faving what hath been with fo much Care gotten for 1729. them, or of getting more against the Winter or Old. Age, which, if they live, will certainly overtake them, when their Youth or Summer is gone.

But many Youths object against this Advice, crying out, as I have often heard, The Aged give this Advice when they are old, but did as we do when they were young as we are; although this may be true in fome, yet it will not hold good in the general, and if it do in fome, is not that Maxim good? Let others Harms learn us to beware, before it be too late, that we fall not into the fame Snare, which hath entangled or caught, Thousands, to their great Shame and Reproach. Again, thofe who have been fo overtaken in their Youth, and are escaped out of the Snare, are more fit to caution or advife how to efcape it, or to fhew thofe Paths which led them into that Labyrinth of Woe and Mifery.

The Author of all Evil ufeth his utmoft Skill and Power to promote the Practices of exceffive Drinking, &c. among Mankind, it being a mighty Support to his Kingdom; for when the Nobility of the Understanding is clouded thereby, then Oh! how many wicked Oaths, Oh! what corrupt Language, what unhandfome, unbecoming Words and Actions, are brought forth! How is good Manners corrupted! How is the fober, chafte Soul offended, and above all other Confiderations, how is God difhonoured, and the End of our Creation fruftrated, and Man condemned !

When People are in thofe Exceffes, how do they take the facred Name in vain, and fo bring themselves in guilty before God, and Man; for he has pofitively faid, He will not hold them guiltless, who take his Name in vain; fo that let him plead never fo many Excuses, he is pronounced guilty by the Judge of Heaven and Earth: Therefore let me perfwade the Youth to remember what the Lord by his Servants faid concerning drinking to Excefs, Woe to the Drunkards; and that no

Drunkard

1729. Drunkard fhall inherit the Kingdom. Again, Woe to them that are mighty to drink Wine, and Men of Strength to mingle ftrong Drink, &c. If it be objected, as it often is, when fuch poor Souls are reproved, and their Sins fet in order before them; We trust in the Mercy of God and the Merits of Christ: I fay this is a good Truft and Hope, if upon a good Foundation; but the Wicked must forfake their Ways, and the Unrighteous their evil Thoughts; but what Forfaking is that, when ftrong Conviction is upon the Soul, to make Covenants, Vows and Promifes, and break them from Time to Time? And tho' Chrift hath fatisfied the Justice of the Almighty for Sinners, it is for thofe who forfake their Sins, not thofe who plead for the Practice of them, and endeavour, by many vain Excuses, to justify themselves in them.

Since then the Salvation of the Soul is precious, and hath coft the precious Blood of the Lamb of God, and is much more precious than Health or Wealth, why fhould any be fo cruel and hard-hearted to themselves, as, for a little Vanity, Froth and Mirth, Toys and Trifles, vain Sports, and evil Paftime, to plunge and fink themselves into the eternal Gulph of Woe and Mifery pray, O pray confider it, dear Youths!

After my Return from Barbadoes, in the Fourth Burlington. Month, I vifited Friends Meetings at Burlington, at the Falls of Delaware, Abington, German-town,, and Philadel was divers Times at Philadelphia and Frankfort Meetings; which Meetings were much to my Satisfaction; the Lord being pleased to manifeft his Goodness to many, as alfo to my poor exercised Soul; for which I was truly thankful unto him.

phia.

In the Sixth Month I was at the General-meeting of Friends at Derby, in Chester County, which was a large, good Meeting, divers Friends appearing there in a lively Miniftry. About this Time, fome Thoufands of People came from Ireland, and alfo many Palatines from Holland; among whom, it is reported,

were

were Romans, or Papifts, feveral of whom, it was faid' 1729. gave out threatning Speeches, which caufed fome Confternation among the People.

At this large General-meeting, I exhorted them, To truft in the Lord, and not to distrust that Hand which had hitherto preserved us by his Providence without outward Force; and that tho' the People who came. among us were many in Number, yet we, having the Lord on our Side, were more than they, in a mystical Senfe; putting them in Remembrance of the Prophet, who, when his Servant was afraid, prayed to the Almighty, To open the Eyes of his Servant, and when they were myftically opened, be faw the Mountains full of Chariots of Fire, and Horfes of Fire, and that they were more than their Enemies: I was alfo concerned to exhort Friends to be good Examples to thofe Stangers, who came among us in fuch great Numbers; and that our Lights, in our Converfations, might fo fhine, that those People, feeing our good Works, might glorify our Father which is in Heaven, according to the Doctrine of Chrift; and then we should do them Good, and they would do us no Hurt, but Good alfo: But on the other Hand, it we keep not our Places, and do not live in the Fear of God, nor according to our holy Principles and Profeffion, that then it might be juft with the Lord God, to make them a Scourge to us.-Many were comforted in this Meeting, and God was praised, who is worthy.

phia.

