First day, the 27th. My mind while sitting in our meeting to-day, was led into a view of the great necessity there was of more faithfulness and attention to the inward principle of divine truth, or inward teacher in the mind, as professed by us as a people. For want of this, many were led into divers errours and deficiencies, which in their tendency not only led to great weakness, but to the encouragement of evil doers in their evil practices; a sight and sense of which had for some time been a cause of much exercise to my mind. The subject became very impressive, insomuch that I found it necessary to spread it before the meeting in a large arousing testimony; laying before the auditory the great danger many were in for want of a living concern to work out, through the assistance of divine grace, their salvation while the day of visitation was lengthened out. For nothing short of a full submission to the operation of divine truth on their minds could fit and prepare them for the awful approaching season, when the pale-faced messenger shall arraign us before the judgment seat of Him, whom we can neither awe nor bribe, to give an account of the deeds done in the body, whether good or evil. A solemn weight spread over the meeting and many minds appeared to be deeply humbled. May the exhortation be fixed in their remembrance, as a nail in a sure place that may not be moved, is the fervent desire of my mind. The rest of this week I was busily employed in endeavouring so to arrange my temporal matters, that when I leave home on the prospect before me, I may feel my mind at full liberty therefrom, and that no occasion may be given, through the medium of any of my temporal engagements, for the enemies of truth to gainsay or find fault, to the disadvantage or reproach of the great and dignified cause I was about to embark in. For I have been led to believe some who have gone out on this solemn embassy, for want of this care have given too much occasion for censure, and have thereby wounded the cause they have proposed to promote, and brought much exercise on the minds of the faithful. On fifth day at our meeting, my mind was deeply bowed in commemoration of the Lord’s continued mercies, and that indeed it might be said of us as it was of Israel formerly, that it was of the Lord’s mercies we were not consumed; and I was made thankful in believing, that there was a small remnant who were preserved faithful to his name and cause, and who were the salt of the society, and for whose sake he would not utterly cast us off nor forsake us. Surely it is of his unmerited mercy that we are not swallowed up in the mass of the people, and numbered among the unstable multitude who have no sure and solid foundation to rest their hopes upon, but are trusting in a ceremonial religion, of man’s invention; all which in the day of trial will fail them, and afford no succour to the soul.