Many times, notwithstanding his weakness, the Lord was pleased to make use of him; and he returned thanks to God for affording him his presence, and enabling him by his power, to publish and declare what the Lord had done for his soul. He was a great lover of the poor, very charitable to them, and often prayed for them, and entreated the Lord, he would be pleased to order for their relief, as it seemed good to him. His wife, knowing the blessed work of charity was well-pleasing to him, sometimes told him what she had done in that work; he would say to her, 'I pray God bless thee for it, and be sure thou wilt have thy reward for relieving the poor; for the Lord delights in a cheerful giver.'

He often mentioned the goodness of God, being truly sensible of it to his soul; and having a regard to the poor, he manifested the same by his frequently administering to his necessitous neighbours, and also by the gifts and legacies he left them.

He departed this life in peace with the Lord, the 7th of the Twelfth month, 1710, and was buried the 10th of the same. Aged about eighty years.

ANNE HUMPHREYS, late of Saffron-Walden, in the county of Essex, widow, was a young woman whom the Lord was pleased to visit and bless with the knowledge of himself and his unchangeable truth, which she received in the love thereof; and by waiting upon the Lord therein, came to know the work of it in her soul, and to experience the sanctifying virtue thereof through her obedience thereto. And the Lord, who by his grace made her what she was, was pleased to confer upon her a gift of the ministry about three years before she died, in which she laboured faithfully.

In the Fourth month, 1711, she was concerned to go into Ireland to visit Friends, and landed at Dublin the same month, accompanied by Anne Chapman, of America; and they visited several meetings in and about the city of Dublin, and so passed towards the north of that nation. Being taken ill with a strong fever, she was forced to keep her bed; but after the fit was somewhat abated, a meeting being appointed for them, she was desirous to go, and did: and the Lord was pleased eminently to appear with her, to Friends' mutual joy and comfort; but she went no more abroad, the small-pox soon coming out upon her. Then she expressed herself, saying, 'Lord Jesus, my spirit waits thy coming; my soul waits for thee, my Redeemer. Oh! Lord God Almighty, thou surely hast prepared for me a habitation in the heavens with thee. Thou it is who makest me sensible, that here I am not to stay much longer. O Lord, I feel at this time thy great love and heavenly spring of life to refresh and comfort my soul. Into thy arms (for thou knowest it is that I have travailed for) I am ready [to be received], Lord; and thou hast given me to know that my soul is ready to enter into thy everlasting kingdom. O Lord, for this thy great mercy, in affording thy servant this opportunity, I do at this time, in all reverent thankfulness, bless and praise thy most holy name, who art surely worthy for evermore.'

She departed this life at Colerain, on the 20th of the Fifth month, 1711; aged about thirty, and a minister three years.

JOSEPH STONE, Jun., of Witney, in Oxfordshire, was born in the Sixth month, 1683, and descended of honest parents. He was educated by them in the way of Friends, and was well inclined when young; and by the early visitations of the grace of God upon his heart he embraced the yoke of Christ in his youth, and as he was taught of his

Saviour himself to eschew the evil and to do good, he was the more fit to be a messenger to carry the glad tidings of salvation to others, and to make known to them what the Lord had done for his soul. Yet this work he could not undertake, until it pleased the great Lord of the harvest to gift him for it, which was in the year 1703. In this work he laboured, according to the ability he received, by whose ministry the seed and heritage of God was often refreshed; for the springing of love from the spirit of God in one, will certainly answer to the same divine principle in others, and fix it as an evidence upon their hearts, that it is the truth. He was also exemplary in conversation, and of an innocent deportment.

