1726. Uwchland. Being under fome melancholy Thoughts, becaufe fome Perfons, for whom I wished well, and to whom I had been of Service, were fo envious and malicious as to tell falfe 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 bate me, the more I'll love, if that can be; and I had hearty Defires to come up in the Practice of this Refolution: And I then thought I fhould come up with them all, for if a Man loves and prays for his Enemies, if they are gained, he is inftrumental to their Good, and fo hath Cause of Rejoicing; and if they are not gained, he heaps Coals of Fire on their Heads; fo that every true Christian, by keeping under the Crofs of Chrift, 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 univerfally beloved by all Sorts of People (as far as ever I heard.) There was a large Meeting at his Funeral, wherein feveral Teftimonies, fuitable to the Occafion, were born: Some of his laft Words were mentioned, which were, That be bad lived according to the Measure of Grace given him. And the Doctrine of the Refurrection was maintained according to the Scripture, and the People were exhorted to prepare for their final Change. The Death of this Friend was a Lofs 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 Maverford. was at the General-meeting at Haverford: Friends were exhorted to dwell in the Love of God, one towards another; for if they loft their Love, they would lose their Religion, their Peace, and their God; for God is Love, and those that dwell in Gad, dwell in Love. My My Neighbour Daniel Wortbrington, accompanied 1726. me in this rough Travel, fome Part of the Way being hilly, and very ftony and bufhy, and the Weather wet. We had four Meetings, and rode about fourfcore Miles; and though I had travelled much in this 'Province, I had never been at fome of those Places before: But a few Nights before I fet out, I had a plain Profpect of them in a Dream, or Night Vifion, as I faw them afterwards, which I thought fomewhat remarkable... The People inhabiting this Province, are now become numerous, and make many Settlements in the Woods, more than I have obferved in my Travels in any of the British Plantations; and there hath long been a Defire in my Mind that they might profper in the Work of true and thorough Reformation; and a godly Fear and Concern being upon me, I have fometimes put them in Mind of the State of this Land, when their Fathers firft came and fettled in it; and to caution them of growing careless, and forgetting the Lord, left he fhould forfake them, and turn their now fruitful Fields into a barren Wilderness, as this was fo lately; which it is eafy with him to do, if he pleases, for the Sins of the People. phia. After my Return Home, I vifited many Meetings, Abingta as Abington, (Youths-meeting) Philadelphia, and Che, Philadel fter. At Chester I was concerned to direct the People Char 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 Fore-fathers to turn away from other Sociecies.. In the Seventh Month I was at our Yearly-meeting held at Burlington, for the Provinces of New-Jersey and Penfylvania, which was a very large Meeting, there 1726. there being Friends from New-England, Rhode-Ifland, and Europe. Креат Salem Firft-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 feveral Hours fo, in which divers Teftimonies were delivered, in order to ftir 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, expreffing these Words; HE THAT LIVETH AND BELIEVETH IN ME SHALL NEVER DIE. took to be the Voice of Chrift, I do not know that it was vocal, but it was as plain as one. From these Expreffions I had to obferve to the People, the happy State and Priviledge of those who live and believe in Chrift, and that fuch must not live in Sin. This I During the Time of our Yearly-meeting, fome rude People came up the River in a small Sloop, provided by them for that Purpose, and spent their Time in drinking, carowfing, and firing of Guns, to the Grief and Concern of Friends, who were religiously discharging their Duty, in ferving and worshipping the Almighty; and it is obfervable, that one of these diforderly Persons had his Hand shot off at that Time, and that the chief Promoters and Actors in this riotous Company, were foon 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 feveral Habitations, praifing and glorifying God. In the Beginning of the Eighth Month, having fome Business at Cape-May, I ferried over to Gloucefter, and went the first Night to James Lord's, lodged there, got up before Day, it being Firft-day Morning, and rode near thirty Miles to Salem, where we had had a good Meeting, and fo went to Alloway's Creek, 1726. Cobanfy, and through a barren Wilderness to Cape- Cohanfy Swearing • Chriftians ought not to fwear in any Cafe, for Againf thefe Reasons-ift. Because Chrift, their Lord, forbad it; unto whom the Angels in Heaven must be fubject, and doubtlefs, fo muft mortal Man, to whom he gave the Precept. We muft and ought to ⚫ be subject to Chrift, 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 Difobedience. He fays, in his Sermon on the Mount, thus, I fay, Swear not at all: Wherefore, how can Mat. v. 34. • Chriftians (or fuch who are his Friends) fwear, fince t he fays alfo, Ye are my Friends, if ye do whatsoever I John xv.14, command you. So confequently thofe who difobey his Commands, must be his Enemies. To this Command it is objected, that Chrift only fpoke againft • common or prophane Swearing: But this muft needs be a great Miftake, because Chrift fays, It was faid in Mat. v. 33. old Time, Thou shalt perform unto the Lord thine Oaths, (alluding to the Law of Mofes) which Oaths were • folemn and religious; therefore Chrift did not only • prohibit vain and prophane Swearing, but all Sweating: If we understand the Word, All, and what all fignifies, then all and any Swearing whatfoever, is not lawful for a Chriftian, according to Chrift's < Law and Command, which is pofitive to his Fol< lowers. 2dly. James (the holy Apoftle of Chrift, our Lawgiver, and our King) fays, Above all Things, my James V,12! Brethren, fwear not, neither by Heaven, neither by the Earth, neither by any other Oath. Chrift fays, Swear not at all; and James his Difciple and Apoftle, fays, • Swear 1726. phia. Swear not by any Oath; wherefore, if fwearing on the Bible be any Oath, or is fwearing at all, it is ⚫ contrary to the exprefs Doctrine of Chrift, and his Apostle James, as is plain from the above cited • Texts. 3dly. The primitive Chriftians did not fwear at all, in the first Ages of Chriftianity. Query, Whether our modern fwearing Chriftians are better than the ❝ primitive Ones, who for Chrift, and Confcience fake, could not fwear at all, even before a Magiftrate, though legally called? 4thly. Many Chriftians have fuffered Death, because they for Conscience fake could not fwear, and fo break the Command of Chrift their Lord; and do • not our modern Chriftians trample upon their Teftimony and Sufferings? Some of whom suffered Death ⚫ for not swearing before the Heathen Magiftrates, and fome were martyr'd by the Papifts; judge then whether the Perfecuted or Perfecutors were in the right. 5thly. Many of our worthy Friends and Forefathers (fince the former) have suffered to Death in Goals for not fwearing, when required by perfecuting Proteftants, because for Chrift's fake and Sayings, as above, they could not swear at all: And this hath • been a Testimony which our Society hath constantly • born ever fince we have been a People, for the Rea• fons above, and more alfo, if there were Occafion, which might be given.' The 23d of the Eighth Month, I was at the Morning Philadel Meeting at Philadelphia, on a First-day of the Week, which was large, and I was concerned therein to exhort Friends to labour to purge and cleanse our Society of fuch under our Profeffion who live in open Prophanenefs, and are riotous in their Converfations. I was at the Bank-meeting in the Afternoon, where we had a comfortable Time: And the next Sixth-day of the Week I was at our Monthly-meeting, where it was unanimously agreed, in Confideration of fome late indecent |