PRINCETON, N. J. 
 
 BX 7795 .P44 P44 1841 
 Phillips, Mary. 
 Memoir of the life of 
 Richard Phillips 
 
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 tlie Internet Arcliive 
 
 
 
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 https://archive.org/details/memoiroflifeofriOOphil 
 
lotidan, Mili5hjed "by the IVopri etot\ August 10* I8't 
 
MEMOIR 
 
 OF 
 
 THE LIFE 
 
 OF 
 
 EICHARD PHILLIPS. 
 
 " HE, BEING DEAD, YET SPEAKETH.' 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 SEELEY AND BURNSIDE, 
 
 54, FLEET STREET. 
 
 1841. 
 
LONDON : 
 
 KICHARD WATTS, CROWN COURT, TEMPLE BAB. 
 
THE MEMORY 
 
 OF 
 
 A MOST AFFECTIONATE AND TENDER 
 FATHER, 
 
 THIS IMPERFECT DELINEATION 
 
 OF 
 
 HIS PIETY, 
 DOMESTIC VIRTUES, AND PHILANTHROPIC LABOURS, 
 
 IS INSCRIBED, 
 
 BY HIS DAUGHTER. 
 
PREFATORY NOTE. 
 
 One of the most instructive points of view in which 
 we can contemplate the course of those who have been 
 consistent Christians, through the vicissitudes of a long 
 and active life, is that which displays to us the way 
 by which they have been led, the moral discipline by 
 which they have been gradually moulded, and the 
 various means by which Divine Grace has made them 
 followers of Jesus. 
 
 The subject of this Sketch was, indeed, led about, as 
 through the Wilderness, to prepare him for the station 
 in society which he so long occupied, as a Minister of 
 the Gospel, and a Philanthropist; but he kept no 
 Diary, and left scarcely any materials by which we can 
 trace his progress. Such as remain are little more 
 than the gleanings of his conversations, assisted by a 
 few early Letters, and some Papers, which the kindness 
 of a dear friend of his has permitted me to use ; and 
 the retracing of occurrences deeply graven upon the 
 memory of her, who now deems it to be her duty to 
 throw them together, and to present them to the 
 
ii 
 
 PREFATORY NOTE. 
 
 surviving friends, wliose affectionate reminiscences are 
 bound up with the name of Richard Phillips. 
 
 I sensibly feel my own inability to pourtray the 
 character of an eminent Christian : but I would address 
 myself, in simplicity, to accomplish a task which I view 
 in the light of a sacred deposit : trusting that the 
 blessing of Him, who commended one formerly for 
 having " done what she could," will not be wholly 
 withheld from me, in the performance of the delightful, 
 though arduous employment. 
 
 If, in the course of its fulfilment, I appear to dwell 
 too long upon the ancestry of my father, I would re- 
 mind my readers of the injunction of the Apostle Paul : 
 " Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are 
 honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things 
 are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever 
 things are of good report, if there be any virtue, and if 
 there be any praise, think on these things." ' And I 
 hope it may be permitted to me thus to record the 
 A-irtues of those departed ones, who were favoured, in 
 their day, to exhibit some of these Christian traits. 
 
 I would deprecate the imputation of improper com- 
 placency on my part, while sketching the outlines of 
 their characters by remindins: mvself and others, that 
 the virtues of our ancestors do but create a stronger 
 
 (') Phil. iv. 8. 
 
PREFATORY NOTE. 
 
 iii 
 
 claim upon their descendants, to run well, and speak 
 with a louder voice, in proportion to their excellencies, 
 to us, that we bring not disgrace upon the fair name 
 which they have transmitted to us. 
 
 I have amplified upon some subjects more than may 
 appear becoming ; but they were topics of frequent 
 conversation with my revered Father ; and, in the ab- 
 sence of his actual words upon them, I have ventured 
 thus to commit to paper the sentiments which I doubt- 
 less, in a great measure, imbibed from him. It is the 
 shadow of his mantle — but, oh, how faint ! — which I 
 would fain shelter myself beneath. 
 
