MY esteemed friend Abraham Farrington being about to make a visit to Friends onthe eastern side of this province, and having no companion, he proposed to meto go with him; and after a conference with some elderly Friends I agreed togo. We set out on the 5th of Ninth Month, 1743; had an evening meeting at atavern in Brunswick, a town in which none of our Society dwelt; the room wasfull and the people quiet. Thence to Amboy, and had an evening meeting in thecourt-house, to which came many people, amongst whom were several members ofAssembly, they being in town on the public affairs of the province. In boththese meetings my ancient companion was engaged to preach largely in the loveof the gospel. Thence we went to Woodbridge, Rahway, and Plainfield, and hadsix or seven meetings in places where Friends' meetings are not usually held,chiefly attended by Presbyterians, and my beloved companion was frequentlystrengthened to publish the word of life amongst them. As for me, I was oftensilent through the meetings, and when I spake it was with much care, that Imight speak only what truth opened. My mind was often tender, and I learnedsome profitable lessons. We were out about two weeks.
Near this time, being on some outward business in which several families wereconcerned, and which was attended with difficulties, some things relatingthereto not being clearly stated, nor rightly understood by all, there arosesome heat in the minds of the parties, and one valuable Friend got off hiswatch. I had a great regard for him, and felt a strong inclination, aftermatters were settled, to speak to him concerning his conduct in that case; butbeing a youth, and he far advanced in age and experience, my way appeared difficult; after some days' deliberation, and inward seeking to the Lord forassistance, I was made subject, so that I expressed what lay upon me in a waywhich became my youth and his years; and though it was a hard task to me it waswell taken, and I believe was useful to us both.
Having now been several years with my employer, and he doing less inmerchandise than heretofore, I was thoughtful about some other way of business,perceiving merchandise to be attended with much cumber in the way of trading inthese parts.
My mind, through the power of truth, was in a good degree weaned from thedesire of outward greatness, and I was learning to be content with realconveniences, that were not costly, so that a way of life free from muchentanglement appeared best for me, though the income might be small. I hadseveral offers of business that appeared profitable, but I did not see my wayclear to accept of them, believing they would be attended with more outwardcare and cumber than was required of me to engage in. I saw that an humble man,with the blessing of the Lord, might live on a little, and that, where theheart was set on greatness, success in business did not satisfy the craving;but that commonly, with an increase of wealth, the desire of wealth increased.
There was a care on my mind so to pass my time, that nothing might hinder mefrom the most steady attention to the voice of the true Shepherd.
My employer, though now a retailer of goods, was by trade a tailor, and kepta servant-man at that business; and I began to think about learning the trade,expecting that if I should settle I might by this trade and a little retailingof goods get a living in a plain way, without the load of great business. Imentioned it to my employer, and we soon agreed on terms, and when I hadleisure from the affairs of merchandise I worked with his man. I believed thehand of Providence pointed out this business for me, and I was taught to becontent with it, though I felt at times a disposition that would have soughtfor something greater; but through the revelation of Jesus Christ I had seenthe happiness of humility, and there was an earnest desire in me to enterdeeply into it; at times this desire arose to a degree of fervent supplication,wherein my soul was so environed with heavenly light and consolation thatthings were made easy to me which had been otherwise.
After some time my employer's wife died; she was a virtuous woman, andgenerally beloved of her neighbours. Soon after this he left shopkeeping, andwe parted. I then wrought at my trade as a tailor; carefully attended meetingsfor worship and discipline; and found an enlargement of gospel love in my mind,and therein a concern to visit Friends in some of the back settlements ofPennsylvania and Virginia. Being thoughtful about a companion, I expressed it to my beloved friend, Isaac Andrews, who told me that he had drawings to thesame places, and also to go through Maryland, Virginia, and Carolina. After aconsiderable time, and several conferences with him, I felt easy to accompanyhim throughout, if way opened for it. I opened the case in our Monthly Meeting,and Friends expressing their unity therewith, we obtained certificates totravel as companions, -- he from Haddonfield, and I from Burlington.
