ments, he asked me, If one came to kill me, would I not kill rather than be killed? I told him, No; so far as I knew my own heart, I had rather be killed than kill. He said, That was strange, and desired to know what reason I could give for it. I told him, That I being innocent, if I were killed in my body, my soul might be happy; but if I killed him, he dying in his wickedness, would consequently be unhappy; and if I were killed, he might live to repent, but if I killed him, he would have no time to repent, so that, if he killed me, I should have much the better, both in respect to myself and him. This discourse had made so much impression, and so affected him, that he said, he could not but often remember it. And when we parted at Bridgetown, we embraced each other, in open arms of Christian love, far from that which would hurt or destroy."

JOHN CHURCHMAN ON THE NAMES OF THE DAYS OF THE WEEK.

Before my going to Holland, I was at the shop of a barber in this city (Norwich,) several times to be shaved: the second time I was there, I had to wait a little for my turn, he having no assistant; and when others were gone out, he told me he was sorry I had to wait, and hoped he should have my custom and that if I would come on Saturdays and Wednesdays, in the forenoon, I need not wait; but in the afternoon others came. I asked him what days in the week those were which he called Saturdays and Wednesdays: he seemed to wonder at my ignorance, but knew not how to tell

me otherwise. I said, "I do not read in the scriptures of any days so named:" he replied, "That is true." "For what reason then," said I, "dost thou call them so?" "Because it is a common custom," said he. "Suppose then," said I, "that we lived in a heathen country; among infidels, who worshipped idols, should we follow their customs, because common?" He replied, "By no means." I then said, "If I have understood rightly, the heathens gave the days of the week those names." I never heard that before," said he; "pray for what reason?" I answered, "They worshipped the sun on the first day of the week, and named it after their idol, Sunday; the moon on the second day of the week, so came Monday; and the other days after other idols, for they had many gods. Third-day they called Tuesday, after their idol Tuisco; and after the idol Woden, fourthday they called Wednesday; and fifth-day, after their idol Thor, they called Thursday; from Friga, Friday; and after Saturn they called the seventh-day, Saturday. And as I believe in the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom he hath sent, and expect eternal life by no other name or power, I dare not, for conscience sake, own the gods of the heathen, or name a day after them; but choose the names which the days were called by, when the Most High performed his several works of creation, viz. first, second, third, and so on, which is scriptural, most plain, and easily understood." He seemed somewhat affected with the information, and I desired him to enquire into the matter for himself, and not to think that I designed to impose upon him.

On my return from Holland to Norwich, a man ran

to me in the street, putting a paper into my hand, and immediately left me, whom I soon found to be this barber. The letter contained an innocent childlike acknowledgment to me for my freedom with him, as is before mentioned, in language rather too much shewing his value for me as an instrument. Believing him to be reached by the love of Truth, and in measure convinced of the principal thereof, I thought it best to leave him in the Lord's hands for further instruction.

I mention this passage with a view to stir up my friends of the same holy profession, to let their language in words be the real language of truth to all men, in purity of spirit, and not to name the days of the week or months after the heathenish idolatrous customs, saying for excuse, that they to whom they speak do best understand them, and it saves them any further explanation; which excuse is far from proceeding from a disposition apt to teach, and letting the light of Truth shine as it ought. "Neither do men," said our blessed Instructor, "light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick, and it giveth light to all that are in the house." Matt, v. 15. Nor doth the Lord enlighten his candle, that is the spirit of man (Prov. xx. 27.) with the pure knowledge of Truth, that we should cover it, either with an easeful disposition, to save ourselves trouble, or hide the work thereof under the covering bushel of worldly saving care, after the gain and treasure of this world; but that it may stand on the candlestick, and thereby crown those who are thus favoured with the holy light, that as a city set on a hill they cannot be hid. The corrupt

language of You to a single person, and calling the months and days by heathen names, are esteemed by some to be little things; but if a faithful testimony in these little things was blessed in the instance before mentioned, even to the raising an earnest inquiry after the saving knowledge of God and his blessed Son, whom to know is eternal life; perhaps such who baulk their testimony to the pure talent of Truth given to them to profit withal, may one day have their portion appointed with the wicked and slothful servant; see Matt. xxv. 24, 25, &c.

THOMAS CHALKLEY, travelling in New-England, relates that about the year 1704, the Indians were very barbarous in the destruction of the English inhabitants, scalping some, and knocking out the brains of others (men, women and children,) by which the country was greatly alarmed, both night and day. "But," continues he, "the great Lord of all was pleased wonderfully to preserve our Friends, especially those who kept faithful to their peaceable principles, according to the doctrine of Christ in the holy scriptures, as recorded in his excellent sermon which he preached on the mount, which is quite opposite to killing, revenge, and destruction even of our enemies.

"And because our Friends could not join with those of fighting principles and practices, some of them were put into prison; divers people railing and speaking very bitterly against their peaceable neighbours, and wishing the Quakers might be cut off. Among the many hundreds that were slain, I heard but of three of our Friends being killed, whose destruction was

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very remarkable, as I was informed; the one was a woman, the other two were men. The men used to

go to their labour without any weapons, and trusted to the Almighty and depended on His providence to protect them, (it being their principle not to use weapons of war to offend others, or to defend themselves); but a spirit of distrust taking place in their minds, they took weapons of war to defend themselves; and the Indians who had seen them several times without them, and let them alone, saying, they were peaceable men, and hurt nobody, therefore they would not hurt them ; now seeing them have guns, and supposing they designed to kill the Indians, they therefore shot the men dead. The woman had remained in her habitation, and could not be free to go to a fortified place for preservation, neither she, her son, nor daughter, nor to take thither the little ones; but the poor woman after some time began to let in a slavish fear, and advised her children to go with her to a fort not far from their dwelling. Her daughter being one that trusted in the name of the Lord, the mighty tower to which the righteous flee and find safety, could not consent to go with her; and having left a particular account in a letter to her children of her and their preservation, I think it worthy to be inserted here in her own words." 'When the cruel Indians were suffered to kill and destroy, it was shewed me, that I must stand in ' a testimony for Truth, and trust in the name of the 'Lord, that was a strong tower, and we should wait

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upon Him. And I often desired my mother and husband to sit down, and wait upon the Lord, and