After the aforesaid meeting, we rode to Muncy, and lodged with our kind friend William Ellis. The next day, the fourth of the week, and the 27th of 5th month, their meeting was held; and notice being spread that we were there, it was large. Although I had to sit some time in the forepart of the meeting, in much weakness and depression, both of body and mind; yet as I abode in patience and resignation to my allotment, willing to be any thing, or nothing, and to do, or to suffer, according to the Master’s will; after a time of solemn waiting, a little opening presented, attended with some glimmering of light; and as my eye was kept steadily to it, I felt a necessity to stand up; and as I proceeded in guarded care, it opened to a large field of doctrine, suitably adapted, I believe, to the states of those present. A very comfortable solemnity was felt to spread over the meeting, rejoicing the hearts of the faithful.
We rested for a day or two after this meeting, with our aforesaid friend, in order to recruit, feeling myself very unwell with a cold, which had attended me for some time; and being much worn down by constant travelling under such bodily infirmities. The 30th of the month, and seventh day of the week, we attended a meeting at a place called Pine Grove; a small meeting of Friends being held there. On first day we had a large meeting, by appointment, at a town called Williamsport, which was held in their court-house; but the room was not large enough to contain the people, and although very much crowded, and many standing, they behaved soberly, and a blessed meeting we had. I was led forth among them, in a large affecting testimony, wherein the truths of the gospel were clearly opened and explained to the weakest capacities, and the Lord’s power was in dominion, in a very eminent manner. It was a season thankfully to be remembered, and greatly refreshing to my drooping spirit, making up every deficiency for the want of bodily health. I could with heart-felt gratitude cheerfully acknowledge, it was the Lord’s doing.
After this meeting we set forward on our journey towards Redstone, having meetings in our way, at Job Packers, Milesburgh, Half-moon Valley, and Downing’s Creek. Then we passed directly over the Alleghany mountains, into the compass of Redstone quarterly meeting. On fourth day, the 10th of 6th month, we attended a meeting at Sewickly, on the western side of the mountains, a branch of Redstone monthly meeting. After this, we were at Providence on fifth day, Center on sixth, and Fallowfield on seventh day. Although these were seasons of close exercise, accompanied with some painful labour, and deep baptisms, in suffering with the seed; yet my mind was favoured in the openings of gospel light, so to discharge myself in those meetings, as to leave them with solid peace of mind. I believe they were seasons of renewed visitation to many who attended, that will not soon be forgotten by them.
On first day we attended the meeting at Pike Run, and the two following days were at Westland, and Redstone meetings. My mind was under a very great pressure of distress, in passing along through those six last mentioned meetings; both from an inward sense, and an outward discovery, of great weakness prevailing among them; occasioned by an unwarrantable credulity, and letting out their minds to listen to, and believe in, the vulgar, and shamefully ridiculous notion of witchcraft. Some of their leading members openly acknowledged, they believed that a family of their near kindred, several of whom were troubled with a kind of periodical fits, were actually thus affected by one of their neighbours. My spirit was exceedingly grieved by their asserting their belief in those abominable reports, and by discovering how their minds were led away thereby; and my grief was also much increased by their confidence in a certain boy in the neighbourhood, who pretended to tell secrets, saying, that he could see persons whom any should inquire after, although in a very distant part of the world, and would tell those who came to see him, notwithstanding they lived on the other side of the Atlantic, that he could see the very place of their residence, and of what materials their houses were made, as if he was present at the place; and would pretend to tell the conditions and dispositions of persons, whom he had never before seen, and what they were guilty of, as to their private sins, and who was a witch, and who not; and he had so far got the ascendency in the minds of those who had given way to the absurd notion of witchcraft, that whatever he said, in these respects, obtained their implicit belief. And if he impeached the most unblemished character of being a witch, or charged such with being guilty of any baneful sin, they were ready to believe it; by which means great hurt was done. I was exceedingly burthened therewith, and had conversation with divers on the subject; but they were so carried away with these notions, that reasoning seemed to have no weight with them. While any man or woman can give way to believe in such things, and go to dark, undisciplined, and irreligious men, to be healed of those infirmities, which they are told are the effect of witchcraft, it is certainly denying the God that made them, who only hath all power in heaven and in earth, and can wound and heal, kill and make alive at his pleasure. God forbid, saith my soul, that any, professing the name of a Friend, should ever thus desert the God of his salvation; for if he doth, it will no doubt tend to his confusion, and in which state, he will be given over to strange delusions, even to believe a lie; a most wretched state for any poor soul to be in. I was enabled, through condescending goodness, to clear my mind among them, by divers large full testimonies to the truth, and the excellency of its power, to deliver from every thing that tends to hurt or defile.
