tinued in his work of envy and falsehood there, and afterwards at Burlington, and Philadelphia, but we took no further notice of him in that way; but our friend Caleb Pusey, who formerly answered him effectually out of his own books, making George Keith the Quaker answer George Keith the apostate, so that he could never make any reasonable reply, answered him in print soon after; and all sorts of people becoming weary of him and his work, and slighting him, he became as the salt which had lost its savour, and returning by way of Virginia for England, he became a parish priest, and died very poor and miserable.

thority of it, to their satisfaction. Next day had a meeting near Newtown, to which came several Presbyterians, their ministers being arbitrarily silenced by the Lord Cornbury, and gone out of the way, or absconded; and things were largely opened concerning the passover, and bread and wine as being a part of it, &c.

After the meeting, as we rode along, one of the justices of the peace that committed Samuel Bownas to prison by the governor's order, viz: Jonathan Whitehead, fell into conversa. tion with me; upon which I told him I had observed he had been at most of the meetings where I had been in the island, and asked him if he had any thing to object. To which he answered, that he had not any thing, but was well satisfied, and also expressed a con siderable dissatisfaction in himself, that he had signed the mittimus against Samuel Bow. nas. He was loving and respectful, and under some more than ordinary concern of mind, and went out of his way to accompany us along the road toward Flushing, to which place we returned that evening.

After the meeting at Shrewsbury I returned to Philadelphia, and remained in my business, and attended the meetings in Pennsylvania and West Jersey, as I found concern and ability, until the 29th day of the twelfth month, 1703-4, and then began a journey from Philadelphia for New England in the service of Truth. Next day was at the nine weeks meeting at Burlington, and the day after at a monthly meeting at Crosswicks; and on the 3rd day went to Amboy ferry, On the 19th, being the first of the week, where I was wind-bound two nights and one was at their meeting, which was large, many day, and on the 5th day morning got over the people being there from several parts of the river Raritan to Amboy, and thence to Wood-island where I had been before. The blessed bridge, where, being the first of the week, we were favoured with a good meeting.

The next morning I went to Elizabeth-town, where I hired a boat for York, and got well thither that afternoon, and on the 8th had a small meeting. That evening went into Long Island, and next day was at the meeting at Flushing, and on the 12th, being the first of the week, I went over the plains to Westbury, where the Friends of several meetings were together, and there we had a large and open meeting.

Truth was over all, and many things were opened in the authority and dominion of it, to the praise of the Lord, and general satisfac tion of Friends and people.

The next day I visited Samuel Bownas in prison, and that evening returned to Flushing, and next day had a meeting at West-Chester, which was more open than usual in that place; after which I was very easy, and inwardly comforted in the divine Truth.

On the 22nd I set forward for Rhode Island, and that night lodged at Northwalk, where we had much discourse with our landlord and two strangers, all of the Presbyterian or Independent way-who are often well furnished with tongue and lip religion—about the principles of Truth, and things were opened well and clear, so that all their objections were

This year our friend Samuel Bownas, a young man, being come over from England to visit Friends in America, in his testimony in that island had spoken against the error of sprinkling infants, and something against the bread and wine of the priests, which they call sacraments; of which the Lord Corn-answered. bury, being then governor of New York and Long Island, having been informed, he had arbitrarily put Samuel Bownas in prison at a place called Jamaica in that island, where he was unjustly confined, without any law, about twelve months; and at this place I had a meeting appointed and held on the 14th of this month, which was large, very open and well.

The next day we went on to Fairfield, and called at William Bickley's at Stratford, where I had some discourse with one who began about bread and wine. From thence we went forward to New Haven, and lodged at an inn.

