HAVING been some time under a religious concern to prepare for crossing theseas, in order to visit Friends in the northern parts of England, and moreparticularly in Yorkshire, after consideration I thought it expedient to informFriends of it at our Monthly Meeting at Burlington, who, having unity with metherein, gave me a certificate. I afterwards communicated the same to ourQuarterly Meeting, and they likewise certified their concurrence. Some timeafter, at the General Spring Meeting of ministers and elders, I thought it myduty to acquaint them with the religious exercise which attended my mind; andthey likewise signified their unity therewith by a certificate, dated the 24thof Third Month, 1772, directed to Friends in Great Britain.
In the Fourth Month following, I thought the time was come for me to makesome inquiry for a suitable conveyance; and as my concern was principallytowards the northern parts of England, it seemed most proper to go in a vesselbound to Liverpool or Whitehaven. While I was at Philadelphia deliberating onthis subject I was informed that my beloved friend Samuel Emlen, junior,intended to go to London, and had taken a passage for himself in the cabin ofthe ship called the Mary and Elizabeth, of which James Sparks was master, andJohn Head, of the city of Philadelphia, one of the owners; and feeling adraught in my mind towards the steerage of the same ship, I went first andopened to Samuel the feeling I had concerning it.
My beloved friend wept when I spake to him, and appeared glad that I hadthoughts of going in the vessel with him, though my prospect was toward thesteerage: and he offering to go with me, we went on board, first into the cabin-- a commodious room -- and then into the steerage, where we sat down on achest, the sailors being busy about us. The owner of the ship also came and satdown with us. My mind was turned towards Christ, the heavenly Counsellor, andfeeling at this time my own will subjected, my heart was contrite before Him. Amotion was made by the owner to go and sit in the cabin, as a place moreretired; but I felt easy to leave the ship, and, making no agreement as to apassage in her, told the owner if I took a passage in the ship I believed itwould be in the steerage; but did not say much as to my exercise in that case.
After I went to my lodgings, and the case was a little known in town, aFriend laid before me the great inconvenience attending a passage in thesteerage, which for a time appeared very discouraging to me.
I soon after went to bed, and my mind was under a deep exercise before theLord, whose helping hand was manifested to me as I slept that night, and Hislove strengthened my heart. In the morning I went with two Friends on board thevessel again, and after a short time spent therein, I went with Samuel Emlen tothe house of the owner, to whom, in the hearing of Samuel only, I opened my exercise in relation to a scruple I felt with regard to a passage in the cabin,in substance as follows: -"That on the outside of that part of the ship where the cabin was, I observedsundry sorts of carved work and imagery; that in the cabin I observed somesuperfluity of workmanship of several sorts; and that according to the ways ofmen's reckoning, the sum of money to be paid for a passage in that apartmenthas some relation to the expense of furnishing it to please the minds of suchas give way to a conformity to this world; and that in this, as in other cases,the moneys received from the passengers are calculated to defray the cost ofthese superfluities, as well as the other expenses of their passage. Itherefore felt a scruple with regard to paying my money to be applied to suchpurposes."As my mind was now opened, I told the owner that I had, at several times, inmy travels, seen great oppressions on this continent, at which my heart hadbeen much affected and brought into a feeling of the state of the sufferers;and having many times been engaged in the fear and love of God, to labour withthose under whom the oppressed have been borne down and afflicted, I have oftenperceived that with a view to get riches and to provide estates for children,that they may live conformably to the customs and honours of this world, manyare entangled in the spirit of oppression, and the exercise of my soul has beensuch, that I could not find peace in joining in anything which I saw wasagainst that wisdom which is pure.
After this I agreed for a passage in the steerage; and hearing that JosephWhite had desired to see me, I went to his house, and the next day home, whereI tarried two nights. Early the next morning, I parted with my family under asense of the humbling hand of God upon me, and, going to Philadelphia, had anopportunity with several of my beloved friends, who appeared to be concernedfor me on account of the unpleasant situation of that part of the vessel inwhich I was likely to lodge. In these opportunities my mind, through themercies of the Lord, was kept low in an inward waiting for His help; andFriends having expressed their desire that I might have a more convenient placethan the steerage, did not urge it, but appeared disposed to leave me to theLord.
