Seventh day. The three preceding days I attended our quarterly meeting, which was held at this time at Flushing. The meeting of Ministers and Elders, and the meeting for discipline were very trying heart-searching seasons. The meeting for worship was a quiet favoured meeting. We had great cause to acknowledge the goodness and continued mercy of Israel’s Shepherd, who not only furnished wisdom and ability to search out the hidden things of Esau, or the first nature; and to set judgment upon the head of the transgressing nature, in those meetings set apart for the well-ordering of the affairs of the church: but also graciously condescended in the closing meeting held for worship, to gladden our hearts by the effusions of his love, causing the light of his countenance to shine upon us. The minds of the faithful were influenced to return thanksgiving and praise to his ever adorable name, who remains to be “God over all, blessed for ever.”
First day. Sat our meeting in silence, and was much interrupted by the intrusion of unprofitable thoughts, against which I had to struggle through most part of the meeting.
Second and third days. Spent in my necessary avocations; but not without considerable fear attending, lest my temporal concerns too much intrude and indispose my mind for heavenly meditations. Nothing material occurred the rest of the week.
First day. Silence as to words sealed my lips through the meeting again to-day; and may they remain shut in all our solemn meetings, unless opened by the key of David.
In the course of this week I attended the funerals of two Friends; at both of which meetings were held. In the first, my mind was largely opened on the subject of religion; wherein I was led to show to the auditory, that a right consideration and frequent remembrance of our latter end, tended to lead into the realities thereof; which consist in nothing but acts of real obedience and humble submission to the manifested will of our heavenly Father, through the inspiration of his grace and light in our own hearts. As we are careful to have this in our daily experience, it qualifies to answer the great end for which we were created, to glorify God and enjoy him; and be thereby prepared to meet death with an even and tranquil mind, having known its sting, which is sin, taken away by the death of the cross. I was also led to expose the doctrine of personal and unconditional predestination and election; and to show the fallacy and inconsistency thereof with the divine character.
In the latter meeting I was concerned to show the dangerous and hurtful tendency of our submitting to be led and governed by the customs and manners of others, without a strict and careful examination thereof; and bringing them to the test of the light in our own conscience. For although the frequency of a thing, and an habitual conformity to that which is not right, often blunts the edge of conviction, and reconciles us to that which is contrary to truth, and derogatory to our true interest; yet the custom of sinning will not lessen its guilt. For in the awful day of final decision, all our fig-leaf coverings will be torn off, and things will then appear as they really are; and we shall all stand in need of that substantial covering, represented by the coats of skins, which the Lord made for our first parents, and gave them in lieu of their fig-leaves; that is, something of their own inventing, that so their nakedness might no longer be exposed.
My mind was also opened to set forth the design and end of the shadowy or law dispensation; and that by its consistency and harmony in all its parts, it was a just figure and representation of the gospel state and dispensation. Many of its precepts were not good, nor consistent with the justice and mercy of the all-beneficent and gracious Jehovah; but were only so, as they stood in relation to the very low, degraded and wicked state of mankind at that time; and were therefore justly suited to Israel’s state, and the states and conditions of the surrounding nations concerned therein, as saith Ezekiel: “Wherefore I gave them also statutes that were not good, and judgments whereby they should not live.”
First day, the 14th of 11th month. Attended Cow Neck meeting to satisfaction.
The rest of this week I spent at home, being closely engaged in business, and in making preparation for the more comfortable accommodation of my stock through the inclemency of the approaching winter; considering that a merciful man is merciful to his beast; and as I consider it not right to keep in my possession, and under my immediate notice, any more of the animal creation than I can render reasonably comfortable.
Fifth day. Attended our monthly meeting, in which my mind was engaged to show the great benefit that would result to society, and to its members as individuals, by a right exercise and faithful execution of our discipline, without fear or favour; and that some cases of disorder in an individual might turn up, which, with its attendant circumstances, might render it not only necessary to disown the person, but would also prove more to his true interest, and the advancement of the cause and testimonies that we as a people are engaged in, than the reception of any untimely or unseasonable acknowledgment could possibly be. For I have always considered it required, not only deep and solid consideration, but suitable time of waiting, in order rightly to qualify a person to make an acknowledgment for an offence committed against a religious society.