We weighed anchor at Chester, and got down to Elsenborough, and went to Salem meeting (it being the first day of the week, and 12th of the month), with some of our passengers and sailors. The meeting was pretty large, and I was earnestly concerned for their welfare, as I had often been when I was absent, and was glad I was with them that day. After this meeting we proceeded on our voyage, and left the Capes the 15th of the aforesaid month; had small and contrary winds, and sometimes calms, until the 2d of the sixth month, and first day of the week, when the wind was at south, and a hard gale, the sea high, and the ship having a great motion, therefore we had not a meeting as usual: many of the passengers were very sea sick; as for my part, I thought, if the Almighty was but with me, that would make up for all difficulties; for in him was, and is, my life and chiefest joy; and, as an answer of peace in my tossed condition, I sometimes had comfortable times; being inwardly refreshed with the love and presence of God; not only in the day, but also in the night, in my sleep; out of which I was awakened one morning (in the morning watch), with these comfortable words, "He took me to his banqueting-house, and his banner over me was love." These expressions were so fresh in my mind, for some days, that I could not forbear but bless the holy name of the living Lord secretly in my soul. The 16th of the sixth month, we arrived at Barbadoes. The 17th there arose about midnight, a hard gale of wind, which, the Barbadians call a hurricane, or tornado, and blew more than ten vessels ashore, great and small, which were wholly lost; and our ship was very near the rocks, people looking every minute when she would come on shore but through divine favour, we escaped, with only the boat stove against the rocks; I would have got on board, but that was impracticable; but I got on the highest place I could, from which I could see them in the ship, and they me on shore; but we could not, for the violence of the wind, hear one another; yet they were so near the fort, where I stood, that I could discern them one from another, and they me from the multitude of people, (many being in the fort with me), I seeing the chief mate look towards me, waved my hat towards him, and he in answer, his to me; then I made a signal to him to go to sea, which they immediately did, letting slip their cables and went to sea, without either boat, anchor, or cables, and came in the next day, and got their cables and anchors again, to the great joy of many of the inhabitants, whose hearty prayers were for our safety, as many of them told me. This among many others, I put in my calendar of deliverances, and preservations from imminent dangers, by the hand of Divine Providence. We stayed this time in Barbadoes about five weeks, leaving the island the 27th of the seventh month; and there I met with Robert Jordan, my friend and brother in the work and fellowship of the gospel of Christ, who took his passage with us for Philadelphia, whose company was pleasant and comfortable. One evening he was repeating some verses of the excellent Addison's, which I willingly transcribed, as well in memory of that great author, as also that they answered my state and condition in my watery travels, and in the extremes of heat and cold, and some poisonous airs, I have often breathed in. They are as followeth. 1. How are thy servants blest, O Lord! Their help Omnipotence. II. In foreign realms, and lands remote, Supported by thy care; Through burning climes I pass'd unhurt, l And breath'd in tainted air. III. Thy mercy sweet'ned every soil, IV. Think, Oh, my soul! devoutly think, Thou saw'st the wide, extended deep, V. Confusion dwelt in every face, When waves on waves, and gulphs on gulphs, VI. Yet then, from all my griefs, Oh, Lord! Thy mercy set me free, Whilst, in the confidence of prayer, My soul took hold on thee. VIJ. For though in dreadful whirls we hung, I knew thou wert not slow to hear, VIII. The storm was laid, the wind retir'd, The sea, that roar'd at thy command, IX. In midst of dangers, fears, and death, And praise thee for thy mercies past, The 4th of the eighth month, we met with a hard gala of wind, which broke the tiller of our rudder, and split our bowsprit and mainsail, and overset many of our chests; Robert Jordan narrowly missed his chest falling on him from one side of the ship to the other, which we looked upon as a merciful providence, and spoke of it to one another, remembering Addison's verses, which the night before were repeated. In this passage we saw three vessels only; it was a blustering time, but the shortest from land to land that ever I had, being but fourteen days and fourteen hours, from the sight of Barbadoes to the sight of the main land: we arrived at Philadelphia, the 16th of the eighth month. In the ninth month, I proceeded on a fifth voyage, as master, to Barbadoes, and went down the river Delaware on a seventh day, and on first day, was at Chester meeting, at which time there was a burial of a child, and a large meeting; our friends at Chester were glad to see me, and I them, and after meeting we set sail, and went down the river to Elsenborough, where we came to and landed Robert Worthington, whose son Ezra, was on board, and went to Barbadoes for his health, being in a deep consumption. This voyage we were on our passage about thirty-three days before we arrived at Barbadoes, when after doing my business, and visiting friends' meetings about five weeks, we put to sea on the 10th of the twelfth month, and sailed along to leeward of divers islands, till we came to Anguilla, where we landed in expectation to get salt, but at this time there was not any to be had there. We came to an anchor here in the night, hoping to get to a harbour before it was dark; but it soon being very dark, and coming into shoal water, we saw a large rock, and came to by the side of it, in about five or six fathom water, taking it to be a ship, and when it was day we saw our mistake, and that instead of a vessel, we were too nigh a rock, and the wind coming about, tailed our ship towards it so near, that we were sensible of touching twice; I ordered the men to heave a little farther ahead, and so we lay clear till morning. When morning came, of which we were glad, several boats, with a cable, came to us, and the people advised us to put a spring on our cable, and cut it, that she might cast the right way; which accordingly we did, and it had the desired effect; so that we soon got into a very fine harbour, it being about a mile off. Many thanks were given by many of the people for this deliverance to the Almighty. George Leonard, the governor of this island, heard in the morn ing, that a vessel was on the rocks, and the people were running with saws and axes, in order to break her up, if she could not be got off: the governor seeing them, sent a lieutenant with orders, that let her belong to what nation soever, they should help to get her off, if it could be, and if she was likely to be made a wreck, he charged them at their peril not to meddle with her, nor any thing belonging to her, until they had first come to terms with the master, which is worthy to be recorded. We stayed several days before we could get our anchor; for after we were in the harbour, it blew very hard for four or five days; so that with our four oars we could not row our boat ahead, but watching for a calm one night, our people went out and got it, and then we went into the principal road or harbour in the island, called Croaker's-bay; the name of that we came from was Rendezvous-bay, where lived a very kind friend of ours, named John Rumney, who, with his wife and family, treated us with great love, and courteously received us into their house, and he went with me to the governor's, who was my old acquaintance and friend, who, with much love and tenderness, when he knew me, took me in his arms, and embraced me, and lovingly saluted me with a kiss of charity, and thanked God for our deliverance, |