AN UNPUBLISHED ACCOUNT OF THE MEETING BETWEEN JESSE KERSEY WITH GEORGE AND ANN JONES AND CHEYNEY AND MARTHA JEFFRIES, 17^TH OF 2^ND MONTH, 1827.

From an Unpublished Manuscript in J.K.'S handwriting in the Possession of The Chester County Historical Society, West Chester, Pennsylvania.

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On the 7^th day 17^th of 2^d mo. 1827 G. & A. Jones accompanied by Cheyney & Martha Jeffries visited jesse Kersey at the house of his son in law & daughter Ezra & Hannah Cope--J.K. requesting his son and daughter might be present which being agreed to they came in, and after a short pause A.J. addressed Jesse by saying that in the course of the family visits in the Meeting of which he was a member she had had an opportunity of entering pretty fully & she believed she might say pretty deeply into the state of things there, and on endeavouring to enter into feeling wiht him her mind had been introduced into sorrow and mourning in the recollection that she had known him in a better state--when she could look up to him as further advanced in the right way than herself--but now she considered he had lost his standing and she had been much grieved and burdened by his communications in Meetings and particularly he last time she heard him, when it seemed evident that what he said belonged to himself as was such as might suit his own case especially when he requested others to examine whether they had not forsaken their first love--that she did believe a gift in the ministry of reconciliation had been commited to him but for want of watchfulness and a continued endeavour to occupy the gift to the glory of the giver--for want of a willingness to go again & again into baptism & submit to the many washings and cleansing necessary to keep the vessel clean clean & pure it had not been possessed in sanctification and honour but had become polluted, and where things was the pipe [?] or instrument thro. which the oil and the wine had flowed to the consolation and refreshment of the heritage, became sullied, impure or borken, it was not in a state to receive much less to convey to other that which proceeded from the foutain, so that the oil could not flow pure & uncontaminated to the stream that flows thro. polished marble--the vessell being defiled it has become like the broken earthen pitcher--in this State he was not fit to minister at the alter and by attempting [P. 2] to do so he was adding sin to sin increasing his own condemnation and grieving the living members of the church that [illegible] of  [illegible] others he had need to bow very low under the mighty hand of God to put his mouth in the dust and seek forgiveness is so be there may be hope, and that was the only way for him to make restitution for his transgressions against the Divine and Moral law, and thus become reconciled to his Maker and the church.--A.J. further said that she considered he had forsaken that standard of Truth deserted the ranks of those who were endeavouring to stand upright and faithful to the King Immortal and to keep under the banner of the Prince of Peace--that he had gone  over to the enemy--and was still at times attempting to support the Cause of Truth--that it would not do to go first on one side and then on the other--that we could not sereve God and Mammon, it was in vain to attempt to serve two Master, then intreated him again to bow ery low--to put his mouth in the dust--to humble himself before his maker and srive to come to that same circumstance trhought which alone there can be hope.

As soon as A.J. had ceased speaking Jesse broke out by appealing to his children "Your hear my children what she says, she came over to this country a stranger she had been a very short time here when she publically opposed an acknowledged minister calling her a Blasphemer as good a woman over something I know better than herself," on its being remarked to him that that individual was then under dealing he replied "I don't know that, she has got a certificate--"dost thou know, it was asked, how she obtained her certificate it was carried by clamour contrary to the judgment of the solid part of the Meeting, he said he understood a few prejudiced persons objected to it--he then went on to say that a domineering overbearing disposition had sprung up in Philada. a disposition to oppress the innocent and bear donw the little ones and she had joined herself to that part and is supported by them--"Thou hast taken a high stand in offering and bearing down on others--but I believe [?] I shall live to see a different state of things and different rules of discipline established among us--Jesse told G.J. that he had conducted himself improperly in the Quarterly Meeting at the time he (J.K.) was speaking he sat looking [P. 3] around and was very restless G.J. replied he thought it strange he should make such a charge upon him as for anything he knew he sat as still as he did then--he then said it was when he was speaking in 12^th Street Meeting that he was told it was so, as he sat with his back toward him and could not see him. G.J. replied many false things are said, "dost thou believe all thou hears--he said no. G.J. then reminded him of his living at his house a week, and of their traveling together a week and England and added he was in a very different state then and had bery different views from what he now held, that he wouldnot have spoken in that manner them, J.K. said he did not consider himself changed--G.J. replied "I am not changed and thou must look to it--thou was then a promoter of the Truth, but now thou art on opposer of it--he replied "I desire to die in my present state of mind and pray to God to keep me as I am--in the course of what G.J. said he remarked "If the light that is in you becomes darkness how great is that darkness. J.K. replied "It is no use talking to me in that way.--In the course of his replies he frequently said "I am feeble in body but clear and collected in mind as ever I was--and in a very irreverant manner several times rrepeated he Sacred Name saying "God knows" so & so--The whole of what said, which was not a little, was justifying himself and reviling and being railing accusations against us--saying in a side way to C. & M. Jeffries "I see who supports them"--He worked himself up in a passion and went away & left us--

E. Cope requested A.J. to consider if what sh had said did not belong to herself and after G. & A. J. went out said he had no unity with us--