CHIEFLY DEVOTED TO THE INTERESTS OF THE SOCIETY OF FRIENDS. No. XI. GLASGOW, 11TH MONTH, 1st, 1858. FROM THE YEARLY MEETING OF THE RELIGIOUS SOCIETY OF FRIENDS HELD IN LONDON, 1853. An Address on the Conduct of Christian and Civilized Nations towards those less civilized and enlightened. Ir is, we trust, in the love of Christ our Saviour, that we venture to raise our voice, in the name of humanity and religion, on behalf of those who, though without the inestimable blessing of Christian culture and civilization, are yet, equally with ourselves, children of one parent, and objects of the same grace of God. Their position involves considerations peculiarly important to a commercial and professedly Christian community. No one race is exempt from the effects of the fall: none can claim an exclusive right to the privileges of the gospel. Whether a man be a Jew or a Greek, a Saxon or a Celt, a Hindoo or a Hottentot, he is alike an object of the universal love of Him, "who hath made of one blood all nations of men;" and who, in Christ Jesus, has proclaimed for all, the message of his free salvation. In the ways of his ordinary providence, and much more in the revelation of his grace in the gospel, He has been pleased to present the highest possible exemplification of that kindness and love towards man, which it is his will that man everywhere should exercise towards his brother. How impressive is that teaching, humbling alike to all sorts and conditions of men, in which our Almighty Father"commendeth his love towards us, in that whilst we were yet sinners Christ died for us." How precious is the bond of universal brotherhood revealed in the words, "God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life." Assuredly, then, it is a duty incumbent upon all, and especially upon those who bear the hallowed name of our one Lord and Redeemer, to act towards man everywhere, however uncivilized or unenlightened, with that respect, with that consideration and love, which are due to our common nature and to our common hopes. To treat man with disdain because his colour differs from our own, is a reproach cast upon Him who made him. It is of the very essence of Christianity to cherish feelings of kindliness towards VOL. XVI. all who, with souls no less precious than our own, are born for eternity; and who, equally with ourselves, may become heirs of heaven. They are not to be looked down upon as inferior beings, born to be oppressed, pillaged, defrauded, incapable of the feelings or aspirations of men. They may be weak, impulsive, revengeful. But these failings are by no means peculiar to them. Even they who boast of the privileges of European civilization are sometimes also weak and foolish, "serving divers luзts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another." If in anything we enjoy a superiority, to what is it to be ascribed but to the pure bounty of God? What have we that we have not received? Let their situation then awaken, not our contempt, but our compassion. Let us often reflect what we ourselves should have been under like circumstances, and show forth our Christianity with that genuine courage, which consists not in returning evil for evil, but in the unflinching exercise of truth, justice, and mercy; which would do or suffer anything, rather than swerve from the eternal law of right. Can it be denied that the line of conduct here marked out is in accordance with the dictates of Infinite wisdom; and shall it yet be gravely asserted to be impracticable? O! that there were more faith to receive with reverential love and implicit obedience the doctrine and example of the Son of God, both as the authoritative exposition of the Divine will in relation to the conduct and government of man, and as evidence not to be shaken by any human testimony or legislation, of its universal adaptation to his wants and capacities! What, indeed, have been the melancholy results of the opposite principles? No tongue can tell, no heart can conceive, the vastness or the depth of that suffering, the amount or the bitterness of that woe, which men professing Christianity, and often under the pretext of its sacred name, have within the last four centuries, inflicted upon their fellow-men in the less civilized or enlighted portions of the globe, to the destruction of myriads of human beings, the utter extinction, not of families only, but of whole nations and races. The crimes which even within the recollection of the present generation have been publicly perpetrated, in connection with the African slave trade, and with the system of slavery-the treatment of the native inhabitants of the soil in various parts of the world, may be wept over and deplored, but cannot be erased from the annals of humanity. How often have the cruel deeds of those who are called Christians, caused the name of Christ to be blasphemed among the Gentiles! What miseries have been caused by the introduction of ardent spirits among tribes previously ignorant of this insidious and fearfully destructive agent! What shall we say to the guilty traffic in opium with China, in direct contravention of solemn treaties? In the face of results so appalling, we cannot but be painfully impressed with the prevalence of the idea amongst many Christian professors, that the sword is to clear the way for the reception of the gospel. Very affectionately, but earnestly, would we raise our protest against this dangerous mistake. "The wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God." Deeply ought we to be humbled under the consideration, how greatly the works of the flesh have obstructed the spread of his