In the morning we set forward and baited at Guilford, where I had some discourse with three strangers about predestination, and some other points. One of them managed the disOn the 16th I was at Flushing week-day course on their part, and the rest were silent; meeting, to which came some strangers. The and at length he was silenced, and soon after meeting was very open and bright, and many retired out of the room. They were not bit truths of the gospel were declared in the au-ter, but rather inquisitive, and things opening

ton. In the evening our landlord began some discourse about their sacraments, asking our reasons for the disuse of them; upon which I gave him several, viz: "The bread and cup being incidents of the Jewish passover, and typical of Christ himself, who is the antitype, and the true living bread which comes down from heaven, as soon as men experience him to be so in their hearts, all obligations cease as to our continuance any longer in the figure, as it is written, As often as ye eat this bread and drink this cup, ye show the Lord's death till he come.'

management of those ministers and their aiders; and that their general aim was, to live upon them; and that when they had places, they would exchange them for better, without any regard to the people, though they commonly deceive the weak and ignorant with an unreasonable pretence of a mission from Christ, by the words in Matthew, where he said unto the eleven disciples, "Go ye there. fore and teach all nations, baptizing them in (or rather into) the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost," &c. And though it doth not appear that the Lord ever commanded those men-made ministers, yet they run, and according to the extent of the words of Christ to his apostles, pretend a call from him to preach to all nations, and to baptize them; though they commonly take up at the next town that will entertain them for hire, and baptize none, but only sprinkle little children. So that they do not answer their pretended call in any respect.

"Now the question arises, What is meant by his coming? We understand it of his second, inward, or spiritual coming, without sin unto salvation, in all them who believe and wait for him in all ages: and this we, through the goodness and mercy of God, do experience to be true, that he is come in that blessed and saving manner in us, and therefore the obligation of the use of the bread and cup, in the sense in which ye now use it, being at an end to us, we disuse it. Moreover, as it was the Jews' passover, never incumbent on us the Gentiles, and fulfilled by Christ, it is not obligatory upon us. And besides, as the apostle saith, As often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord's death till he come.' Seeing then all those who continue in these shadows are only show-meeting, at the house of our friend Rowland ing forth his death until he come, they bear witness against themselves, that they are yet dead unto him, and that he is not yet so come unto them; and being ignorant of his life, they are not risen with him, but are yet in their sins, and in a state of death.

"As it was the last passover, and fulfilled by him, when he gave them the cup, he said, Take this and divide it among yourselves;' but did not command them to give it, or the bread, to others. And further, as the apostle Paul was a true minister of Christ, to all necessary intents, not one whit behind the chief of the apostles, and yet was not sent by Christ to baptize with water, but to preach the gospel; so likewise, though we, in our day, have a dispensation of the same gospel, in some degree, committed unto us of the Lord, to preach his inward coming, yet we have no commandment from him to administer either such bread or cup, or water baptism in any form, nor do we believe that any others have it at this day; and therefore we justly and reasonably decline either to administer or receive them.'

In some further discourse I had occasion to speak of their ministers, and how they were made and sent by one another, and not by Christ; and though called by the people, not always by their inclinations, but by the

This put our landlord to a stand, and made him silent, being a sober man; and all ended in friendship. We found afterwards that one of those ministers had married his daughter, and was in the company when we began to discourse, but slunk away into another room, not caring to say word in his or their vindication. On the 26th we rode twenty-five miles to a

Robinson, on Narraganset, which concluded well, though heavy in the beginning; and that evening we went five miles further, and on the 28th we went over the Sound to the monthly meeting at Newport.

I think proper to observe here, that this being in the time when Queen Anne was at war with Louis XIV. king of France, the government of New England was preparing to invade Canada, and there being many Friends at that time within that government, who could not bear arms on any account, as being contrary to our conscience and sentiments of the end and nature of the Christian religion, which teacheth not to destroy, but to love our enemies; the people of New England made a law, "That such of the inhabitants of that government, as being qualified or able to bear arms, and regularly summoned, should refuse, should be fined, and refusing to pay the fine, should be imprisoned and sold, or bound to some of the queen's subjects within that colony, for so long a time as by their work they might pay their fines and charges."

On the 29th of this month we went to an appointed meeting at Bristol, on the main, where two of our young men, viz: John Smith and Thomas Macomber, were prisoners, being impressed, by virtue of this law, to fight against the French and Indians. The.

meeting was in the prison, and several of the The next day the meeting there was large, people came in, and some of them were a and many strangers present. The subject little tender. After the meeting, having ex-given me was baptism, which opened largely horted the young men to faithfulness, we went and clearly, with some other matters and back into Rhode Island, and next day to New-things, and I heard of none displeased, but port, to their week-day meeting, where I was much comforted in the divine Truth in my own mind, but had no public exercise.

