hand of the Lord help me, give me ease, and conduct me safe, i. e. to God's kingdom, uttering this verse: Sweet Jesus, give me ease, for mercy I do crave; Although this was a great and sore exercise, and deep affliction to me, in losing this promising youth, and my only son; yet, considering that he went off the stage of life like a solid, good christian, it was made tolerably easy to me; for he departed this life in much brightness and sweetness, and more like an old christian, than a youth of ten years of age. It was usual for me to advise his mother not to set her affections too much upon him, thinking he was too good to live long in this world, and too ripe for heaven, to stay long here on earth, or in this world of sorrow and misery. This dear and tender youth, when reading, (to which he was much inclined), if he met with any things that af fected him, either in the sacred writings, or other good authors, he would write it down, and get it by heart; he was, more than common, affectionately concerned for his mother, doing whatever he could freely and cheerfully to serve her, and told her not to do divers things which he thought too much for her, saying, Mother, let me do it, if I were a man thou should not do any thing at all, (meaning as to labour). My dear wife being very industrious, and apt to overdo herself at times: and she being affected with his filial love and care for and towards her in his father's absence, it caused her some times to turn about and weep, in consideration of his great care for and love to her. I thought a little memorandum of the life and death of this religious lad was worthy recording, in order to stir up other youth to obe dience and love to their parents, who begat them, and carefully and tenderly nourished and brought them up; and also to love and obey God, from whom they have their life, breath, and being, and to believe in Christ, who died for them; who is the glorious light of all the nations of them that are saved, and walk therein, according to sacred writ. As noted above, he got several pieces by heart out of the Bible, and other religious writings, first writing them with his pen: two short ones I may recite, of which nature were divers others, which peradventure may be edifying to some, who may cast their eye thereon. One place which much affected my mind, that he wrote down, and got by heart, was the 15th verse of the 57th chapter of that evangelical prophet Isaiah: "For thus saith the high and lofty One, that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is holy, I dwell in the high and holy place; with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones." Another little piece was five verses, which, among others, he wrote, and got by heart, viz. As one day goes, another comes, And sometimes shews us dismal dooms, Though now and then's a pleasant day, I have now but one only daughter, Rebecca, left me out of twelve children, except my wife's son and daugh ter. After this long and tedious voyage, which ended in the second month, I stayed but a few weeks at home, and loaded with wheat and flour for Dublin, in Ireland; had Alice Alderson, my kinswoman, and Margaret Coupland, passengers. We had a very comfortable, pleasant passage, fair winds and weather, and good religious meetings. I think it was the most pleasant time that ever I crossed the seas. About Nantucket we saw several sloops a whaling, and spoke with one, by which opportunity we inquired of the welfare of our friends on that island, and sent our loves to them. Not many miles from the sloops we saw a shoal of whales; I counted eight in a row lying side by side in the water. We were four weeks and six days from our capes to Cape Clear, in Ireland: coming near the land, we met with fishing boats, and got plenty of choice fresh fish; in the evening we got into Kinsale, took in a pilot for Dublin, and sailed next day from Kinsale, and were out one night at séa, got next day to Dublin-bay, where we went ashore, and were kindly entertained by our friends; we were at divers large meetings in that great city, which some of us, while we live, at times I believe shall remember. My stay in Ireland was about seven weeks, in which time I visited several meetings in the country, and at Edenderry, the Moate of Greenough, Carlow, Ballytore, &c. We set sail from Dublin with a fair wind, in company with the ship Neptune, and our friends sent many pray. ers and good wishes after us. We were about forty per sons, sailors, passengers, and servants, on board, and had a good passage, all things considered. We had divers religious meetings on board, and were on our pas sage, from the sight of Ireland, to the sight of our land, five weeks and six days: it was the quickest voyage ever made to Europe and back again to Philadelphia. When I came home, finding all well, I was thankful to God, in the name of Christ, for all his mercies, and the many preservations