 Even with considerable materials, it is often a work 
 of no small difficulty to trace the footsteps of the faith- 
 ful and devoted servants of Christ : their life is hid 
 with Christ in God : like the track of a vessel, as she 
 traverses the wide waste of stormy waters in her on- 
 ward course, their path is but faintly discernible, or 
 perceptible only as we discover the fruits of those 
 labours which have been blessed with increase, or were 
 of a nature to meet the eye of their fellow-travellers. 
 
 Many and deeply-important labours of love are, in 
 their nature, transactions to which no human ear has 
 listened, save the one recipient : their results diffuse 
 themselves imperceptibly around ; and are revealed by 
 their beneficial effects, as the presence of the fertilizing 
 current of a little stream of water through a parched 
 
iv 
 
 PREFATORY NOTE. 
 
 meadow is indicated by the surrounding verdure : 
 while tlieir accomplishment is noiseless and viewless, 
 as the falling of the refreshing dew on the mown grass. 
 Such are many of the efforts to which pure and unde- 
 filed Religion prompts : and even those who dwell in 
 social and every-day intercourse with these faitliful 
 labourers, know but a small portion of their works, or 
 their trials and conflicts. 
 
 Some truly-devoted Christians have little public 
 work assigned them : it is more by the silent, but 
 impressive, teaching of example that they contribute 
 to disseminate their Master's precepts : they stand as 
 unobtrusive, but bright and steady beacons, to mark 
 the path of safety and of peace ; while others are 
 selected, and, when sufficiently trained, are brought 
 forward, as conspicuously efficient workers, together 
 with God, in His vineyard. 
 
 Our Heavenly Father, who works no unnecessary 
 miracle, chooses those for different departments whose 
 natural dispositions render them most easily accom- 
 modated to them ; sanctifying and consecrating their 
 natural talents, and tempering, rather than changing, 
 the whole tenour of their souls. 
 
 " The vast variety of dispositions which are found 
 amongst mankind, are, by some authors, supposed to 
 be formed by the mixture and predominance of one 
 or other of the different temperaments, which the 
 
PREFATORY NOTE. 
 
 V 
 
 operations of grace do not destroy, but purify and 
 direct: so that the lively, in a state of nature, will 
 be found lively in a state of grace; and the zealous 
 in nature will be found zealous in grace; but lively 
 in a different pursuit, and zealous for the attainment 
 of a different object. When the heavenly principle 
 is in dominion, tliis variety, which in fallen nature 
 tends to disorder, is reduced into harmony, and forms 
 a body, or whole, inexpressibly beautiful. How wonder- 
 ful are the ways of Providence! How gracious His 
 designs ! " ^ 
 
 In the absence of a journal, by which I might 
 have traced my father's footsteps from year to year 
 with more or less minuteness, according to the inter- 
 esting events which its pages would have afforded, 
 I have pursued the plan which appeared to open 
 before me. The Memoir, as I proceeded, resolved 
 itself into three divisions: — 1st, His progress in 
 divine things, until he became " a new creature in 
 Christ Jesus." 2dly, His consistent walk through a 
 
 (*) See Remarks upon the Testimony of Hartford Monthly 
 Meeting, prefixed to the Diaiy of Samuel Scott ; published in that 
 work, in 1809 ; and which contain some beautiful and striking 
 ohsei-vations upon the different natural temperaments of Chris- 
 tians, particularly those of the melancholic order. These were 
 written by Richard Phillips, though his initials only are appended 
 to them. 
 
vi 
 
 PREFATORY NOTE. 
 
 busy and useful life. 3dly, His almost total with- 
 drawal from those active labours, which had, indeed, 
 become very precious to him ; and the proofs he then 
 gave of that gradual ripening for Heaven, which 
 often reminded me of the Christian whom Dr. Watts 
 thus describes. 
 