We left our province on the 12th of Third Month, 1746, and had severalmeetings in the upper part of Chester County, and near Lancaster; in some ofwhich the love of Christ prevailed, uniting us together in His service. We thencrossed the river Susquehanna, and had several meetings in a new settlement,called the Red Lands. It is the poorer sort of people that commonly begin toimprove remote deserts; with a small stock they have houses to build, lands toclear and fence, corn to raise, clothes to provide, and children to educate, sothat Friends who visit such may well sympathize with them in their hardships inthe wilderness; and though the best entertainment that they can give may seemcoarse to some who are used to cities or old settled places, it becomes thedisciples of Christ to be therewith content. Our hearts were sometimes enlargedin the love of our Heavenly Father amongst these people, and the sweetinfluence of His Spirit supported us through some difficulties: to Him be thepraise.
We passed on to Manoquacy, Fairfax, Hopewell, and Shanando, and had meetings,some of which were comfortable and edifying. From Shanando, we set off in theafternoon for the settlements of Friends in Virginia; the first night, we, withour guide, lodged in the woods, our horses feeding near us; but he being poorlyprovided with a horse, and we young, and having good horses, were free the nextday to part with him. In two days after we reached our friend John Cheagle's,in Virginia. We took the meetings in our way through Virginia; were in somedegree baptized into a feeling sense of the conditions of the people, and ourexercise in general was more painful in these old settlements than it had beenamongst the back inhabitants; yet through the goodness of our Heavenly Fatherthe well of living waters was at times opened to our encouragement, and therefreshment of the sincere-hearted. We went on to Perquimans, in NorthCarolina; had several large meetings, and found some openness in those parts,and a hopeful appearance amongst the young people. Afterwards we turned againto Virginia, and attended most of the meetings which we had not been at before,labouring amongst Friends in the love of Jesus Christ, as ability was given;thence went to the mountains, up James River to a new settlement, and hadseveral meetings amongst the people, some of whom had lately joined inmembership with our Society. In our journeying to and fro we found some honest-hearted Friends, who appeared to be concerned for the cause of truth among abacksliding people.
From Virginia, we crossed over the river Potomac, at Hoe's Ferry, and made ageneral visit to the meetings of Friends on the western shore of Maryland, andwere at their Quarterly Meeting. We had some hard labour amongst them,endeavouring to discharge our duty honestly as way opened, in the love oftruth. Thence, taking sundry meetings in our way, we passed towards home,which, through the favour of divine Providence, we reached the 16th of SixthMonth, 1746; and I may say that, through the assistance of the Holy Spirit,which mortifies selfish desires, my companion and I travelled in harmony, andparted in the nearness of true brotherly love.
Two things were remarkable to me in this journey: first, in regard to myentertainment. When I ate, drank, and lodged free-cost with people who lived inease on the hard labour of their slaves, I felt uneasy; and as my mind wasinward to the Lord, I found this uneasiness return upon me, at times, throughthe whole visit. Where the masters bore a good share of the burden, and livedfrugally, so that their servants were well provided for, and their labourmoderate, I felt more easy; but where they lived in a costly way, and laidheavy burdens on their slaves, my exercise was often great, and I frequentlyhad conversation with them in private concerning it. Secondly, this trade ofimporting slaves from their native country being much encouraged amongst them,and the white people and their children so generally living without muchlabour, was frequently the subject of my serious thoughts. I saw in thesesouthern provinces so many vices and corruptions, increased by this trade andthis way of life, that it appeared to me as a dark gloominess hanging over theland; and though now many willingly run into it, yet in future the consequencewill be grievous to posterity. I express it as it hath appeared to me, not oncenor twice, but as a matter fixed on my mind.
Soon after my return home I felt an increasing concern for Friends on oursea-coast; and on the 8th of Eighth Month, 1746, I left home with the unity ofFriends, and in company with my beloved friend and neighbour Peter Andrews,brother to my companion before mentioned, and visited them in their meetingsgenerally about Salem, Cape May, Great and Little Egg Harbour; we had meetingsalso at Barnagat, Manahockin, and Mane Squan, and so to the Yearly Meeting atShrewsbury. Through the goodness of the Lord way was opened, and the strengthof divine love was sometimes felt in our assemblies, to the comfort and help ofthose who were rightly concerned before Him. We were out twenty-two days, androde, by computation, three hundred and forty miles. At Shrewsbury YearlyMeeting we met with our dear friends Michael Lightfoot and Abraham Farrington,who had good service there.
The winter following died my eldest sister, Elizabeth Woolman, of thesmallpox, aged thirty-one years.
