ly oppressed people. Many lives have been deemer set at naught, and his name blasshortened through extreme oppression, while phemed amongst the Gentiles, through the they laboured to support luxury and worldly unrighteous proceedings of his professed folgreatness; and though many people in out-lowers! ward prosperity may think little of those things, yet the gracious Creator hath regard to the cries of the innocent, however unnoticed by men. My mind has often been affected, even from the days of my youth, under a sense of that marvellous work, for which God in infinite goodness sent his Son into the world. The opening of that spring of living wa ters, which the true believers in Christ expe The Lord in the riches of his goodness is leading some into the feeling of the condition of this people, who cannot rest without la-rience, by which they are redeemed from pride bouring as their advocates; of which in some measure I have had experience, for in the movings of his love in my heart, these poor sufferers have been brought near to me. The unoffending aged and infirm are made to labour too hard, kept on a diet less comfortable than their weak state requires, and exposed to great difficulties under hard-hearted men, to whose sufferings I have often been a witness, and under the heart-melting power of Divine love, their misery hath felt to me like the misery of my parents. Innocent youth are taken by violence from their native land, from their friends and acquaintance; put on board ships with hearts laden with sorrow; exposed to great hardships at sea, and placed under people where their lives are attended with great provocation to anger and revenge. With the condition of these youth my mind has often been affected, as with the afflictions of my children, and in a feeling of the misery of these people, and of that great offence which is ministered to them, my tears have been often poured out before the Lord. and covetousness, and brought into a state of meekness, where their hearts are enlarged in true love toward their fellow creatures universally; is a work that to me has been precious, and spreading the knowledge of the Truth amongst the Gentiles, is very desirable. And the professed followers of Christ joining in customs evidently unrighteous, which manifestly tend to stir up wrath and increase wars and desolations, has often covered my mind with sorrow. If we bring this matter home, and as Job proposed to his friends, "Put our soul in their soul's stead;" if we consider ourselves and our children as exposed to the hardships which these people lie under in supporting an ima ginary greatness, and in such case, beheld an increase of luxury and superfluity amongst our oppressors, and therewith felt an increase of the weight of our burdens, and expected our posterity to groan under oppression after us; under all this misery, had we none to plead our cause, nor any hope of relief from man, how would our cries ascend to the God of the spirits of all flesh, who judgeth the world in righteousness, and in his own time is a refuge for the oppressed! That holy Spirit which affected my heart when I was a youth, I trust is often felt by the negroes in their native land, inclining If they who thus afflicted us, continued to their minds to that which is righteous; and lay claim to religion, and were assisted in had the professed followers of Christ in all their business by others, esteemed pious peotheir conduct toward them, manifested a dis-ple, who through a friendship with them position answerable to the pure principle in strengthened their hands in tyranny; if when their hearts, how might the holy Name have been honoured amongst the Gentiles, and how might we have rejoiced in the fulfilling of that prophecy, "I the Lord love judgment, I hate robbery for burnt-offerings, and I will direct their work in truth, and make an everlasting covenant with them. Their seed shall be known amongst the Gentiles, and their offspring amongst the people; all that see them shall acknowledge them, that they are the seed which the Lord hath blessed." we were hunger-bitten, we could not have sufficient nourishment, but saw them in fulness pleasing their taste with things fetched from far; if when we were wearied with labour, we were denied the liberty to rest, and saw them spending their time at ease; if garments answerable to our necessities were denied us, while we saw them clothed in that which was costly and delicate; under such affliction, how would these painful feelings rise up as witnesses against their pretended devotion! And if the name of their religion was mentioned in our hearing, how would it sound in our ears like a word which signified But in the present state of things, how contrary is our practice to that meek spirit, in which our Saviour laid down his life for us, that all the ends of the earth might know sal-self-exaltation and hardness of heart! Ivation in his name! How are the sufferings of our blessed Re When a trade is carried on productive of much misery, and they who suffer by it are some thousands of miles off, the danger is the greater, of not laying their sufferings to heart. In procuring slaves on the coast of Africa, many children are stolen privately; wars also are encouraged amongst the negroes, but all is at a great distance. Many groans arise from dying men, which we hear not. Many cries are uttered by widows and fatherless children, which reach not our ears. Many cheeks are wet with tears and faces sad with unutterable grief, which we see not. Cruel tyranny is encouraged. The hands of robbers are strengthened, and thousands reduced to the most abject slavery, who never injured us. Were we for the term of one year only to be eye witnesses to what passes in getting these slaves; grees of preparation toward idolatrous sacrifice, in the similitude of a work carried on by children, men and women. "The children gather wood, the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead the dough to bake cakes for the queen of heaven." It was a complaint of the Lord against Israel, through his prophet Ezekiel, that "they