and how he would work in, and for, and also through thee. Nothing is too hard for Him; and all things are possible unto his simply obedient children who believe, -He is able to do all things for them: these He will never leave nor forsake, but keep in the hollow of his hand, and as the apple of the eye. Not one trial, not one pang will such have to pass through, more than there is a need be' for, or more than will be made to work for good unto them, both here and for ever. My secret petition is, that you may each discern what his good pleasure is concerning you, and concerning each other, lest in any wise you mistake it; and thus miss of any thing that did really belong to you. May you be wholly given up, and give up each other freely to His ordering and service, whose gifts you are to one another; lest if there be even the shadow of a withholding and drawing back, the Lord should withdraw his hand so full of blessings temporal and spiritual. We may easily reason away the tender gentle touches of his hand, so as to doubt, whether they are the requirings of the Lord; and those who are very jealous of his honour, or clear in their discerning respecting the standing and steppings and outgoings of others, have the greater occasion to beware of placing so strong a guard against all outgoings, as to cramp or cripple either themselves, or those with whom they have influence. These are days in which the enemy would persuade some of us, that we had better do nothing, lest we should do wrong, or in our attempts to aid the cause, only give pain and trouble to the rightly exercised by our meddling. But O! how otherwise is the fact! what preservation, what help, what direction, and qualification, have the simple hearted received, whose strength is made perfect in an humbling sense of their own weakness;

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-out of weakness they are made strong. My beloved friend, I must go further, and urge on thee to weigh well, (but without undue carefulness, discouragement or distrust,) whether there is not a call upon you to double diligence in coming up, in a noble, disinterested, unbending, and unblushing way, to the help of the Lord and his church,-to stand in the breach, and fill up your ranks, as those that are deeply concerned for the spreading, as well as the upholding of the testimonies of Truth. Ah! it is high time that all who have been awakened to a sense of the state of things in our poor church, were up,' to retrieve and turn the battle to the gate. The enemy and his willing instruments are busy indeed; we see the fruits springing forth on every hand; and there are few given up to withstand him in a true-hearted, uncompromising plainness and boldness. May we then join in an unqualified surrender of our all, to the disposing of Him, who would work in us and for us, and also through us mightily, to the subduing of all within us that would choose, or refuse, or chalk out our own line for ourselves, entrenching ourselves in the rectitude of our own wills and counsels: whereas, we should be tender as the growing vine, and teachable as the weaned babe,-no fretting,-but with mortified wills even slain and nailed to the cross.. The time is

verily come, when men shall be, and are, lovers of their own selves, I know; but the time is also coming, when, if I have any true vision of what shall be the end and issue of these shaking times, men shall not love their lives unto death; but lay down their lives for the brethren, forego their ceiled houses, their "pleasant bread," and their couches of ivory, their boats and their nets, and their father, to become fishers of men, and count all things but loss.

CHAPTER XV.

[IN the course of the summer and autumn of 1836, J. B. passed some time by the sea-side, with benefit to his general health. Whilst at Brighton in the Eleventh Month, under an apprehension of religious duty, he addressed his Monthly Meeting as follows:]

To GRACECHURCH STREET MONTHLY MEETING OF FRIENDS.

Brighton, Ninth of Eleventh Month, 1836.

DEAR FRIENDS,

In the love of our heavenly Father, my soul at this time salutes his faithful children among you of all degrees, who love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity, and can call him "Lord," and bow before Him: desiring that an increase of all spiritual blessings may be known amongst us through Him, our Head and High Priest, and only hope of glory.

It seems best for me to acquaint you, that while at this place for the benefit of my health, a weighty feeling of duty has revived and fastened on my mind, to pay a religious visit to the Friends in this place from house to house; a work which, as regards a considerable portion of this Quarterly Meeting, I was enabled to perform some few years ago, but did not then see my way further, so as to embrace this particular meeting, and a few others. Should you, on a solid consideration of my concern and situation, think it right to make way at this time for the relief of my mind herein, it

may be safest for me to request the liberty to extend the family visit, should this seem required, to a few small meetings in this Quarterly Meeting.

Desiring we may all be kept patiently and diligently attentive to the voice of the true and tender Shepherd, I bid you affectionately farewell.

J. B.

[In the Twelfth Month, he returned to his Monthly Meeting the certificate granted for the above service; acknowledging the goodness of the Lord in helping and sustaining him on his way, and in favouring him with the reward of peace on his return home. He paid visits to nearly all the families of the particular meeting of Brighton, under circumstances as regarded his infirm state of health, calculated to excite much sympathy on the part of his friends of that place; he entered house after house, supported by his crutches, and it is believed his visits were peculiarly acceptable generally.]

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Stoke Newington, 3rd of Twelfth Month, 1836. Ah! dear as thou well knowest, home is home, after such engagements and causes of absence from what is dear to us in this outward state and lower region: and home is home, in a higher and better sense, blessed be His name, who maketh heaven a home; for without Him, where is the rest, where is the refreshing to the poor, craving, immortal part? These feelings, and such as these, while they moderate or sanctify the use of earthly objects, heighten and refine. There is truly nothing here worth living for, without the good presence of our "Everlasting Father;" but with that, and in subjection and resignation to

Him, every thing is to be received with thanksgiving, and used with joyfulness,-come pain of body, or conflict of mind, loss of wife or children, or dearest friends, or house, or food. This is our calling, this is our privilege; and O! that we may hold it up to others as such, both in life and in death!

J. B.

To A YOUNg Friend.

24th of Twelfth Month, 1836.

Rely upon it, my dear

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these associates

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of thine, whoever they be, even if they stand high in general estimation, are no friends to thy true interests, thy best welfare, however plausibly they reason. very circumstance of their endeavouring to undermine, or upset the almost unformed views of so young and artless a person, is a proof of their unworthy purposes. By thy own account, they are in "the seat of the scornful," as David said; and when the subtle poison that is under their tongue, is in danger of being rejected and exposed, they can turn off the conversation with a laugh. But if thou art favoured to withstand their crooked twisting arguments, be also very careful lest their ridicule move thee in any wise from the serious ground, the safe because lowly abiding place of the real Christian. My advice to thee is, avoid such company, shun such associates, trust not thyself to dispute with them; thou wilt not be likely to get good by it, nor to do them good, but to receive harm in ways little suspected. Thou art not to be supposed, nor shouldest thou for a moment presume thyself, competent to enter the lists of controversy; it requires one to be well grounded, rooted and settled in the right way, to meet all the objections and cavils, that may be urged by persons of more or less corrupt and uncontrolled