glorious Truth. It is his mercy alone which has caused it anywhere to prosper, notwithstanding these obstructions. And to appeal to that mercy as in any wise sanctioning them, were high and unwarrantable presumption. It is his prerogative to overrule evil for good, but that does not make the evil good. The religion of Jesus is essentially a religion of love; its objects are righteousness and peace-it influences not by violence, but by persuasion. It was not founded, nor has it ever been truly promoted, by force of arms. In its early planting and marvellous preservation, it pleased Infinite wisdom to give a testimony for all time, to the power of simple Christian faith in connection with Christian practice of meekness, forgiveness, and love, in alliance with truth and holiness. These are the weapons of heavenly temper which are still mighty through God to the pulling down of the strongholds of sin and Satan upon earth. We turn with satisfaction and with rejoicing to the exertions which have been employed of later years for the diffusion of the Holy Scriptures, and of Christian knowledge and civilization, among some of the less enlightened tribes of the earth, as well as to every effort made under the constraining influence of the love of Christ, and under the guidance of His Spirit, to bring the heathen to the knowledge of the way of life and salvation through the Lord Jesus. Warmly do we desire that Christians everywhere, may be more and more alive to their high vocation; and address themselves to the warfare against sin, ignorance, and superstition, relying on the power of our risen Redeemer, rather than on the protection of fleets and armies. Let us, in our intercourse with the heathen, never forget the allegiance which we owe to Christ; and let not a government that is called by that sacred name, allow itself to act towards them in a manner which would dishonour the individual Christian. Then would the way be opened, under the Divine blessing, for the spread of the gospel, where war or conquest would have served only to disgrace its profession and obstruct its progress. As a nation we have been, and still are, greatly blessed of the Lord. We are distinguished by the arts and comforts of civilized life, by scientific and mechanical skill, by unnumbered privileges, and more than all these, by the extensive diffusion amongst us of the Scriptures of Truth. Higher responsibilities are consequent upon these superior advantages, and are inseparable from them. It is a remarkable feature of the present day, that Central Africa, through the discoveries of modern travellers and from other causes, seems now likely to be laid open, and will doubtless be attractive both to commerce and emigration. How signal is the opportunity thus afforded for carrying out the principles above developed. Far better would it be that Europeans and Americans should leave this vast region still unvisited or unexplored, than that they should be guilty of perpetrating there such crimes as those which have marked their conduct towards the negro population of other parts of Africa, or towards the red men of the American wilderness. Instead of commencing operations by armed factories and forts, and ending by conquest and annexation, may all the acts of civilized men, whether as explorers, as merchants, as settlers, as the officers and representatives of Christian governments, or in any other character, be conducted with a constant reference to that sacred law-" All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them." The injunction not to covet the dwellings, the cattle, or any other of the possessions of our neighbour, was a Divine command under the law, and it is surely not less obligatory under the gospel. If honestly obeyed by British subjects and by the British government, in its full import, at the very outset of an intercourse with these newly-opened regions, not only would the laying of one great stumbling-block in the way of conversion to Christianity be prevented; but, abstaining from wrong doing in this thing, Great Britain might, with a better prospect of success, plead with others to do likewise. In the love of Christ we would appeal to our fellowcountrymen We trust that under the Divine blessing this our plea may be met with a response in the hearts of many who, amidst the stir and pressure of active life, would shrink from disclaiming either the hopes or the responsibilities of the Christian. Nor would we withhold an earnest entreaty to those who are anxious for the spread of the glorious doctrines of the gospel among the heathen, that they will bestow a calm and serious perusal on this appeal. May a conviction be continually cherished that the precepts of Christ are not mere theories, but commands graciously designed and fitted for man; and that they are therefore to be implicitly obeyed, in their comprehensive application to his whole conduct towards his fellow-man, civil, commercial, and social. The uncivilized appreciate Christian conduct, when they have but little knowledge of the truths upon which it is founded. The heart that is steeled by oppression is melted by kindness. Love may prevail where fraud and deceit would only provoke irritation and disgust. Let the religion of the Christian trader, then, be no longer disgraced by acts of violence or injustice. Let it commend itself to the consciences of men of every colour and of every clime by fair dealing, by truth-speaking without any shade of deception, by pity and compassion, tenderness and love, patience and forbearance, to the brotherhood of mankind throughout the world. Thus would commerce become the bright reflex of our Christian profession, and contribute to prepare the way for the reception of the gospel, by commending its holy truths to the acceptance of those to whom they have been unknown.Signed in and on behalf of the meeting, JOSEPH THORP, Clerk to the Meeting this year. A LESSON FROM NATURE.