Having stayed two nights at Philadelphia, I went the next day to DerbyMonthly Meeting, where through the strength of divine love my heart wasenlarged towards the youth there present, under which I was helped to labour insome tenderness of spirit. I lodged at William Horn's and afterwards went toChester, where I met with Samuel Emlen, and we went on board 1st of FifthMonth, 1772. As I sat alone on the deck, I felt a satisfactory evidence that my proceedings were not in my own will, but under the power of the cross ofChrist.
Seventh of Fifth Month. -- We have had rough weather mostly since I came onboard, and the passengers, James Reynolds, John Till Adams, Sarah Logan withher hired maid, and John Bispham, all sea-sick at times; from which sickness,through the tender mercies of my Heavenly Father, I have been preserved, myafflictions now being of another kind. There appeared an openness in the mindsof the master of the ship and in the cabin passengers towards me. We are oftentogether on the deck, and sometimes in the cabin. My mind, through the mercifulhelp of the Lord, hath been preserved in a good degree watchful and quiet, forwhich I have great cause to be thankful.
As my lodging in the steerage, now near a week, hath afforded me sundryopportunities of seeing, hearing, and feeling with respect to the life andspirit of many poor sailors, an exercise of soul hath attended me in regard toplacing our children and youth where they may be likely to be exampled andinstructed in the pure fear of the Lord.
Being much among the seamen I have, from a motion of love, taken sundryopportunities with one of them at a time, and have in free conversationlaboured to turn their minds toward the fear of the Lord. This day we had ameeting in the cabin, where my heart was contrite under a feeling of divinelove.
I believe a communication with different parts of the world by sea is attimes consistent with the will of our Heavenly Father, and to educate someyouth in the practice of sailing, I believe, may be right; but how lamentableis the present corruption of the world! How impure are the channels throughwhich trade is conducted! How great is the danger to which poor lads areexposed when placed on shipboard to learn the art of sailing! Five ladstraining up for the seas were on board this ship. Two of them were brought upin our Society, and the other, by name James Naylor, is a member, to whosefather James Naylor, mentioned in Sewel's history, appears to have been uncle.
I often feel a tenderness of heart towards these poor lads, and at times lookat them as though they were my children according to the flesh.
Oh that all may take heed and beware of covetousness! Oh that all may learnof Christ, who was meek and lowly of heart. Then, in faithfully following Him,He will teach us to be content with food and raiment without respect to thecustoms or honours of this world. Men thus redeemed will feel a tender concernfor their fellow-creatures, and a desire that those in the lowest stations may be assisted and encouraged, and where owners of ships attain to the perfect lawof liberty and are doers of the Word, these will be blessed in their deeds.
A ship at sea commonly sails all night, and the seamen take their watchesfour hours at a time. Rising to work in the night, it is not commonly pleasantin any case, but in dark rainy nights it is very disagreeable, even though eachman were furnished with all conveniences. If, after having been on deck severalhours in the night, they come down into the steerage soaking wet, and are soclosely stowed that proper convenience for change of garments is not easilycome at, but for want of proper room their wet garments are thrown in heaps,and sometimes, through much crowding, are trodden under foot in going to theirlodgings and getting out of them, and it is difficult at times for each to findhis own. Here are trials for the poor sailors.
Now, as I have been with them in my lodge, my heart hath often yearned forthem, and tender desires have been raised in me that all owners and masters ofvessels may dwell in the love of God and therein act uprightly, and by seekingless for gain and looking carefully to their ways they may earnestly labour toremove all cause of provocation from the poor seamen, so that they may neitherfret nor use excess of strong drink; for, indeed, the poor creatures, in thewet and cold, seem to apply at times to strong drink to supply the want ofother convenience. Great reformation is wanting in the world, and the necessityof it among those who do business on great waters hath at this time beenabundantly opened before me.
