fiderable strength and clearnefs; and the meeting concluded in a fenfe of heavenly fweetnefs, which' was again renewed in the women's meeting. My Spirit was humbly bowed in thankfulness, that my lot was caft there that day.

At York I met with my dear friend Ann Fother gill from London, and many other friends whom I dearly loved, who were glad to fee me returned to my native land, the more fo from a report having prevailed in England, that I was dead.* Here my mind was turned to confider the wonderful loving! kindness of Providence manifested in this journey; and, confidering my weak state of health through a great part of it, I thought it miraculous that I fhould fo foon accomplish it; fuch a fatigue feeming no way proportioned to my ftrength. But with God all things are poffible; therefore have his fervants cause to truft in his holy arm of power.

The quarterly meeting at York was mercifully attended with the prefence of the Master of our folemn affemblies; the teftimony of truth was exalted, and the fpirits of his people united in gofpel fellowship.

The 25th, I went to Malton, accompanied by my dear friend Sarah Taylor of Manchester. We had a

I think it worthy noting, that Samuel Fothergill, being at London yearly-meeting, when this report was current, on a friend's bringing him a fuppofed confirmation of the truth of it, paused awhile, and bid her tell the perfon who informed her, from him, She is not dead; which was soon confirmed by an account from Scotland.

meeting

meeting there that evening, and the 26th went to Scarborough, and that evening vifited a young man, who I thought was near his end; but we had little to fay to him, his condition being lamentably stupid. I thought intemperance was the cause of his indifpofition, and found afterwards I was not mistaken. O! the deplorable effects of this degrading vice on the body, foul, and temporal substance, of numbers who unhappily indulge in it; whofe faculties are debafed below thofe of the brute animals; and fo ftupified as not to be roused to the most important work of their foul's falvation, It lays men open to every temptation, and reduces many from opulent circumstances to extreme poverty. It is deftructive of every delicate focial enjoyment; it often emaciates the body, deprives the foul of its highest good, the divine Prefence, whilft in time; and if continued to the end of it, finally excludes it from Chrift's pure kingdom of everlasting blifs. Alas! that men should indulge in it to their shame. Solomon faith truly, *" Wine " is a mocker, ftrong drink is raging, and whofo"ever is deceived thereby is not wife;" again,

+ Who hath wo? who hath forrow? who hath " contentions? who hath babbling? who hath "wounds without caufe? who hath redness of

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eyes? They that tarry long at the wine, that go "to feek mixt wine. Look not thou upon the "wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour

* Pro. xx. t. + Ibid xxiii. 29, 30, 31, and 32.

"in the cup, when it moveth itself aright. At the "laft it biteth like a ferpent, and ftingeth like an "adder."

The 27th, being Firft-day, we attended the meetings. In the morning, we were much favoured with the evidence of truth in our service: feveral were there not of our Society who behaved well, and I believe went away fatisfied. My concern was to fhew them the difference betwixt true and falfe faith, and the tendency of each; with fome other truths, which immediately opened in my understanding. In the afternoon, the meeting was large, but the Lord faw meet to disappoint the expectations of the people, and manifeft both to them and us, that without him we can do nothing in his fervice; for neither of us had a word to fay to them; but I was concerned in fupplication, and was abundantly rewarded, in fubmitting quietly to this difpenfation of divine wifdom. In the evening, we vifited two friends who could not attend meetings, by reafon of age or indifpofition; and next morning, another friend in a very low estate of mind, with whom we had a good opportunity, and left him better than we found him; and I afterwards heard that from that time, he was reftored. That afternoon we departed in peace from Scarborough, and returned to Malton, fo to York, Leeds, Rawden, Bradford, and Halifax; in all which places I met with a fhare of exercises, and, I thought, was mostly very low in the ministry; but had the confolation to

believe

believe that what I ftammered out was fuited to the ftates of the people; which is a proof of truc ministry.

The 7th of the Seventh month, we came to Manchester, where I left Sarah Taylor; the 10th, I went to Warrington, and had a meeting there that evening, wherein I was filent as to teftimony.

The 11th, I went to Liverpool, in my way stopped to take fome refreshment at Prefcot, and found my mind exercised for the people of that town, wherein there was no meeting of Friends; but went on for Liverpool, and next day was at two meetings there, and vifited a friend in distress, in all which I had good fatisfaction. In the evening, finding a concern for Prescot ftill to remain, I propofed to Friends, the having of a meeting there the next morning, in my way to Warrington; which, though fome difficulty was started, was accomplished, and a bleffed opportunity it was; the Lord's power being largely revealed, and the people behaving folidly, although I fuppofe, a meeting of Friends had not been held in the town for very many years.

In the evening, I had a meeting in Warrington. The 14th, I went to Morley, my dear friend Samuel Fothergill, and feveral other friends accompanying me, and divers others meeting us from Manchester: and the Lord, in his wonderful mercy, was pleased to open the fresh spring of his love, and favour us with a fweet opportunity together therein: in a thankful fenfe whereof we parted from each other;

and

and I came, by way of Stafford and Atherston, home the 20th, where I was gladly received by my dear and worthy mother, &c. After fome little time of fettlement, my mind was directed to take a view of my late journey, in the course whereof I discovered the wonderful loving-kindness of God largely manifefted; but was for a time much diftreffed on account of not having had a meeting at Stirling, as before hinted: under which diftrefs my foul ardently defired that for the future I might be careful to discharge my duty; for I found it a heavy burden not to be clear from the blood of the people.

In a few weeks after my return from this journey I went to our quarterly meeting at Shipfton; which was eminently favoured with the prefence of the Moft High.

In the fall of the year I was obliged to accompany my fifter to Bath, for the benefit of her health; in which city I was the most affectingly dipped into a state of poverty, that ever I had known myself to be, which, being joined by great weakness of body, was hard to bear, yet I believe not without its peculiar fervice.

I vifited Bristol meeting twice in this journey, where I was made to tafte of the poverty and weaknefs, which appears in many there, through unfaithfulness. It was indeed a time of mourning to the fervants of the Lord, while thofe who were the cause of it required of them a fong; but they were

constrained