Of late I found drawings in my mind to visit Friends in New England, andhaving an opportunity of joining in company with my beloved friend PeterAndrews, we obtained certificates from our Monthly Meeting, and set forward onthe 16th of Third Month, 1747. We reached the Yearly Meeting at Long Island, atwhich were our friends, Samuel Nottingham from England, John Griffith, JaneHoskins, and Elizabeth Hudson from Pennsylvania, and Jacob Andrews fromChesterfield, several of whom were favoured in their public exercise; and,through the goodness of the Lord, we had some edifying meetings. After this mycompanion and I visited Friends on Long Island; and through the mercies of Godwe were helped in the work.
Besides going to the settled meetings of Friends, we were at a generalmeeting at Setawket, chiefly made up of other Societies; we had also a meetingat Oyster Bay in a dwelling-house, at which were many people. At the formerthere was not much said by way of testimony, but it was, I believe, a goodmeeting; at the latter, through the springing up of living waters, it was a dayto be thankfully remembered. Having visited the Island, we went over to themain, taking meetings in our way, to Oblong, Nine-partners, and New Milford.
In these back settlements, we met with several people who, through theimmediate workings of the Spirit of Christ on their minds, were drawn from thevanities of the world to an inward acquaintance with Him. They were educated inthe way of the Presbyterians. A considerable number of the youth, members ofthat society, used often to spend their time together in merriment, but some ofthe principal young men of the company, being visited by the powerful workingsof the Spirit of Christ, and thereby led humbly to take up His cross, could nolonger join in those vanities. As these stood steadfast to that inwardconvincement, they were made a blessing to some of their former companions; sothat through the power of truth several were brought into a close exerciseconcerning the eternal well-being of their souls. These young people continuedfor a time to frequent their public worship; and, besides that, had meetings oftheir own, which meetings were awhile allowed by their preacher, who sometimesmet with them; but in time their judgment in matters of religion disagreeingwith some of the articles of the Presbyterians, their meetings were disapprovedby that society; and such of them as stood firm to their duty, as it wasinwardly manifested, had many difficulties to go through. In a while theirmeetings were dropped; some of them returned to the Presbyterians, and othersjoined to our religious society.
I had conversation with some of the latter to my help and edification, andbelieve several of them are acquainted with the nature of that worship which isperformed in spirit and in truth. Amos Powel, a Friend from Long Island,accompanied me through Connecticut, which is chiefly inhabited by Presbyterians, who were generally civil to us. After three days' riding, wecame amongst Friends in the colony of Rhode Island, and visited them in andabout Newport, Dartmouth, and generally in those parts; we then went to Boston,and proceeded eastward as far as Dover. Not far from thence we met our friend,Thomas Gawthrop, from England, who was then on a visit to these provinces. FromNewport we sailed to Nantucket; were there nearly a week; and from thence cameover to Dartmouth. Having finished our visit in these parts, we crossed theSound from New London to Long Island, and taking some meetings on the islandproceeded towards home, which we reached the 13th of Seventh Month, 1747,having rode about fifteen hundred miles, and sailed about one hundred andfifty.
In this journey, I may say in general, we were sometimes in much weakness,and laboured under discouragements, and at other times, through the renewedmanifestations of divine love, we had seasons of refreshment wherein the powerof truth prevailed. We were taught by renewed experience to labour for aninward stillness; at no time to seek for words, but to live in the spirit oftruth, and utter that to the people which truth opened in us. My belovedcompanion and I belonged both to one meeting, came forth in the ministry nearthe same time, and were inwardly united in the work. He was about thirteenyears older than I, bore the heaviest burden, and was an instrument of thegreatest use.
Finding a concern to visit Friends in the lower counties of Delaware, and onthe eastern shore of Maryland, and having an opportunity to join with my well-beloved ancient friend, John Sykes, we obtained certificates, and set off the7th of Eighth Month, 1748, were at the meetings of Friends in the lowercounties, attended the Yearly Meeting at Little Creek, and made a visit to mostof the meetings on the eastern shore, and so home by the way of Nottingham. Wewere abroad about six weeks, and rode, by computation, about five hundred andfifty miles.
Our exercise at times was heavy, but through the goodness of the Lord we wereoften refreshed, and I may say by experience, "He is a stronghold in the day oftrouble." Though our Society in these parts appeared to me to be in a decliningcondition, yet I believe the Lord hath a people amongst them who labour toserve Him uprightly, but they have many difficulties to encounter.