On the 15th of the Sixth Month, having loaded the Ship New Bristol Hope, a fecond Time, I fail'd in her from Philadelphia, and having a Concern to vifit Philade the Meeting of Friends at Salem, I left the Ship at Gloucefter, under the Care of the Pilot, and went by Salem Land to the Firft-day Meeting at Salem, and from thence to Elfenborough, and staid till the Ship came down; and on the 20th of the Month we got to Sea, and had a fair Wind for feveral Days, and lived very lovingly on board, being refpectfully treated by my. Sailors.

At Sea,

1729.

In this Voyage we had several Meetings on board, the firft of which was at the Requeft of my second Mate, to call the Sailors together in the Cabbin; I not being forward to propofe it to them, left they fhould fufpect me of some Vanity, in defiring to preach to them; they not knowing the Crofs of Chrift in that Exercise.

On the 24th Day of the Seventh Month, at Noon, our Ship, by Obfervation, being exactly in the Latitude of Barbadoes, we fteer'd away Weft for the Island, and on the 26th we faw it, after five Weeks and one Day leaving Sight of Cape Henlopen; we having, after the first few Days, light Winds, Calms, and Head Winds, which made our Paffage long, and our Sea Stores almoft fpent; but now the Sight of Land made the People forget all Uneafinefs, and, for this Favour, my Heart was thankful to the great Preferver of Men.

This Time we came to a tolerable Market with our Provifions, which made our Stay but fhort, yet I was Barbadoes. divers times at the Bridge Meeting of Friends, as alfo at Speight's-Town (where my Concerns chiefly lay) and once at Pumkin-Hill Meeting, in which Meeting it was observed to the People, That the Salvation of the Soul is precious, and that true Religion is a folid Thing, a Thing of the greatest Moment to both Body and Soul, and that People ought to be very serious and folidly concern'd about it, taking special Care to lay, or build, their Religion on a fure Foundation; it was fhewed them, that Chrift Jefus was the fure Rock and Foundation of all the Righteous, in all Ages; he was the Rock that followed Ifrael, which they drank of; any other Foundation than him, no Man can lay ; who is, in the truly Religious, and the true Believers, the Hope of their Glory. Many other precious Truths were manifested to us, in that Meeting, for which we praised the Lord.

Soon after I went to Bridge Town to clear out the Bridge Veffel, and was at their Week-day Meeting: The Subject-matter I had to treat of in that Meeting, was,

Town.

That

That the Lord bringeth low, and he raiseth up again; 1729. and that, in divers Refpects, as to Kingdoms, Families, and particular Perfons; and as to Health, Wealth, Honour, &c. Divers in that Meeting were appealed to as Witneffes of it.After this Meeting I went to vifit the Governor who was courteous to me, and took my Vifit kindly, and defired to be remembred to our Governor, and several others, and wifhed me a profperous Voyage, and well back again, which he hoped would be in about three Months. He faid, Whoever lived to fee it, Penfylvania would be the Metropolis of America, in fome Hundreds of Years. He faid, He loved down-right, boneft Men; but he hated Deceit and Hypocrify. A great Man, and a great Expreffion!

The 21ft of the Eighth Month 1729, we, having done our Bufinefs, weigh'd Anchor, and went to Sea: And on the 26th we had a good Meeting with the Ship's Company, for the Service and Worship of God; in which the Gofpel of Chrift was declared without Partiality, and the reigning Sins of Sailors openly exposed, according to the Doctrine of the Gofpel, and the most high Lord entreated to carry on in the Earth the great Work of Reformation.-Hitherto we had fine, pleafant Weather.

The Beginning of the Ninth Month we had a very bluftering, ftormy Time, for many Days, fo that we could not carry Sail, but fometimes lay by, and fometimes went with a reeff'd Main-fail and Fore-fail; the Ship had fuch a violent Motion, that it broke our Glaffes, and about a Dozen Bottles of Wine, and our Earthen-ware, and ftrained our Hogfheads and Casks, so that we pump'd out Molaffes into the Sea, and beat us back many Leagues, and blew our Sails out of the Bolt-ropes.

After thofe Storms we had a Calm, and the Wind fprung up wefterly; our Courfe being North-weft, or thereabouts, we could bearly lay our Courfe; yet, it being moderate, we had Caufe to be thankful.

Q 2

The

At Sea.