-The velvet moss grows on the sterile rock; the mistletoe flourishes on the naked branches; the ivy clings to the mouldering ruins; the pine and cedar remain fresh and fadeless amid the vegetations of the preceding year; and, Heaven be praised! something beautiful to see and grateful to the soul will, in the darkest hour of fate, still twine its tendrils around the crumbling altars and broken arches of the desolate temples of the human heart. WARRIORS AND CHRISTIANS. For THE BRITISH FRIEND. I HAVE noticed a good deal of controversy on the question, Whether Captain Vicars, General Havelock, &c., were Christians? and I have thought that a little mistake has been made by both parties in putting the question in this form. We are but little able to judge of the degrees of light, or of the number of talents that others have received, and we therefore cannot tell how they stand in the Divine sight. Many sincerely pious men have continued long in error. We, as Protestants, believe that Roman Catholics hold dangerous doctrines, and practise ceremonies that in us would be idolatry, and therefore sin. Yet we cannot doubt there are many holy, pious Roman Catholics, who are under the influence of educational errors, and who have not been enlightened to see them. We may equally believe there have been, and perhaps are, even sincerely religious slaveholders and soldiers, who are under the same kind of darkness and delusion as to the iniquity of the systems in which they are engaged. But although we ought to exercise charity thus far, we are at liberty to express our belief that Captain Vicars, General Havelock, and others of that class, did not act as Christians should do in being soldiers. Especially when such characters are exhibited as patterns of Christian excellence, and that part of their conduct which is at direct variance with the gospel is held up as laudable and worthy of imitation, does it become a duty to point out such inconsistencies, as a warning to the ignorant and unwary. In the case of Captain Vicars particularly, there is, in the Memoir of his life, such an interwoven connection between what is amiable and excellent, and what is utterly repugnant to the Christian religion, and it is related in so captivating a style, that probably no book will be so frequently appealed to, by hesitating Christians, in justification of war. It therefore requires care, where such great inconsistencies are apparent, not to sanction evil by an indiscriminate admiration of the character. and the readiest mode of insuring the easy administration of the law. But it is never out of place to depict the evils of intemperance, the charms of domestic life, the blessing of a contented disposition, and the importance of pure air, water, and comfortable dwellings. They are but trite themes, but they are essential elements in the happiness of man. Nor can it be denied that the world listens with increased attention when eminent men like Lord Brougham, Lord John Russell, the Earl of Shaftesbury, and the Earl of Carlisle, are the spokesmen. Social reformers in high places have set the fashion of caring for the physical well-being of the poor, and we can only hope that it may be generally followed. It is the best fashion of the day. As an appeal to the conscience, probably no incident of the Congress is like to leave more abiding results than the Earl of Shaftesbury's eloquent reference to the religious aspect of social amelioration. No man could better afford to tell the truth in this matter than the zealous nobleman who, more than any other individual, has the ear of evangelical Christians. Physical improvement, says his lordship, must go hand in hand with spiritual appliances. He manfully denounces as a delusion the idea that the care of Christians must be exclusively given to the religious wants of their fellows. "When people say we should think more of the soul and less of the body, my answer is, that the same God who made the soul also made the body. It is an inferior work, perhaps, but nevertheless His work, and it must be treated and cared for according to the end for which it was created-fitness for His service. If St. Paul, calling our bodies the temples of the Holy Ghost, said they ought not to be contaminated by sin; we also say that our bodies, the temples of the Holy Ghost, ought not to be corrupted by preventable disease-ought not to be degraded by filth which can be avoided-ought not to be disabled by unnecessary suffering." His lordship goes further and with equal truth remarked "that spiritual appliances, in the state of things to which I allude, are altogether impossible." These weighty words issue from the lips of a public man, whose spirituality is There is an excellent observation of Legh Rich- undoubted, and who has day after day visited in permond's, applicable to such cases. He says "As to son the lowest haunts of vice, filth, and corruption. the examples of good men, sin does not cease to be Fresh from the festering courts and alleys of London sin, because some good people unhappily fall into the-from scenes of drunkenness and vice in their most snares which the great enemy of souls spreads for odious forms-from contact with man in his most their delusion. It is, and it shall be, for a lamenta-bestial and degrading habits-Lord Shaftesbury comes tion, that good