 When he comes nearer to finish his race, 
 Like a fine setting sun he looks richer in grace, 
 And gives a sure liope, at the end of his days, 
 Of rising in brighter array. 
 
 M. P.. 
 
 1841. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAP. I. 
 
 Richard Phillips's paternal grandfather and grandmother, Richard and 
 
 Esther Phillips — His grandmother's character — Her grandchild's 
 
 attachment. — Influence of parental piety: Pages 1 — 5. 
 John Phillips — his character — His wife, Mary Phillips — her descent. — 
 
 The birth of the subject of the Memoir — Value of maternal 
 
 watchfulness: 5 — 10. 
 R. Phillips's infancy. — Anecdote : 11. 
 
 His education — Classics — Mathematics. — His religious growth. — 
 
 Studies the Law. — Early pursuits — Amusements — Theatres — 
 
 Oratorios — Objections to the latter: 12 — 17. 
 His relatives — his religious exercises. — Joseph Gurney Bevan : 
 
 13—21 
 
 CHAP. II. 
 
 Richard Phillips introduced by James Phillips to Thomas Clarkson — 
 Efforts in favour of the Abolition of the Slave Trade — Corre- 
 spondence with John Newton and Cowper on the subject of the 
 Slave-Trade Abolition— Horrors of tlie Slave Trade : 22—33. 
 
 Richard Phillips's application for membership : 34. 
 
 His acknowledgment as a Minister — Remarks on preparation for 
 service — Opinion of Catherine Phillips — Religious scruples — 
 His relief from them — Remarks on religious scruples — their 
 powerful effect in training the mind for service — their practical 
 results : 35 — 45. 
 
 CHAP. III. 
 
 Richard Phillips's doubts respecting business — Necessity for prayerful 
 
 caution — Beauty of humility : 4G — 48. 
 Effects of R. Phillips's change of views : 49. 
 Opinions respecting R.Phillips : 50—53. 
 
 Sarah Phillips. — Thomas Corbyn — his character — his death — Estlier 
 Tuke's opinion of hinv — Sarah Corbyn : 54 — 6 1 . 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAP. IV. 
 
 Richard Phillips's marriage — Ciiaracter of Sarah Phillips — her bene- 
 volence — she establishes a Society at Tunbridge Wells — her 
 domestic management — her appreciation of rural pleasures. — 
 Cowper on Retirement. — Summer excursions : 62 — 70. 
 
 Family visits in Ratcliffe quarter — Journey with E. Tuke and others 
 — Visits with W. Crotch and H. Tuke — Journey with A. Tuke 
 and M. Hoyland : 71—74. 
 
 R. Phillips's Letters to his wife — Letters from Carshalton — Dorking 
 — Public Meetings — Meeting at Leatherhead — Capel : 75 — 78. 
 
 E. Drinker's illness. — Guilford — Godalming. — E. Drinker — her 
 death. — Deborah Darby — her death. — Bristol. — Widow Nash's 
 daughter: 79—87. 
 
 Letters on the Welsh Journey — Haverfordwest — Swansea — Neath — 
 Cardiff — Pontypool — Leominster. — Extract from S. Phillips's 
 Letter: 88—102. 
 
 Remarks on the foregoing Letters — Value of Letters disclosing the 
 progress of the Christian character : 103 — 105. 
 
 The operation of Divine Grace in preparing the soul for Heaven.r — 
 Faith in Christ. — Evidence of ripeness for Heaven : 106 — 109. 
 
 Importance of incidental conversations : 110. 
 
 Letters to a friend : 111 — 116. 
 
 CHAP. V. 
 
 R. Phillips's suggestions to Authors. — Lindley Murray's reply to a 
 suggestion. — Journey to Ackworth. — End of the First Division : 
 117—120. 
 
 Reflections on the Divine Economy. — Characteristics of a philanthropist 
 — Kindness to animals. — R. PhilUps's philanthropic character. — 
 Anecdote: 121—120. 
 
