[In a letter to another friend about the same date, alluding to his late journey, he says:] "Though the humiliations have been frequent and great, a sense of preserving help has never been withheld in the needful measure, and at the needful time. I have found no wonderful enlargement; but in my little way, have endeavoured to sympathize with the suffering seed, the wrestling remnant, who are concerned above all things to maintain the testimony of Jesus, by dying daily to themselves. And the Lord will still keep these in the hollow of his hand; and, amidst all exercises and tribulations, such will grow. May we ever be counted worthy of taking our lot among this number, drinking into one spirit.' To

we

remarkable are the ways of omnipotent Wisdom, infinite love! As Penington somewhere says,-if its outgoings are stopped in one direction, it will break out with proportionate beauty and force in another. Ó! what can the enemy do, to hinder the glorious arising and irresistible spread of the gospel of Truth and salvation? He may vaunt and do great things for awhile, such as may, if it were possible, delude and carry away the very elect; and all the world may wonder at the beast ; but the Lamb and his followers must and shall have the victory; and the kingdom and dominion are given to the saints, even the tribulated witnesses and partakers of that power and faith of Jesus Christ, against which the gates of hell itself shall never be able to prevail. Though it would be very pleasant to be personally near to thee, and to the numerous company whom thou and I have seen coming forth of the barren wilderness of professions into the green pastures of life, and into the quiet habitation where none can make afraid,—yet it seems as if my right allotment for the present might be far otherwise; and with that and every condition, I am desirous to be well content, in the hope and assurance, that while in this state of resignation, nothing can be better for me, and all things shall turn to my good, and tend to His honour, who is all worthy for ever.

16th of Twelth month, 1834. Unless we have forfeited our privileges as Christians, and are utterly lost to all right feeling of Divine help, is it not natural and likely, and consistent with the provisions of Divine wisdom, that as our day is, so should our strength be. And O! the invincible, the unutterable strength of the true faith, even but a grain;—it is calculated to overcome the world and the transient things of it; as embraced and laid hold of, and cleaved unto, it makes us heirs of life, and gives victory over death. O! then, what cause, and also what It seems indeed as if the Lord was musterability may we find, even to "rejoice evermore, and in every thing to give thanks," as ing his host for the battle,-his little remnant, John Woolman told his attendant,-for this whom he ever delights to hide in the hollow is, indeed, the will and purpose of God in of his hand, while they are singly given up Christ Jesus concerning us, that thus to serve Him in true-heartedness: sometimes should glorify him in the fires.' Our busi- also he signally commands deliverances for ness is to stay ourselves upon the Lord, and them, though the enemy may seem to be comfully to realize the truth, that all things ing in as a flood, and ready to devour all bewill be found to work together, and to have fore him. But what, as thou writest, shall we happened, for the very best, to those that say to these things? Is there not occasion for above all things desire to love and serve Him. us, through all that we meet with here, in May we more and more exercise ourselves in every thing to rejoice and to give thanks. these views, that we may in no wise be moved "The Lord liveth, and blessed be our Rock;" "because He liveth," whose mercies are so by these or any afflictions; but that the further we go, the more we may witness of the renewed to us, do we live also' from day to Lord's wonders in the deeps, and be confirmed day, and have at times a precious degree of in the experience of his mercy, faithfulness, hope given to us, that we shall outlive all that and strength; though it should be continually can happen to us here, and be safely landed made manifest and made perfect in our abun- in the end, where joy and peace abound for dant weakness. The times and the seasons evermore. O! then, may we each in our are well left in his hand, who ordereth or allotment of labour, suffering, or rejoicing, fill overruleth all things well. And in the pre- up our measure; and work with a good heart, sent low and trying state of things, it is not while it is day, while we see the way open to be wondered at, that oppression and ob- before us,-in full assurance of faith and love; struction are permitted to be felt, to the bow-turning neither to the right hand nor to the ing down of the very souls of some!