men err so deplorably, and thereby countenance what, eventually, their principles condemn, and what they may some day have cause to regret." W. N. SOCIAL SCIENCE CONGRESS AT LIVERPOOL. THE Congress was brought to a close on Saturday, after a session far surpassing in interest the first meeting of the Association last year. Perhaps the most gratifying result of the gathering is the report of its proceedings in the newspaper press, by which means the arguments, appeals, and facts urged by the several speakers have been brought under the notice of the general public. It is thus that opinion is most easily formed and matured. It may be, as some argue, that the papers read and speeches delivered on the occasion will be soon forgotten. But if the Congress were only a motive power to quicken the sympathies of all classes in each other's welfare, and stimulate the zeal of the few who have time and opportunity for engaging in the work of social reform, it will not have been held in vain. We can afford to wait awhile for the solution of such problems as the proper treatment of criminals, the best means of dealing with immorality, forth to tell the religious world that the battle against vice and corruption must be fought with other weapons besides religious teaching.-Nonconformist of 20th ult. THOMAS HANCOCK, M.D., BORN, 26TH OF 3D MONTH, 1783. DIED, 6TH OF 4TH MONTH, 1849, AGED 66. THOMAS HANCOCK was born at Lisburn, Ireland. He was brought up to the medical profession; studied in Dublin and Edinburgh, and took out his degree in the latter university in 1806; soon after which he settled in London. After the discouragements usual to young practitioners, he obtained considerable practice and a degree of celebrity from his medical works. His natural tastes and inclination led him to indulge in vanity under its varied and specious forms; but the convictions of the Spirit of Truth severely condemned this pursuit of the world and its false pleasures-strove with him in different ways, and he obtained no rest until he was favoured, in a good degree, to submit to its requirements, and heartily to embrace the principles of which he had been merely a nominal professor. In 1810 he was happily married to Hannah, eldest daughter of the late Thomas H. Strangman, of Waterford; and in 1828 that tender tie was severed by the death of his devoted wife. Previous and subsequent to this event, he had to endure domestic bereavements of no small keenness; but under all he manifested much Christian submission, and cheerful resignation to the behests of an all-wise Providence. In 1829 he removed to Liverpool, where he remained during six years; his time chiefly engrossed with the active duties of his profession. About this period, symptoms appeared of those trying maladies, from which he was so great a sufferer during the rest of his life. His health became so much affected, that he was glad to relinquish his practice, and return to his native place in Lisburn. Here, amid rural pursuits, social enjoyment with his friends, and much devoted to the interests of all connected with our Society in the small section where his lot was now cast, and occasionally exercising his professional skill amongst his poor neighbours, his health in degree recovered. Yet the relapses were frequent; and in 1841 a change to Harrogate was deemed advisable. He spent several months there with his beloved daughter Emma, who was his faithful nurse, and most intimate friend and companion. In little more than two years this precious child was removed after a suffering illness, crowned by a most peaceful end; to use her father's emphatic words, "She departed filled with the precious hopes of the gospel." Extracts from the diary of Dr. Hancock:LONDON, October, 1806.-"And now that I am settled down in this resort of all the earth, this mart which is 'chequered with all complexions of mankind and spotted with all crimes,' it becomes me, as much as in me lies, to inquire whether worthy or unworthy motives have influenced me also to take up my abode in it. Some are actuated by the love of fame, are dazzled by the bubble honour, and change their situations to follow with heedless impatience the one, or to gaze with stupid astonishment at the other, as if all the important duties attached to our being consisted in the pursuit of these airy trifles. Others, again, look forward to the improvement of their minds, and give up their time to studies in literature or science; but how few know the limits where the finite powers of human intelligence should stop. O the peace that results from obedience to the dictates of conscience: it passeth the understanding of men. What a proud eminence does he stand upon, who can calm the tumult of his passions, and resist the snares of temptation! Can reason effect this unassisted by the grace of God? No! Reason can deliberate upon the enormity of vice, and can discover its evil consequences, but it is not reason that fortifies the soul with the armour of godliness, and enables us to engage in the Christian warfare." 31st."I never could bring myself to think the chief pleasures of life were centred in money; and I do not intemperately hunt after it, because my fancy lays open sources of pleasure, even on earth, with which riches have nought to do." November 29th." Passed almost all the week in visiting, with more or less satisfaction, at different places; yet, in the midst of our choicest entertainments, did I consider that it was not that state and action in which the natural tenor of my mind took delight, for I could find more real enjoyment in visiting the wretched poor in their miserable dwellings, than in lolling at ease in the mansions of wealth." April, 1816; FINSBURY SQUARE.