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made God Amends. But I soon perhaps came into the very Pack? of
that Sin, which I thought, I had conquer'd. This made me think, God
was displeased with me, & all my Prayers & Reading were of no
Signification; I must begin anew & be more watchfull, than I
had been hitherto. But with all I could do, sin had the Rule over
me. I think, I spent near 2 years in this miserable Course.
? Easter in the year 1754, (as well as I can remember;) I
thought, I would go & hear the Moravians, tho' I had no liking for
them, because I believed them to be Roman-Catholicks. However I
went & heard Br La'Trobe to my great astonishment. Such a Ser
mon I never had heard in all my Life before. I thought directly,
this is the true ?ay to be saved. I went home, & what I had heard
of the Sufferings of Jesus, & how that Salvation could be obtained
no otherwise, that by his Merits, Death & Bloodshedding, this
wrought much on my Mind all the Week following. When on Sunday
I went again, I was so overcome; that I afterwards could not go any
where else. I soon got acquainted with Br Lorde, & got a great love
for him; but he soon after went from Fulneck. I was received into
the Society, attended the breachings on Sunday constantly, & was
often so affected with what I had heard, that I many Times in my
Way home retired into a Wood near Tong?, & wept before our
Savr, that I might enjoy what I had heard. But I did not rightly
prosper; for I had got some Thing else in View besides my Salvation.
I had got an Infantion? to travel, & this engaged my Mind
pretty much, & I put this in Execution, as soon as my Prentice
ship was out. There happened just at that Fame two Persons Who
come from London to see their Relations at Moraly?, & I took the
Opportunity to go with them at their Return. The one being a married
Person, took me to her House, & it was my Home, till I got a Place
which I did in ten days Time; but it was very hard, so that I left
it in 3 months, & got another Place, which I left in about the same
Fine on account of some Differences. I went to my first Lodging
& stay'd there out of Place, till Doctor John Holstead returned
from the West-Indies, where he had been as Surgeon of a ship
I visited him & told him, I should like to go to Sea. He said, he
would recommend me to Captain Hornsby ^bound for Greenland if he had any Place
that would suit one (this Captain was a Person he himself had
been with at Greenland, before he went to the West-Indies)
Accordingly on his Recommendation the Captain took one as his Steward,
I went on Beard, but all Things were very awkward, having never been
on Beard of a ship before, & I knew no more about my office than
a Child; but I soon got to understand, that the chief made was in
that office the Voyage before. So I made it my Business to get acquaint
ed with him and he with a Bottle on of R?, for he loved a ?? ?? ??
told me every thing, what I should do & what belonged to my office. Thus
I got into the Way pretty well. We sailed from the River ^to latter End of
March, & we were not long out of Sea, before I was sick & continued so
for 15 Days. I thought many Times, if I was on Shore, they should be Sai
lers who would for me. But when I got better, I came thro' pretty well
as I had no Ship's Duty to do. It was a very cold uncomfortable voyage
In about 4 months we returned very unsuccessfull, having got no more
than one fist. I got from the ships as soon I could, weary enough of my
first Voyage.
A few Weeks after by Accident I went to the East India House
& met with a Captain, who was a shipping people. I asked him: if he
wanted people? He said, he did & gave me an Order to go on Board. I
immediately went on Beard & met with a Company of very wicked, curs
ing & swearing Sailors. However we got ready & put to Sea. About a week?
after our Ship's Company was seized by Turns with a violent Feaver. I
also fall sick & if brought me very near my Dissolution In the Time ? While
we were so sick, we hung altogether by ourselves. It was one of the most
shocking Times, I have had in all my Life; most of them died cursing
& swearing; they all at one Time died, that were sick, & left me alone.
I prayed heartily to our Savr, that if He would spare one & bring
me home again, I would be his & live for him. But when I got better,
I soon forgot all his goodness & went on a wicked Course with the Rest
of the sailors, & I some Times swore. But amidst all, I had many Con
victions, & I often could not sleep, but wept in my Hammock, on
account of the Course, I had entered into. When we came to a Port, there
was generally nothing seen but Wickedness. I remember very well some
Times, that I was grieved in myself, that I could not be so bold in
Wickedness as the Rest of my Company; & when I thought, that I would
be so wicked as theyl I generally had voyage; but with Regard to Exformals?
we had it hard some Times, & were about 6 Months without Bread,
living on Rice. On account of the length of the Voyage we also