To

Croydon, 5th of First month, 1835. Thy communication of the 6th ult. was very welcome and refreshing to us. O! how

left, and endeavouring (for we cannot always succeed herein,) to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of sound and true peace. I rejoice in every opening and appearance of good among any people; but I cannot rejoice in finding a falling short of that, in which divine

grace would establish all who know its teach- sings, or misgivings, or apprehensions as to ings. Some of us seem to be made more use the existence of defection in doctrine among us. of, in the way of inviting, attracting, grafting So far from uniting with this sentiment in an and gathering, others in proving, confirming, unqualified manner, it seems to me, that though settling and furthering those, who are brought the enemy is busily at work, as has been said, into the fold or planted in the enclosure. I this is not all; but that the Lord also is at long that none of the labourers, among you work, breaking up the false rests and old formore particularly, may interfere in their own mal settlements of people; and saying to many, will and wisdom with the services of others," Why seek ye the living among the dead?" that our comfort in the Lord, and one in an- and his design in all these shakings, and siftother, may not be marred. May we all beings, and overturnings is, that that which canbuilded together, and seek also to build up one not be shaken may be manifested and may another, in the main thing-our holy faith, remain; that men may see, that it will not do which stands in power, in truth, in love, in any longer to go after the Lo! heres, or Lo! peace, and in the abasement of the creature. theres, in this or that system of observations; O may this blessed work, with you and but that the kingdom and power are to be found everywhere else, go forward, notwithstanding within. And so is Christ's own language fulall opposition or misgivings; and may all that filling,-"I came not to send peace, (that is a would let, with every weight, be laid aside, false peace,) but rather division:" he is sepaand removed out of the way, saith my soul! rating, and will make a clean separation, beWhatever may be the good pleasure of Him, tween the precious and the vile; and is purging who raised us up by the breath of his word, away all old leavens, of refined error as well with regard to our undisturbed enjoyment of as open evil! And we, who look for all things those sweet privileges of fellowship together, being made and kept new, pure, and of God, as a visibly distinct body, of which we have and who desire all old things to be done away so long and so unworthily partaken,-it is that are not wrought in God, should not shrink more and more clear to me, that the faithful, or be afraid. We that desire to be searched and those that humble themselves in the dust and tried, also to prove all things, and to be before Him, will never be utterly forsaken or wholly given up to the Lord and his guidance, forgotten; that these will never be altogether should not give way to unreasonable or undisappointed of their confidence, though they warrantable fears, lest we be doing the enehave the bread of affliction and water of ad-my's work; but simply to eye our Captain: versity administered for a long season and in and if He show us the enemy at work, atlarge measure-the Lord will still have a tempting to insinuate poison into the church, people peculiarly formed for Himself, who and put us upon resisting and withstanding shall purely show forth his praise, and be en-him and those deluded by him,-this is not abled to lift up His standard to the nations. Those who love our Lord Jesus Christ in very truth, not feignedly, and who in proof thereof are given up to follow him in the regeneration and daily cross, I trust will not be permitted to be moved by afflictions, nor carried away by delusions, nor exalted by abundance of revelations, nor turned aside by the business or the pleasures, the cares or the riches of this life, or by love of other things; but these are concerned to lie low before the Lord, and to be crucified with Christ; that so they may say in truth, "I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth" and moveth and reigneth "in me."

To

J. B.

the work of the enemy which thus engages
us; for Satan never yet did cast out Satan.
The giving place to such fears, would lead us
to esteem the guidance and instructions of our
holy Head by his Spirit uncertain and ques-
tionable: whereas the way of the Truth is a
plain way, so that the wayfaring man, though
a fool, is not to err therein; that is, as he looks
to the Lord alone, and does not lean to his
own understanding.
J. B.

Το

8th of Second month, 1835.

May the blessing of heaven above and of the earth beneath attend you and yours,-the blessing which makes most truly rich, and 12th of First month, 1835. adds thereto no sting of sorrow! This has I understood to say, that she believed, been my secret petition in some of my best from the extensive opportunities she had had of moments, when thinking of you; and surely I There is judging among all kinds of churches and pro- shall be excused for telling you so. fessions, that the enemy was busily at work to that which crowns all other blessings, as you scatter and divide; and that, therefore, we had well know: there is that, (let the thoughtless, great need of care, that we do not his work, by the unfeeling heart say what it may,) withgiving way to unfounded or unnecessary surmi-out which our very blessings are of no bene

It is remarkable, that there is a numerous body of scattered and hidden seekers, who have tried all other ways, and retired from them more or less; and who are sincerely looking to the spirituality of religion, and to us as holding up this view. By these the most primitive productions are increasingly sought and prized.