-"Fixed in my new habitation. What are the prospects which now open to my view, and what the motives which urged me to the change? The latter in great measure respect outward convenience; but as to the change which I contemplate in my religious and moral deportment, a ray of consolation breaks through the gloom. I am now arrived at a period of life (thirtythree years being just completed), when I ought to form at least some settled principles to govern my conduct. At present I am uncertain; varying my deportment in unmanly and slavish compliances, with customs which I do not approve: the root of this evil is the fear of man. Yet I would dare to hope that the Almighty has already given me some small degree of strength to overcome it; in my own will and wisdom I could have accomplished nothing; and whatever sceptics may pretend in declaiming against piety as enthusiasm, and the instructions of an internal monitor as a fable, more true peace flows from such a holy humiliation, than from anything the world can afford. "My heart is melted with gratitude when I think how many blessings I have received, and how providentially my steps have been guided. I have now a little flock confided to me by our Heavenly Father, and to me they will look for direction, as an example to imitate. If children perceive inconsistency in their parents, is it not making inconsistency familiar with their early years? Then what awful responsibility attaches to the parental character! "For some months past my dress alone has been a burden to me, not that I am better or worse for the dress I wear, but because compliances are expected from me in my present garb which are not comfortable to my mind, and which I cannot now reasonably refuse. The fear of man has operated, together with a reluctance to take up the cross, so as to prevent my yielding obedience in this particular; yet I firmly believe it is required of me to give up in this point. I trust the Lord will enable me to continue firm, and having done all to stand. But though I be weak, is not Christ the shield of my faith; hath he not promised to be a helper to his lowly dependent followers? There was a time when I despised his humble appearance in coming to rule in my heart, but I trust, though the measure of my faith is yet small, even as a grain of mustard-seed, that since I began to meditate on the sacred volume, and to examine the principles of the Society to which I belong, some little increase has taken place in the last year, and a growing attachment to those who are in fellowship with me. are the supporters and standard-bearers amongst us? Are they not those who act in strict consistency with the principles we profess, in deportment, life, and conversation? Why then hesitate to be a Quaker indeed? Is it fitting that the institutions of such a noble Society should be unequally supported, and transferred from the shoulders of the many to the few, when all ought to lay their hands steadily to the work, as members of the same body, and so fill up their several stations in the church ?" Who 11th."The struggle which, partly unknown to myself, has for some time been maintained between the half-indulged desire to please, in conforming to some established customs inconsistent with the principles of the Society of Friends, and the wish to act as a true Quaker, has increased the awkwardness of my motley deportment, so that I am neither agreeable to those who are in the Society, nor to those who are out." 21st. "To-day I was at a charity sermon for the city dispensary, and did violence to my conscience in seconding the customs usual in receiving those of high rank. I felt degraded in my own eyes; and yet the dress I still wear forbade me to act up to the testimony which I revere. I am earnestly solicitous that I may be fully tried and proved before I make any serious change. Surely the Christian's work is not that of a day or a year, but a continual watching and prayer." 25th.-"I have felt a disposition to return to the 'beggarly elements. This state of amphibious life will be productive of no good, making terms with the forms and customs of the world, and the usages of my own Society; a friend to both, yet decidedly attached to neither." July 8th.-"Buffeted by the Tempter; want of faith and reliance on the promises of God-no path before me-shrinking from the cross-reasoning with flesh and blood." Sept. 21st.-"Hitherto duty has been subservient to inclination. Now make the latter always yield to the former, so shall peace attend my footsteps. What weakness! what folly! to spend day after day in meditating upon the cut and colour of a coat. What are all the moral maxims I have learned from Greek and Roman sages now to me? I thought myself well skilled in them, and even in the principles of Christianity, but indeed in the vital practice of the latter I am miserably deficient. O! for the light of heavenly wisdom to illumine my heart. Truly the vulture's eye hath not seen its path, neither hath the lion's whelp trod therein. Let not the fear of man or natural timidity thwart thy progress in the way of the Lord's requiring. When once the step is taken, glory in the cross; stand firm, and what is weak in thy nature will be made strong." 10th Month, 8th." Why be afraid and shrink with unmanly cowardice from the cross? (this respects the use of the plain language.) The sacrifice required is small, yet what resistance to the Lord's will! If this be the case in comparative trifles, what would it be with me if life were in jeopardy or property at stake? 