I left them with peace of mind, and proceeded to Connelstown, where we had a very comfortable heart-tendering season, among a few Friends, and the town’s people. Next we attended Sandy Hill meeting; and the day following were at Sandy Creek Glades, both comfortable seasons. These closed our visit to Redstone quarterly meeting. We then returned across the Alleghany mountains, with a view to attend the meetings belonging to Hopewell, in the compass of Fairfax Quarterly meeting. We reached Bear Garden particular meeting on first day, having rode diligently the day before, for that purpose; not having much prospect thereof when we left Sandy Creek. The distance between the two places was about ninety-two miles, and the way very mountainous, and having had but little more than a day and a half to ride it. This meeting, in the forepart, was heavy, but ended well; and we left them with solid satisfaction, and passed on to Back Creek meeting that afternoon; held near a small town, or village, called Penn’s Town. Many of the neighbouring people came in, so that the meeting was pretty large, and I had considerable to communicate among them, but without obtaining much relief of mind.
In the course of this week we attended meetings at the Ridge, Centre, Crooked Run, Mount Pleasant, Hopewell, and Lower Ridge; and on the first and second days, of the following week, we were at Middle Creek, and Berkly meetings. These were, most of them, favoured seasons, particularly that at Middle Creek, wherein the Lord’s presence was powerfully manifest. Truth rose into great dominion, preciously uniting and edifying the honest-hearted, and breaking down all opposition, affecting and mollifying the hearts of, almost, the whole assembly. It was indeed a precious solemnity, not soon to be forgotten, but to be held in grateful remembrance.
After those meetings, we turned our faces homewards, attending meetings in our way, at Little York, Columbia, Pottstown, and the Great Swamp, alias Richland; these were through divine favour, instructive seasons. The next meeting was at Plumbstead, in the compass of Buck’s quarterly meeting, which we attended on third day, the 7th of 7th month: and on the two following days, we were at Buckingham, and Wright’s Town meetings. My mind, in those meetings, was brought under a close exercise, from a prospect of Friends being too much leavened into the spirit of the world, its customs and maxims; by which, many appeared to be greatly wounded, and had become as dwarfs in our Israel. And I believe, nothing contributed more to this, than their becoming parties in the civil government, and taking offices therein; for here, the spirit of contention gets in, and a striving to be uppermost, and fill the principal seats: then party animosities take place, from whence are derived envy and jealousy, one against another; and then reviling, and neighbours speaking evil of each other; hence wars and fightings arise, as from their natural ground. As any give way to these things, it leavens their minds into the spirit of the world, which is a spirit of darkness, that blinds the understanding and hardens the heart, and draws into many hurtful and pernicious practices, such as dealing in ardent spirits, drinking strong drink, and handing it out in their fields to their workmen, to stimulate them to an excess of labour; hence an excess of drinking strong drink is gradually introduced among the poor labourers, by means of which many families are ruined.
My spirit was deeply exercised on those accounts, but as I patiently endured the baptisms I had to go through, and submitted to communicate what appeared clearly to open; I was enlarged in setting forth the dangerous and hurtful tendency of such conduct, and its great inconsistency with our holy profession, and to exhort Friends to a more frequent recurrence to the first principle of our profession, the light within; whereby deliverance and preservation could only be experienced. The Lord was graciously with us in those meetings, and the faithful were encouraged and edified, and many hearts greatly tendered, under a sense of the Lord’s mercy and goodness extended to us in these seasons.
On sixth day we attended a meeting at Makefield, and in the afternoon, had a large meeting at Newtown. It was held in their court-house, and mostly composed of those not professing with us. I felt in this meeting, the pressure and prevalence of a spirit of darkness and unbelief; and was led to open the ground thereof, and to show its inconsistency with the self-evident experience of every rational mind. For although men in the ignorance and darkness of their own hearts, may strive to settle themselves in unbelief, in order to live quietly in the gratification of their own wills and creaturely appetites, without any controul; yet, they never can fully come to this; for that just witness, placed in every bosom as a reprover for sin, will continue to disturb all those false rests, and shake every heaven of man’s making. For although men, through the hardness of their hearts, may not submit to the guidance of this just principle, so as to have a saving belief therein; yet they will thereby be compelled into a belief, similar to that of the devils, and which they will never be able fully to divest themselves of by all their carnal reasonings and fleshly wisdom; but it will continue, at times, to make them fear and tremble, and by its tremendous power will cause the very top of their Sinai to shake, and blast all their false hopes. For it is the determinate counsel of unerring wisdom, that the hope of the hypocrite shall perish: therefore let all prize the day of their visitation, while the Lord is graciously striving with them, by the clear, self-evident touches of his light in their hearts; in order that the wicked may turn from his wicked way, and the unrighteous from his unrighteous thoughts, and turn unto the Lord who will have mercy upon him, and unto our God, who will abundantly pardon.