strengthened the hands of the wicked, and made the hearts of the righteous sad." Some works of iniquity carried on by the people were represented by the prophet Hosea, in the similitude of ploughing, reaping and eating the fruit; "You have ploughed wickedness, reaped iniquity, eaten the fruit of lying, because thou didst trust in thy own way, to the multitude of thy mighty men." I have felt great distress of mind since I came on this island, on account of the members of our Society being mixed with the Was the blood which is there shed to be world in various sorts of business and traffic, sprinkled on our garments; Were the poor captives bound with thongs and heavy laden with elephants' teeth, to pass before our eyes on their way to the sea: Were their bitter lamentations day after day to ring in our ears, and their mournful cries in the night to hinder us from sleeping: Were we to hear the sound of the tumult when the slaves on board the ships attempt to kill the English, and behold the issue of those bloody conflicts: What pious man could be a witness to these things, and see a trade carried on in this manner, without being deeply affected with sorrow? Through abiding in the love of Christ we feel a tenderness in our hearts toward our fellow-creatures, entangled in oppressive customs; and a concern so to walk, that our conduct may not be a means of strengthening them in error. It was the command of the Lord through Moses, "Thou shalt not suffer sin upon thy brother: thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy brother, and shalt not suffer sin upon him." Again; "Keep far from a false matter; and the innocent and righteous slay thou not." The prophet Isaiah mentions oppression as that which the true church in time of outward quiet should not only be clear of, but should be far from it; "Thou shalt be far from oppression." Now these words, far from, appear to have an extensive meaning, and to convey instruction in regard to that of which Solomon speaks, "Though hand join in hand, the wicked shall not go unpunished." It was a complaint against one of old, "When thou sawest a thief, thou consentedst with him." The prophet Jeremiah represents the de carried on in impure channels. Great is the trade to Africa for slaves; and in loading these ships abundance of people are employed in the manufactories. Friends in early time refused on a religious principle, to make or trade in superfluities, of which we have many large testimonies on record, but for want of faithfulness some gave way, even some whose examples were of note in society, and from thence others took more liberty. Members of our Society worked in superfluities, and bought and sold them, and thus dimness of sight came over many. length Friends got into the use of some superfluities in dress, and in the furniture of their houses, and this hath spread from less to more, till superfluity of some kinds is common amongst us. At In this declining state many look at the example one of another, and too much neglect the pure feeling of Truth. Of late years a deep exercise hath attended my mind, that Friends may dig deep, may carefully cast forth the loose matter and get down to the rock, the sure foundation, and there hearken to that Divine voice which gives a clear and certain sound. I have felt in that which doth not deceive, that if Friends who have known the Truth, keep in that tenderness of heart where all views of outward gain are given up, and their trust is only on the Lord, he will graciously lead some to be patterns of deep self-denial, in things relating to trade and handicraft labour; and that some who have plenty of the treasures of this world, will example in a plain frugal life, and pay wages to those whom they may hire, more liberally than is now customary in some places. The prophet speaking of the true church, said, "Thy people also shall be all righteous." Of the depth of this Divine work several have spoken. John Gratton, in his Journal, page 45, said "The Lord is my portion, I shall not want. He hath wrought all my works in me. I am nothing but what I am in him." In faithfully following Christ, the heart is weaned from the desire of riches, and we are led into a life so plain and simple, that a little doth suffice, and thus the way openeth to deny ourselves, under all the tempting allurements of that gain, which we know is the gain of unrighteousness. The apostle speaking on this subject, asketh this question; "What fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness?" And again saith, "Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them." Again, "Be not partaker of other men's sins, keep thyself pure." Gilbert Latey, through the powerful operations of the spirit of Christ in his soul, was brought to that depth of self-denial, that he could not join with that proud spirit in other people, which inclined them to want vanities and superfluities. This Friend was often amongst the chief rulers of the nation in times of persecution, and it appears by the testimony of Friends, that his dwelling was so evidently in the pure life of Truth, that in his visits to those great men, he found a place in their minds; and that King James the second, in the times of his troubles, made par-est, to attend from time to time on the movticular mention in a very respectful manner of what Gilbert once said to him. The said Gilbert found a concern to write an epistle, in which are these expressions; "Fear the Lord, ye men of all sorts, trades and callings, and leave off all the evil that is in them, for the Lord is grieved with all the evils used in your employments which you are exercised in." "It is even a grief to see how you are servants to sin, and instruments of satan." See his works, page 42, &c. George Fox, in an epistle writes thus: "Friends, stand in the eternal power of God, witnesses against the pomps and vanities of this world. "Such tradesmen who stand as witnesses in the power of God, cannot fulfill the people's minds in these vanities, and therefore they are offended at them. Let all trust in the Lord, and wait patiently on him; for when Truth