Eighth of Fifth Month. -- This morning the clouds gathered, the wind blewstrong from the south-east, and before noon so increased that sailing appeareddangerous. The seamen then bound up some of their sails and took down others,and the storm increasing, they put the dead-lights, so called, into the cabinwindows and lighted a lamp as at night. The wind now blew vehemently, and thesea wrought to that degree that an awful seriousness prevailed in the cabin, inwhich I spent, I believe, about seventeen hours, for the cabin passengers hadgiven me frequent invitations, and I thought the poor wet toiling seamen hadneed of all the room in the crowded steerage. They now ceased from sailing andput the vessel in the posture called "lying to."My mind during this tempest, through the gracious assistance of the Lord, waspreserved in a good degree of resignation; and at times I expressed a few wordsin His love to my shipmates in regard to the all-sufficiency of Him who formedthe great deep, and whose care is so extensive that a sparrow falls not withoutHis notice; and thus in a tender frame of mind I spoke to them of the necessityof our yielding in true obedience to the instructions of our Heavenly Father,who sometimes through adversities intendeth our refinement.
About eleven at night I went out on the deck. The sea wrought exceedingly,and the high, foaming waves round about had in some sort the appearance offire, but did not give much if any light. The sailor at the helm said he latelysaw a corposant at the head of the mast. I observed that the master of the shipordered the carpenter to keep on the deck; and, though he said little, Iapprehended his care was that the carpenter with his axe might be in readinessin case of any emergency. Soon after this the vehemency of the wind abated, andbefore morning they again put the ship under sail.
Tenth of Fifth Month. -- It being the first day of the week and fine weather,we had a meeting in the cabin, at which most of the seamen were present; thismeeting was to me a strengthening time. 13th. -- As I continue to lodge in thesteerage I feel an openness this morning to express something further of thestate of my mind in respect to poor lads bound apprentice to learn the art ofsailing. As I believe sailing is of use in the world, a labour of soul attendsme that the pure counsel of truth may be humbly waited for in this case by allconcerned in the business of the seas. A pious father whose mind is exercisedfor the everlasting welfare of his child, may not with a peaceable mind placehim out to an employment among a people whose common course of life ismanifestly corrupt and profane. Great is the present defect among seafaring menin regard to virtue and piety; and, by reason of an abundant traffic, and manyships being used for war, so many people are employed on the sea, that thesubject of placing lads to this employment appears very weighty.
When I remember the saying of the Most High through His prophet, "This peoplehave I formed for myself; they shall show forth My praise," and think ofplacing children among such to learn the practice of sailing, the consistencyof it with a pious education seems to me like that mentioned by the prophet,"There is no answer from God."Profane examples are very corrupting and very forcible. And as my mind dayafter day and night after night hath been affected with a sympathizingtenderness towards poor children who are put to the employment of sailors, Ihave sometimes had weighty conversation with the sailors in the steerage, whowere mostly respectful to me, and became more so the longer I was with them.
They mostly appeared to take kindly what I said to them; but their minds wereso deeply impressed with the almost universal depravity among sailors, that thepoor creatures in their answers to me have revived in my remembrance that ofthe degenerate Jews a little before the captivity, as repeated by Jeremiah theprophet, "There is no hope."Now under this exercise a sense of the desire of outward gain prevailingamong us felt grievous; and a strong call to the professed followers of Christ was raised in me that all may take heed lest, through loving this presentworld, they be found in a continued neglect of duty with respect to a faithfullabour for reformation.
To silence every motion proceeding from the love of money, and humbly to waitupon God to know His will concerning us have appeared necessary. He alone isable to strengthen us to dig deep, to remove all which lies between us and thesafe foundation, and so to direct us in our outward employment that pureuniversal love may shi............