First day, the 22d. By previous appointment I attended a meeting at the house of our friend James Rushmore, at the Halfway Hollow Hills, at the eleventh hour, and in the evening at a place called Babylon, on the south side of the Island. These meetings, by the extreme inclemency of the weather, were small, especially the first, where it was like the two or three as to number, yet I found a good degree of satisfaction in faithfully attending to the appointment, although I had to ride a dozen miles or more through the storm, which was so extreme as to prevent nearly all the neighbours from attending the meeting, and in our passing from one meeting to the other, the wind blew with such violence, that our carriage seemed several times near blowing over; but we got along safe, and had a comfortable meeting at the latter place in the evening. After this I rode to my son-in-law Joshua Willits’, at Islip, and lodged. I spent most of the next day at his house, and on third day at the eleventh hour had a pretty large favoured meeting at the house of our friend Thomas Whitson, at Oysterbay South. After this I returned home.
In our fifth day meeting I was made an example of silence.
First day, the 29th. In our meeting to-day I was led into an enlightened view of the excellency of faith, and its blessed effects on the minds of those who come to witness its lively operation.
The subject opened to communication in a large affecting testimony, recapitulating its wonder-working power in the holy ancients, and showing that its efficacy was the same now as in former days, to those who become rightly initiated into it through faithful obedience to divine requiring, as nothing else will establish us in that living faith which works by love, and gives victory over the world.
Fifth day. Attended Friends’ meeting at Martinicock, in which I was an example of silence. At the second hour in the afternoon, I attended the funeral of Charles Thorne, a person inclining to Friends, in the neighbourhood of Moscheto Cove. There was a large collection of the neighbours, among whom I was led to communicate and open divers essential doctrines of the gospel, and to set forth the design and end of the types and shadows of the law dispensation given to Israel, and to Israel only; and to show that they were finished and abolished by the introduction of the gospel state, or the diffusion of the spirit of truth, or Holy Ghost, in the minds of the believers, by which only we can come to have a living faith made perfect by good works, because faith without works is dead.
First day, the 5th of 4th month. A silent meeting to-day. This week busily employed in my temporal concerns, even so as to occasion wearisomeness at times. What a comfortable state would even this world afford, if men and women were all honest enough to do their light portion of labour, for want of which thousands in every country are inventing pitiful and unrighteous schemes to obtain a livelihood from the labours of others. These, let them be high or low, learned or unlearned, rich or poor, make up that class of mankind, who grievously oppress and grind the faces of the poor.
First day, the 12th. I had a precious open time in our meeting to-day, in which I was led largely to open many truths of the gospel, in a clear instructive manner, which brought a precious solemnity over the meeting, and which closed under the sensible covering of divine favour.
Fifth day. Attended our monthly meeting. It was the time for preparing answers to the queries to go up to the yearly meeting, and was, I believe, a season of profitable exercise.
First day, the 19th. I had good service in our meeting to-day, and through the overshadowing wing of divine kindness, it proved a precious opportunity. In the course of this week I attended our quarterly meeting, held at this time in New-York. It was a favoured season in the several sittings of it, affording encouragement to the honest-hearted, to persevere on in their heavenly way without turning aside to the right hand or the left, through fear, favour or affection. The labour in the line of communication fell mostly to my lot.
First day, the 26th. I was made an example of silence through our meeting to-day. Nothing of particular notice occurred in the course of this week.