fit to us, and every gift of Divine providence he has effected, through suffering, the enand grace is liable to be perverted and abused; largement, strengthening, and glorifying of instead of being faithfully held in trust, and the house of his glory. Isaiah lx. lxi., &c. duly appreciated and applied, to the enduring good of ourselves, and of all with whom we have to do. This is nothing less than a sense of the presence, counsel and aid of Him, who giveth us all things richly to enjoy, and will graciously condescend to show us how we may use these things as not abusing them; how we may no longer live to ourselves; but whether we eat or drink, or whatever we do, may do all to His glory. May this, my dear be the first object in our eye, the very business of our lives, in all we undertake, in all we have to pass through. Then shall we not fail of that inheritance, which our dear Lord and Saviour purchased for us by his coming and by his death; then shall we be Christians indeed; and when our little moment of probation is over, the eternal weight of unmingled joy and glory shall follow. J. B.

To

With regard to cutting down some of our Journals, &c., I have always looked upon this as a delicate or difficult matter to do unobjectionably. We are too apt unconsciously to ourselves, to choose that which in our present state and turn of mind we are impressed with, or that which the present tendencies and exigencies of the times seem to us to call for; and possibly (for often it has been so,) to the unequal upholding of divine truth, or a partial exhibition of the character and line of testimony, which a Friend in his life-time maintained. This, doubtless, can be much guarded against by a judicious hand, and under best direction: but still I have been afraid of paraphrasing upon, or extracting the experience of others; we may so readily give an aspect or colouring different from the original document. There has been, in my opinion, ever since the creeping in of degeneracy, a correspondent endeavour to refine upon, to remodel, and soften down the rugged plain truths delivered by these ancients; and I think I see this in many of the publications that have of late years issued from the press. The more pure days of the church yield to me much the most interesting and impressive experience. O! how is the simplicity overborne, even in dedicated minds, now-a-days; how refined, how self-indulgent, and full of reasonings are we! At what a low ebb in many places is our ministry; even strangers noticing the change, and the approach to their pulpit eloquence: Scripture words indeed there are, yet often attended with but little of that authority, weight, savour and life, which tends

Croydon, Sixth month, 1835. No sooner was my eye opened to see the excellency there is in the Truth, now just above twenty years ago, than I began to appreciate the blessed experience recorded by those worthies, (our early Friends;) who in the same line of testimony were counted worthy, as it were, afresh to cast up the way and revive the ancient simplicity of the gospel. Since that time, poor and feeble as I feel myself, and unworthy to bear the precious name by which we are called,-in the midst of blushing at my own dwarfishness and abundant occasion of humiliation and of exercise; I may say, that this feeling and love to the pure cause of Truth, as professed by our Society, has never slackened. How animating it is, and comforting to believe, as I have done at this time, in the reading of thy letter, and observing your exercises and efforts [in America] on account of this most precious cause, that the Lord hath not forsaken those, who desire to cleave to him, with full surren- to baptize and bow down the spirits of all, der of themselves; that He is still near to help in the needful time, to limit the power of the enemy, and lift up a standard against him, and to overrule all for the good of those that fear Him. O! how little do we know of the designs of His wisdom and goodness to his church: His people are permitted to be bowed down, afflicted, oppressed;-He chastens them, and minishes them; and then (as the history of the church sets forth,) He raises them up by his own arm of power, beyond all expectation;-He even works by poor, little, feeble instruments, and in unlikely ways; till

and to humble the creature under the mighty hand of Him, who worketh all in all. Surely, among many causes, our being so mixed up with all sorts of people, sometimes for purposes very good in themselves, has contributed to this state of things:-"strangers" to the life of Christ inwardly revealed, have "devoured our strength."-Hosea vii. 9. I must conclude with saying, may the Lord by his power interpose, and show us whence we have fallen, and preserve us from falling still more generally and utterly!

Farewell! I shall be pleased to hear from

I hope there is no cause for discouragement on my account up to this time: I trust I have some sense of the tender mercies of Him, who deals gently with me! But I think, there is no need to express much to thee, as to my feelings and state of mind, in reference to this dispensation of Providence. Thou knowest I wish to hope the best, and to prepare for what may seem the worst,-to be prepared for all that may be in store for me: and this is what I desire for all who are near and dear to me. How much occasion there is to possess, as though we possessed not, and as those that are liable to be cut off from any of these enjoy. ments at a moment! May we be strengthened to take every cup as at the Lord's hand, and he will not fail to sweeten it. J. B.

26th of Eleventh month, 1835.