wherewithal he had favoured me. After being a little at home, and at several meetings, and not being clear of the world, in order to it, I undertook another voyage to Barbadoes, and from thence intending for London, in order to settle my affairs there, which I intended some years before, but losses and dis appointments hindered me. Wherefore, the 7th of the tenth month, I proceeded on a fifth voyage in the Bar badoes Packet, and left Philadelphia, and was at a meet. ing the next day at Chester, being first day, and in the evening we had a large meeting at Grace Lloyd's, where I met with my dear friend Joseph Gill, who had good I service in said meeting; we rejoiced in Christ to see each other. We left Chester the 9th, and got that tide down the river to Newcastle, and, after visiting those few friends there, we set sail the 12th in the morning; the wind being high, and the weather very sharp, freezing hard, our sails were so froze, that we had hard work to get the vessel under sail. The 13th day, weighed anchor, and sailed down the bay, and the 14th we were clear of the capes. The first day following we had a good, seasonable meeting, for the worship and service of God; and, in said meeting, as I was treating of disobe. dience to parents, and disobedience to Almighty God, our great parent and heavenly father, a youth, who was a passenger in the vessel, went out hastily and abruptly, as I was shewing the ungratefulness of the first, much more of the last. When I asked the reason of his going out, he said, it was because he could not forbear crying; and thinking I spoke so because of him, he said, he could not hear me any more. Afterwards I understood that he was a youth who was very ungrateful and disobedient to his parents; the which I knew not of, for his mother told me, and himself also, that he went to sea on account of his health. I thought his going out so hastily was occasioned by some indisposition of body; but it was, as he gave us to understand, through resenting ill what was spoken, and by his taking of it to himself. I have, in like manner, sometimes observed, that divers people have shewn a restlessness and uneasiness in public assemblies of worship and devotion, and sometimes going out, &c. so that they have thereby exposed themselves to the notice of the people, as persons guilty of the matter publicly reprehended, or spoken against; just as though they were the only persons in the assembly, who were guilty of the evil then taken notice of: such public restlessness is a great folly and weakness, besides so openly and publicly exposing themselves. After we left our capes, we had divers hard gales of wind, which lasted several days. The 28th, being a first day, we had a meeting for divine worship, in which God was praised, and his holy name exalted, for his unspeak able grace, in sending his only begotten Son, a divine light to enlighten the inhabitants of the world; after which we had stormy weather and contrary winds for some weeks, so that our passage was tedious; and of fif teen times going to Barbadoes, I found this the most difficult; and the prospect was very discouraging of making a losing voyage, by the great expense I expected for repairing and refitting the vessel, &c. so that I began to despair of accomplishing my design of discharg ing my debts in Great-Britain, and the thoughts and consideration of losing so much of the company and conver. sation of my wife, relations, and friends, and spending so much precious time, which cannot be recalled, to so little purpose, lay heavy on my mind; yet, by the grace of God, my mind was supported, and my resolutions confirmed to praise the Almighty, for every dispensation of his providence. The 23d of the eleventh month we saw the island of Barbadoes; at the breaking of the day, having been from the Capes of Delaware forty days, and one night; and were truly thankful, that, at last, we, through divine favour, got to our desired port; where we were lovingly received by our friends at Speight's-town, who were joyful at our arrival. From thence I went to Bridgetown, and so on to the governor's, in order to enter our vessel; but, staying a little too late, the governor, who was the lord Howe, was come from his house on his way to Bridgetown, with his coach and six, and his attendants; but he seeing me, courteously stopped his coach, and did my business as he sat therein; and though I made an essay towards an excuse, he would not admit of it, saying, There is no need of any excuse. He was indeed an extraordinary courteous man: he died soon after, much lamented, as he was much beloved. My stay at Barbadoes this time was the longest I ever stayed, believing it to be the last time I should go there, and that I should see them no more. My so saying troubled some of them; but growing in years, (being then turned of threescore), I thought it would be too hard for me to undertake such another voyage; there |