband: I lived at home with my parents about twenty years, and I never heard, that I remember, an angry expression between them, only once something had troubled them, and they both wept, my father saying, I have been an indulgent husband unto thee, and my mother answered, I have not been one of the worst of wives to thee; which were the harshest words, and the greatest difference that I observed between them; for their life was a life of peace and love, and they were an excellent example to us their children. Oh! may we follow them therein to the end!

3d. He had a fatherly care for his children, in tender prayers for us, and in good advice to us, and in giving us learning according to his ability, and teaching us, by his example, as well as precept, industry, humility, and the true religion of our blessed Saviour, endeavouring to plant it in us betimes, and to destroy the evil root of sin in us, while young.

4th. I was his servant, as well as his son, and I can truly say, his service was delightful, and his company pleasing and profitable to me; and he was also beloved much by his other servants.

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. C.

Our general meeting at Frankfort, the 30th of fourth month, was large, our friend William Pigot, 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, Germantown, Bybury, and 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 be come 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 upon 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 third day 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 godly 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 Jervice 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 liveth 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.

After the general meeting was over, which ended well, friends in the love of God departed in peace for their several habitations, praising and glorifying God.

In the beginning of the eighth month, having some business at Cape May, I ferried over to Gloucester, and went the first night to James Lord's, lodged there, got up before day, it being first day morning, and rode near 30 miles to Salem, where we had a good meeting, and so went to Alloway's creek, Cohansy, and through a barren wilderness to Cape May, where we had one meeting, and returned home by way of Egg-Harbour; in

which journey I travelled upwards of two hundred miles. At Cape May I was concerned to write a few lines concerning swearing, as follows:

"Christians ought not to swear in any case, for these reasons: 1st. Because Christ, their Lord, forbade it; unto whom the angels in heaven must be subject, and, doubtless, so must mortal man, to whom he gave the precept. We must and ought to be subject to Christ, who is Lord of lords, and King of kings, and the Judge of the quick and the dead: to him all mortals must be accountable for their disobedience. He says, in his sermon on the mount, thus, "I say, swear not at all:" wherefore, how can Christians (or such who are his friends) swear, since he says also, "Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you." So consequently those who disobey his commands must be his enemies. To this command it is objected, that Christ only spoke against common or profane swearing: but this must needs be a great mistake, because Christ says, "It was said in old time, thou shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths" (alluding to the law of Moses), which oaths were solemn and religious; therefore Christ did not only prohibit vain and profane swearing, but all swearing; if we understand the word all, and what all signifies, then all and any swearing whatsoever is not lawful for a christian, according to Christ's law and command, which is positive to his followers.

“2d. James, the holy apostle of Christ, our lawgiver and our king, says, "Above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath." Christ says, "Swear not at all;" and James his disciple and apostle, says, "Swear not by any oath ;" wherefore, if swearing on the Bible be an oath, or is swearing at all, it is contrary to the express doctrine of Christ, and his apostle James, as is plain from

the above cited texts.

"3d. The primitive christians did not swear at all, in the first ages of christianity. Query, whether our modern swearing christians are better than the primitive ones, who, for Christ and conscience sake, could