"Day unto day uttereth speech;" and while every day brings with it its peculiar duties and trials, there is enough of mercy and help manifested, to give abundant occasion for the engagement; "While I live will I praise the Lord; I will rejoice and give thanks while I have any being." Oh! that you may have

month last; one indirect cause of which, perhaps I may say, has been my own invalid condition; which has laid me by on the sofa for more than three months, a cripple reduced to crutches; and suffering some considerable pain at times, but far more from restlessness, helplessness, and various feelings of infirmity, not readily enumerated. Inflammation which had attacked my knee-joint nearly three years ago, and by which I had been greatly tried, was renewed upon me; and notwithstanding all means used, I have not been able to bear any weight upon the leg, nor to lift it off the other, when lying across it, except by hand. Thus situated, wearisome days and nights having been my portion; attentions to the poor body have much taken me up, and perhaps shut me out from much active participation in many things that have been passing. Yet this only in a certain way;-for never have I had a livelier interest, and as I think a clearer sense of the state of things up and down. As 'the tidings' reach me in my chamber, of different movements and circumstances that transpire, my mind seems permitted to travel on into the future, and to see what some are contriving and concerting to strengthen their cause, and to possess themselves as it were of the strong-holds and the passages.

To

Stoke Newington, 2nd of Second month, 1836. I can truly say, that with me often there has been no want of feeling and sympathy, where I have been but little drawn forth into expression, perhaps checked in myself from it: not that there are in the mind unpleasant reserves in such cases; but on the contrary, this course naturally leads to great plainness, undisguised simplicity, and honesty towards all. It is in my view of much importance, to endeavour to maintain entire the "uncorruptness," the genuineness, the unsophisticated artlessness, which is of the Truth. Every little habit, every compliance with custom in things that are thought indifferent, and which trenches upon these, endangers the tender principle of life; and indirectly, perhaps almost imperceptibly, lands us in bondage, impedes us in a straight forward, unaffected course of acting, thinking, and judging. Thus the mind and character become involved and prejudicially affected. The character of George Fox is as good an illustration as I can give, of what I desire in this respect for myself and for my friends. If I might venture to throw in a little counsel, who am sensible that I also am not above the need of it most certainly,—I would say, in a very tender feeling with thee, under whatever ocO! the deceit and the workings of that casion of disquietude, Look not so much at spirit, in those that despise and forsake the them, as for the poor mind to be much taken light of Christ in their own consciences! Yet up therewith; endeavour to look over them up through all, though I have sorrowful cause to Him, who orders all things that concern us, to believe some of understanding must and and will not lay any thing out for us to pass will fall, yea, many tall and beautiful cedars, through, but what is really needful for us. I never felt more strongly confirmed in the Do not let us dwell too much upon anything ground taken by our early Friends, and in that happens to us; but let us simply seek to the belief that all will be made (as thou ex-be conducted through the circumstances that pressest it) to work together for the good of attend us, and our allotted conflicts, with filial the poor little remnant, who are concerned simplicity of submission, and in a cheerful through all sufferings to keep to this ground. surrender of our all into the hands of our I often feel inwardly cheered and animated, tender Shepherd and Preserver, our Father, in the midst of the most gloomy prospects: and ever constant Friend. When we reflect for the power of Truth is the same that upon the low condition we are in, it is seen to ever it was; and the Lord can confound, even be a great mercy, that we are not left to ourby feeble instruments and unlikely means. selves; but are led about and instructed by It matters not through whom help comes, many painful dispensations. And when we so that it comes from Him that made heaven look at the trials of the faithful in all ages, and earth, and has set a bound to the roaring bitter almost in proportion to their faithfulness; also at the sufferings of the church as well as

waves.

I often think of the language of one of of the Head of the church; what are we that our ancients on his death-bed, The Spirit we should be spared, or rather what are we, that now lives and reigns in me, shall yet that we should be honoured with them? How break forth in thousands :'-and this is my light are our grievances, how great are our full belief, even if the number of active and privileges and mercies, how gently are we influential members in our yearly meeting, dealt with: we are as wayward children, that were greatly diminished or even swept away. are ready to complain, if aught be taken from The Lord can turn the fruitful field into bar-us, with which we might have injured ourrenness, and make the desert to blossom as selves. Ah! like as a father or a mother pitithe rose. eth a babe, so doth He, who watcheth over us for good! J. B.

J. B.