first broke forth in London, many tradesmen could not take so much money in their shops for some time, as would buy them bread and water, because they withstood the world's ways, fashions and customs; yet by their patient waiting on the Lord in their good life and conversation, they answered the Truth in people's hearts, and thus their business increased." Book of Doctrinals, page 824. Christ our holy leader graciously continueth to open the understandings of his people, and as circumstances alter from age to age, some who are deeply baptized into a feeling of the state of things, are led by his holy spirit into exercises in some respects different from those which attended the faithful in foregoing ages, and through the constrainings of pure love, are engaged to open the feelings they have to others. Where people through the power of Christ are thoroughly settled in a right use of things, and freed from all unnecessary care and expense, the mind in this true resignation is at liberty from the bands of a narrow self-inter ings of his spirit upon us, though he leads into that through which our faith is closely tried. The language of Christ is pure, and to the pure in heart this pure language is intelligible; but in the love of money, the mind being intent on gain, is too full of human contrivance to attend to it. It appears evident that some channels of trade are defiled with unrighteousness, and that the minds of many are intent on getting treasures to support a life, in which there are many unnecessary expenses. I feel a living concern attend my mind, that under these difficulties we may humbly follow our heavenly Shepherd, who graciously regardeth his flock, and is willing and able to supply us both inwardly and outwardly with clean provender, that has been winnowed with the shovel and the fan, where we may "sow to ourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy," and not be defiled with the works of iniquity. Where customs contrary to pure wisdom are transmitted to posterity, it appears to be an injury committed against them; and I often feel tender compassion toward a young generation, with desires that their difficulties may not be increased through unfaithfulness in us of the present age. CHAPTER II. On a Sailor's life. IN the trade to Africa for slaves, and in the management of ships going on these voyages, many of our lads and young men have a considerable part of their education. What pious father beholding his son placed in one of these ships to learn the practice of a mariner, could forbear mourning over him? Where youth are exampled in means of getting money so full of violence, and used to exercise such cruelties on their fellow-creatures, the disadvantage to them in their education is very great. But I feel it in my mind to write concerning the seafaring life in general. In the trade carried on from the West Indies, and from some parts of the continent, the produce of the labour of slaves is a considerable part. While Friends were kept truly humble and walked according to the purity of our principles, the Divine witness in many hearts was reached; but when a worldly spirit got entrance, therewith came in luxuries and superfluities, and spread by little and little, even amongst the foremost rank in society, and from thence others took liberty in that way more abundantly. In the continuation of these things from parents to children, there were many wants to supply, even wants unknown to Friends while they faithfully followed Christ. In striving to supply these wants many have exacted on the poor, and many have entered on Sailors are frequently at ports where slaves abound, and converse often with people who oppress them without the appearance of remorse, and often with other sailors employed in the slave trade, and how powerfully do these evil examples spread amongst the sea-employments, in which they often labour in faring youth! I have had many opportunities to feel and understand the general state of the seafaring life amongst us, and my mind hath often been sad on account of so many lads and young men being trained up amidst so great corruption. Under the humbling power of Christ I have seen, that if the leadings of his holy Spirit were faithfully attended to by his professed followers in general, the heathen nations would be exampled in righteousness, a less number of people would be employed on the seas, the channels of trade would be more free from defilement, and fewer people would be employed in vanities and superfluities. The inhabitants of cities would also be less in number, and those who have much land would become fathers to the poor. More people would be engaged in the sweet employment of husbandry; and in the path of pure wisdom, labour would be an agreeable, healthful employment. In the opening of these things in my mind, I feel a living concern that we who have felt Divine love in our hearts may faithfully abide in it, and like good soldiers endure hardness for Christ's sake. He, our blessed Saviour, exhorting his followers to love one another, adds, "As I have loved you." He loved Lazarus, yet in his sickness he did not heal him, but left him to endure the pains of death, that in restoring him to life, the people might be confirmed in the true faith. He loved his disciples, but sent them forth on a message attended with great difficulty, amongst hard-hearted people, some of whom thought that in killing them they did God service. So deep is Divine love, that in steadfastly abiding in it, we are prepared to deny ourselves of all gain which is contrary to pure wisdom, and to follow Christ, even under contempt and through sufferings. VOL IV.