"that the apostle was, at that time, preaching the doctrine of freedom from sin in this life; for though he proves, in the same epistle, both Jews and Gentiles under sin, yet he preaches freedom from sin through Christ, to both, even

fighting is contrary both to the doctrine of Christ, the end of his coming, and nature of his kingdom, and that it was upon his (this judge's) principles, that the Jewish state cruci fied the Saviour of the world."

together; and the same evening we had a large and good meeting in town. Truth was over all, and the people generally satisfied. I heard of no objection to what was delivered, but from the man of the house, about baptism, some few things having been said on that sub-in this present world; and also that war and ject; upon which I had some discourse with him the next day, and then he seemed pretty well satisfied; and also by a woman, who said, "she liked all well, both sermon and prayer, only I did not pray for forgiveness of sins; and she had heard, she said, we never did." She did not speak to me herself, but I answered the person that informed me of it, that it might be remembered, that I gave thanks unto God on behalf of my own community there present, for his great mercy in sending his Son Christ for our redemption, and for his great goodness in forgiving and passing by many sins and transgressions in and through him; and that it might please the Lord to preserve us in time to come, by his grace and good spirit, that we might not trespass against him any more; but that the rest of our lives might be pure and holy, to the honour of his great name. For the Lord having forgiven all our sins past, for his name's sake, and testified the same in us by his holy Spirit, we ask not forgiveness any more for what he hath al-wards God in our own wills and time, with ready pardoned, but render unto the Lord the thanks and praises due for so great a work and mercy.

Thomas Cornwell and I went to the house of colonel Nathaniel Byfield next morning. When we went in he was very boisterous, reproaching Friends as a sort of people not worthy to live; particularly those of Rhode Island and New England, who would not go out, or pay their money to others, to fight against a common enemy so barbarous as are the Indians; wishing us all in the front of the battle until we had learned better; charging us with many errors and heresies in religion; instancing only our refusing to fight, and believing a sinless perfection in this life.

When he had a little vented his fury, being over him in the truth, I said, "I was sorry we should find him in that temper, when we were come only to request a reasonable favour of him, he being judge of the court; and that was, to desire him to consider the case of our friends as a matter of conscience towards God, and not of cowardice, or of obstinacy against rulers or their laws:" Upon which he flounced again, with repeated charges, saying, "that the apostle Paul, a better man than any of us, cried out of a body of sin and death; and that when he would do good, evil was present with him."

Upon this I called for his bible, and offered to prove out of the same epistle he hinted at,

Then he said, "he could not stay, for there were a hundred men waiting for him, and he must be going :" Yet, soon after, growing a little calm, he asked us if we had eaten any thing that morning? And we confessing we had not, he called for victuals and drink, and would have us eat with him; and said, "he could be content to see us another time at his house, to discourse things, but could not then;" yet ceased not to repeat and multiply his charges against us. But we did not abate him any thing.

"

As we were sitting down to eat, he said, he would not offend us in using any ceremo ny, meaning what they call grace before meat, knowing we did not like it." I replied, “that though we did not rush into such exercises to

out due consideration and fear, or any sense of the spirit of prayer and supplication upon us; in which state we could not expect to be heard; yet we never receive the mercies of God but with due reverence and acknowledge. ment in our hearts unto him, the great author and giver of them; but that we dare not presume to pray unto the Almighty, till we have a sense of the assistance of the Spirit of his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, the only Inter cessor and Mediator between God and man; since the most holy man that ever was, ought not to bow in his own name or power, but in the name, virtue and power of Jesus." And so we sat a little while in silence, and then ate and drank with him, and he made us freely welcome.

When we had done, he walked to the town with us; and, notwithstanding his former pas sion, being now much altered, he took us kindly by the hands in the street, before many people, when we parted.

After this we went to the prison to see the young men, and acquainted them, that we could find little ground to expect any favour; at which they seemed altogether unconcerned, being much resigned to the will of God at that time; and we staid with them in the prison most of that day, they not being called into court till the next afternoon.

The prisoners being brought into court, Thomas Cornwell and I, and many other