Fourth day. Feeling my mind drawn to attend the monthly meeting of Westbury, which was held to-day, I proceeded accordingly. In the meeting for worship, I was led to show to Friends, under the similitude of Israel’s travel, that it was not enough to be delivered from our former sins, nor from the red sea of trials and obstructing temptations, so as to rejoice on the banks of deliverance, and be fed with heavenly manna, even angels’ food; nor to journey on towards the promised Canaan, as far as Korah and his company; and to see like them, the wonder-working power of Jehovah in the wilderness, unless they also came to witness a complete death to their own wills, so as to be entirely submissive to the will of our heavenly Father; for otherwise they would be left to encompass as it were, a mountain in the wilderness, until the old man, that is, self-will, is entirely worn out and dies there, on this side Jordan: for nothing short of that will open Jordan’s streams, and enable us to go through on dry land. I had largely to open to Friends the mystery of our redemption, in the demonstration of the spirit, showing the necessity of continual perseverance and making progress in our heavenly journey, otherwise we shall be liable to fall into a state of ease and carnal security; and thereby make shipwreck of faith and a good conscience, and our latter end be worse than the beginning; like those of Israel, who fell in the wilderness and never obtained the promised land. Fifth day. Attended our monthly meeting. As it was the time of answering our queries, I was engaged to stir up Friends to more diligence, by faithfully scrutinizing their own individual states through the medium of the queries, by which means they would be truly useful to us; for otherwise the reading and answering them would become a dead lifeless form. First day, the 19th. A silent meeting to-day, in which my spirit was grieved, as is too often the case in our meetings, from a sense of the great want of real spiritual life, and the apparent deadness and formality which too generally prevail; whereby it often happens that a number appear drowsy and nodding, and some falling asleep, to the great trouble and exercise of the living concerned members, who are often led to mourn in secret on these accounts.