-No. 12. upholding pride and vanity. Many have looked on one another, been strengthened in these things, one by the example of another, and as to the pure divine seeing, dimness has come over many, and the channels of true brotherly love have been obstructed. People may have no intention to oppress, yet by entering on expensive ways of life, their minds may be so entangled therein and so engaged to support expensive customs, as to be estranged from the pure sympathizing spirit. As I have travelled in England, I have had a tender feeling of the condition of poor people, some of whom though honest and industrious, have nothing to spare toward paying for the schooling of their children. There is a right proportion between labour and the necessaries of life, and in true brotherly love the mind is open to feel after the necessities of the poor. Amongst the poor there are some that are weak through age, and others of a weakly nature, who pass through straits in very private life, without asking relief from the public. do Those who are strong and healthy may business, which to the weakly may be oppressive; and in performing that in a day which is esteemed a day's labour, weakly persons in the field and in the shops, and weakly women who spin and knit in the manufactories, often pass through weariness; and many sighs I believe are uttered in secret, unheard by some who might ease their burdens. Labour in the right medium is healthy, but in too much of it there is a painful weariness; and the hardships of the poor are sometimes increased through the want of more agreeable nourishment, more plentiful fuel for fire, and warmer clothing in the winter than their wages will answer. When I have beheld plenty in some houses to a degree of luxury; the condition of poor children brought up without learning, and the condition of the weakly and aged, who strive 56 to live by their labour, have often revived in my mind, as cases of which some who live in fulness need to be put in remembrance. There are few if any, who could behold their fellow-creatures lie long in distress and forbear to help them, when they could do it without any inconvenience; but customs requiring much labour to support them, do often lie heavily on the poor, while they who live in these customs are so entangled in a multitude of unnecessary concerns, that they think but little of the hardships which the poor people go through. CHAPTER III. On Silent Worship. WORSHIP in silence hath often been refreshing to my mind, and a care attends me that a young generation may feel the nature of this worship. Great expense is incurred in relation to that which is called Divine worship. A considerable part of this expense is applied toward outward greatness, and many poor people in raising of tithe, labour in supporting customs contrary to the simplicity that there is in Christ, toward whom my mind hath often been moved with pity. In pure silent worship, we dwell under the holy anointing, and feel Christ to be our shepherd. It appears by the history of the reformation, that through the faithfulness of the martyrs, the understandings of many have been opened, and the minds of people, from age to age, been more and more prepared for spiritual worship. My mind is often affected with a sense of the condition of those people, who in different ages have been meek and patient, following Christ through great afflictions. And while I behold the several steps of reformation, and that clearness, to which through Divine Goodness, it hath been brought by our ancestors, I feel tender desires that we who sometimes meet in silence, may never by our conduct lay stumbling blocks in the way of others, and hinder the progress of the reformation in the world. It was a complaint against some who were called the Lord's people, that they brought polluted bread to his altar, and said the table of the Lord was contemptible. In real silent worship the soul feeds on that which is Divine; but we cannot partake of the table of the Lord, and that table which is prepared by the god of this world. If Christ is our shepherd and feedeth us, and we are faithful in following him, our lives will have an inviting language, and the table of the Lord will not be polluted. Here the best of teachers ministers to the An Epistle to the Quarterly and Monthly Meetseveral conditions of his flock, and the soul receives immediately from the Divine fountain, that with which it is nourished. I have travelled at times where those of other societies have attended our meetings, and have perceived how little some of them knew of the nature of silent worship; and I have felt tender desires in my heart that we who often sit silently in our meetings, may live answerably to the nature of an inward fellowship with God, that no stumbling block | through us, may be laid in their way. ings of Friends. Beloved Friends, FEELING at this time a renewed concern that the pure Spirit of light and life, and the righteous fruits thereof, may spread and prevail amongst mankind, there is an engagement on my heart to labour with my brethren in religious profession, that none of us may be a stumbling-block in the way of others; but that we may so walk that our conduct may reach the pure witness in the hearts of those who are not in profession with us. Such is the load of unnecessary expense And, dear friends, while we publicly own laid in many places on that which is called that the holy Spirit is our leader, the profesDivine service, and so much are the minds sion is in itself weighty, and the weightiness of many people employed in outward forms thereof increases, in proportion as we are and ceremonies, that the opening of an in-noted among the professors of Truth, and acward silent worship in this nation, to me, has appeared to be a precious opening. tive in dealing with those who walk disorderly. Many under our profession for want of due Within the last four hundred years, many attention, and a perfect resignation to this Dipious people have been deeply exercised in vine teacher, have in some things manifested soul, on account of the superstition which a deviation from the purity of our religious prevailed amongst the professed followers of principles, and these deviations having crept Christ, and in support of their testimony in amongst us by little and little, and increasagainst oppressive idolatry, some in seve-ing from less to greater, have been so far unral ages have finished their course in the noticed, that some living in them, have been flames. active in putting discipline in practice, with |