Quaker Women

[receives a dream that black and white people are equal]

...So about the middle of the 12th month 1697, through the good providence of the Almighty, we arrived in Virginia; and as I travelled along the country from one meeting to another, I observed great numbers of black people, that were in slavery, and they were a strange people to me, and I wanted to know whether the visitation of God was to their souls or not, and I observed their conversation, to see if I could discern any good in them. So after I had travelled about four weeks, as I was in bed one morning in an house in Maryland, after the sun was up and shone into the chamber, I fell into a slumber, and dreamed I was a servant in a great man's house, and that I was drawing water at a well to wash the uppermost rooms of the house, and when I was at the well, a voice came to me, which bid me go and call other servants to help me, and I went presently; but as I was going along in a very pleasant green meadow, a great light shined about me, which exceeded the light of the sun, and I walked in the dust; and as I went on in the way, I saw a chariot drawn with horses coming to meet me, and I was in care lest the light that shone about me, should frighten the horses, and cause them to throw down the people which I saw in the chariot. When I came to them, I looked on them, and I knew they were the servants I was sent to call; and I saw they were both white and black people, and I said unto them,why have you staid so long? And they said the buckets were frozen, we could come no sooner; so I was satisfied the call of the Lord was unto the black people as well as the white, and I saw the fulfilling of it in part, before I returned out of a America, with many more remarkable things, which would be too tedious here to mention -- But oh! great is the condescension and goodness of God to poor mankind; it is a good observation on the tender dealings of our heavenly father "that we may set up our Ebenezer, and say, hithereto hath the Lord helped us:" and, indeed, I may say to his praise, it hath been through many straits and difficulties, more than I can number, and they have all wrought together for the good of my soul; and I have cause to believe, that every son or daugher he receives, he chastens, tries, and proves, and these that do not bear the chastisements of God, do prove bastards and not sons; but I may say as one did of old, "it is good for me that I have been afflicted, &c" and it is good to follow the leadings of the spirit of God, as faithful Abraham did, who was called the friend of God, who did not withold his only son, when the Lord called for him; ...

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