'O, be wise! 'tis madness to delay. Surely the cause is noble; the institutions of the Society are worth making a demonstration to the world for, or they are good for nothing. The sacrifice must be made; therefore the sooner the better." 17th.-"I have finished reading Sewel's History of the Society of Friends, which is an excellent work; to an unprejudiced mind the testimony which it bears to God's providence, almighty power, wisdom, and righteous judgments in multitudes of instances, appears, in my opinion, incontrovertible." 11th Month, 7th.-"Wonderfully hath the Lord prepared the way even in my outward circumstances for a nearer acquaintance with Him. One thing after another hath occurred to make the passage easier from a state of nature to a state of grace. Some of these things were trials to me at the time, but now I see that the hand of the Almighty led me, though unseen, in the midst of darkness, and under sin and alienation (as to my own dispositions), towards a new and living way. O, the unspeakable favour and unbounded mercy of my Redeemer! What shall I render unto Him for all his blessings? There is a Providence that interferes in the daily concerns of life. It is now some days since I made a change in my dress. I have felt a comfort in my new garb far beyond my expectation; still much remains to be done-many changes yet to be effected; and I have ventured oftener than the day, to put up secret prayers for preservation and an increase of spiritual strength." ing so little strength to go forward in the way of Christian self-denial, that I began to doubt the propriety of the steps I have already taken, and to entertain almost a wish that my rest had not been disturbed. The use of the plain language is so severe a trial to me, that I feel as though I could never get over it. Alas! how stripped of all good. But the necessity of a daily surrender, a taking up of the cross despising the shame, came afresh over my mind, and produced in degree renewed ability to contend with my soul's adversary, and to rejoice in the race set before me." 20th."I have heard of such observations as these amongst some of my friends: 'He is grown serious of late, but it wont last long' Are they indeed true prophets? Shall I once more establish myself behind the entrenchments of scepticism to elude the great Searcher of hearts ?" 3d Month, 19th, 1817.-"I attended the anniversary dinner of the city dispensary. For the first time I put on my new plain coat and sat near the bottom of the table. I should have absented myself only that I wished to evince, by my deportment, that I belonged to that Society which follows the apostolic injunction, not to be conformed to the fashions and customs of this world. I had previously almost yielded to irresolution, fearing the public exposure for my singularity that might take place, and that I should not be able to assign good reasons. After many doubts I determined to leave my cause in the hands of Him who is ever near them that love and fear Him. Many clergymen were present. I was solicited to move up to the top of the table where they sat, but I was rather willing to bear the cross in quiet and remain below; and on that peculiar occasion to avoid giving offence whilst supporting my own testimony. When the cloth was removed Non nobis Domine' was sung; whilst all stood I kept my seat, and turning inward experienced a fulness of joy and assurance that my small offering was accepted. I could have fallen down and worshipped the Lord for his mercy and goodness, and said in my heart, have I waited so long for the evidence of his working upon the soul, by the influence of his Holy Spirit? and do I not now prove it most indubitably true? It was indeed a precious moment. The time of the evening advancing, I left the room before the health of the medical officers was announced, when I ought to have kept my seat-thereby giving a more decided proof of principle. A medical engagement was some excuse for hurrying away; but I fear that at the bottom there was a flinching, and an ungrateful return for the signal favour that had been extended to me. Let this then commemorate weakness, not self-complacency." 6 4th Month, 9th.-"Having altered my days at the city dispensary, I was enabled yesterday to attend the Monthly Meeting, and experienced what I often do in company, great incapacity and weakness, as though it was impossible for me to come to a right decision in matters of debate. But I desire not to be impatient. The principles of things I well understand are even at seasons hid from me; yet do I not clearly perceive that upon this very backwardness and sluggishness in my natural faculties, is built the foundation of my progress in the Christian race? for I firmly believe that attractive qualities, like an imposing exterior, would have alienated my proud heart more and more from the humility of the gospel, and prevented me from ever attaining 'the one thing needful, the pearl of great price.' I have sometimes compared our sitting in a silent meeting for worship to guests around a table, each looking up to a benevolent host for a little supply: say, that host knows the state of his 14th.-"Much tried on awaking this morning, feel-guests, will he give to him who is not hungry? will 8th."Have I not already perceived my natural understanding quickened, and as it were cleared from many obscurities? How beautiful is the Lord's building, how fitly squared and proportioned !" 12th.-"How little do I now desire to be one of 'the wise, the mighty, the noble' of this world. Let me be numbered with the simple-hearted: 'The meek he teacheth of his way." |