He loved solitariness, choosing to be much alone, and approved himself a faithful servant and minister of Christ: he was zealous for promoting the honour of God, labouring in word and doctrine for that end, not only in the neighbouring meetings about him, but also in several counties in England. He had a great concern upon him that he might be instrumental in the Lord's hand for turning the hearts of the children of men from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God. In his testimony he was concerned for the hindermost of the flock; in prayer fervent for the offspring of Friends, that they might come to witness the grace of God to save them from a vain conversation; for he knew that, though he had his education amongst Friends, yet it was not that alone that did make him what he was, but the grace of God, as he gave up to be guided thereby. And because of his experience, which he gained in yielding to the guidance of the spirit of truth, he was the more frequent in exhorting the youth of our day to seek the Lord in their early days, agreeably to the voice of wisdom, who advised the same of old.

He wrote a short account of his call to the ministry, with some of his labours and travels therein; as also the comfort and satisfaction he reaped in his service for truth, as follows:

'After it pleased God, in the riches of his love, to bestow on me a gift of the ministry, and, by his grace, to call me to and qualify me for the same, which was in the Ninth month, 1703, I was obedient to the heavenly call, and gave up freely, but not forwardly, to the call. And, after some time, I visited some neighbouring meetings in some parts of Worcestershire, Warwickshire, Gloucestershire, and Oxfordshire. In the year 1707 I went down to the yearly meeting at Bristol, and then returned home again, where I remained three years, only visiting some neighbouring meetings, and took one journey to London. But having a concern to visit Friends. in the West, which rested upon me till the year 1710, I then gave up and went, though not likely to have a companion but part of the journey.'

On the 4th of the Fifth month, 1710, he left his habitation at Witney, and went southward to Abingdon quarterly meeting, where he met with his friends, John and Thomas Wagstaffe, who accompanied him part of his journey, where they left him, and returned, he pursuing his journey to the Land's-End; from whence he returned, visiting Friends through the counties till he got home, which was on the 30th of the Sixth month.

'I had a very satisfactory journey,' says he, 'for the Lord was with me, and was to me mouth and wisdom, language and utterance; blessed be his glorious name for ever. And his divine presence and glorious power was prevailing in our meetings; for I had many glorious and heavenly meetings in this journey, to my great satisfaction and comfort, and to the comfort and edification of the Lord's people.

'And it is the desire of my soul that the consideration of the Lord's love and goodness may be a binding obligation to us, for ever to walk in true humility and self-denial before him. The people who were not acquainted with the work of truth, were free and willing to come to our meetings in those parts, and were very attentive to the testimony of truth, and seemed to be well affected with it, many of them appearing

very tender in meetings. I believe the Lord will add to his church such as shall be saved, and will more and more bring people off from the idle shepherds of this world, who feed themselves and not the flock, and will bring them under the guidance and conduct of his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, the everlasting Shepherd, who watches over his flock both night. and day, and feeds them in green pastures of life, and leads them by the still waters of Shiloh's brook, and will at last bring them to the everlasting fold of rest.

'Oh! that all who profess the blessed truth might be faithful to him, that so they might preach for God in their lives and conversations, and become instrumental in the hand of God, to the carrying on that great work which he hath begun in the earth, which must be completed by the spirit of judgment, and the spirit of burning.

'The 7th of the Fourth month, 1711.'

'J. STONE, Jun.

In the Sixth month following, he had a concern to visit Friends westward again, and went so far as Cirencester, in Gloucestershire; but being taken very ill, he returned back again to his father's house at Witney, and his illness increasing upon him, proved him sorely. Yet he continued in much resignedness to the will of God, and signified that people had need not have their day's work to do then, for there was work enough to bear up under the pain of body; and desired Samuel Waring to remember his love to all Friends. In the evening, as he sat by him, he signified that he did not know how the Lord would be pleased to deal with him; but for the sake of his dear parents, and others, to whom he might be of service, he should be glad if the Lord should see meet to spare him; but he freely resigned his will to the will of God. But before he parted with him, he told him he was going, and that all was well, all was well, twice; and desired all to go out of the room, except him, to whom he said, 'I have seen the glory of heaven, and it is a brave place;' and