 Importance of attention to minor duties. — Our service adapted to our 
 dispositions. — The rousing calls of Providence. — The heavenly 
 quality of mercy : 12G— 129. 
 
 R. Phillips's leading philanthropic undertakings — Fever Hospital — 
 Vaccination — Amelioration of the Criminal Code — Jpstitution of 
 a Society — Beneficial effects of the Society. — Similar Institu- 
 tions — Brighton Dispensary— Schools and Dispensary at Swansea — 
 British and Foreign Bible Society — Bible Associations. — Small 
 shot: 130—145. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 Journey to Yorkshire. — Letters to Jolin Kendall. — Ackwortli Scripture 
 instruction. — Destruction of R. Phillips's office by fire. — Efforts on 
 behalf of the Scilly Islanders : 146—153. 
 
 CHAP. VI. 
 
 R. Phillips's Publications — Tracts — Periodical. — Instinct displayed : 
 15,5—157. 
 
 Sarah PhiUips's illness — her death.- — State of R. Pliillip.s"s feelings on 
 
 the loss of his wife : 1 58 — 165. 
 Remarkable incident in Breconshire. — Cowper's Letter to his Cousin. — 
 
 Remarks: 166—170. 
 
 CHAP. VII. 
 
 Mutual recognition of friends in Heaven — Letter of R. Phillips on the 
 
 subject: 171 — 175. 
 Dispensary at Tunbridge Wells: 176. 
 Decline of R. Phillips's health : 177. 
 
 CHAP. VIII. 
 
 Withdrawal of R. Phillips from active life — His occupations in retire- 
 ment: 178—181. 
 
 Letter of R.Phillips on the subject of Harmony — Sacred Music: 
 182—187. 
 
 CHAP. IX. 
 
 Christian friendship — Habit — Benefits of Christian sympathy — Com- 
 munion of saints — Power of habit — Meetness for Heaven — 
 Letters respecting the influence of habit : 188 — 203. 
 
 The closing scene of R. Phillips's life. — R.Phillips's views of death, and 
 state of mind— His death : 204—211. 
 
 Secret of R.Phillips's usefulness. — Practice of private prayer: 212 — 214. 
 
 R. Phillips's public ministry — His far-sightednebs. — R. Phillips's manner 
 of reading, and style of conversation — His wit and cheerfulness — 
 His character in private life: 215 — 225. 
 
 Memorial on the death of R. Phillips: 227, 228. 
 
 R. Phillips's humility — His reliance on the love of God. — Conclusion : 
 229—232. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 Selections from Letters and Papers. 
 
 Religious principles : 2.37. 
 
 (B.) The Negro's Complaint : 257. 
 
 Pity for poor Africans : 259. 
 
 The Morning Dream : 26 1 . 
 (C.) (D.) Extract of a Letter from R. Phillips to J. J. Gurney : 263. 
 
 Swansea Infirmary : 264. 
 (E.) Extract of a Letter from Richard Phillips to a friend : 265. 
 (G.) Effect of habit: 267. 
 (H.) R. Phillips's far-sightedness : 270. 
 
 (I.) Copy of the Letter from one of the Secretaries of the British 
 and Foreign Bible Society, enclosing a copy of the Memorial 
 to the Author: 271. 
 
 (K.) Extract of a Letter to J. J. Gurney : 273. 
 
 ( L.) Extracts from a manuscript, entitled, " Remarks on the ope- 
 ration, object, and effect of Divine Love : 275. 
 
 ERRATA, 
 p. 1, line 8, for Griffiths read Webb. 
 P. 145, lieading, for shots read shot. 
 [some errors crept into the References to the Selections from Letters and Papere at the 
 end of the Volume : but these have been rectified, by placing in the Appendix the page of 
 the Work in which the reference occurs.] 
 
MEMOIR. 
 
MEMOIR 
 
 OF 
 
 RICHARD PHILLIPS. 
 
 CHAP. T. 
 
 Richard Phillips, the subject of this Memoir, was 
 the son of John and Mary Phillips, who, at the time of 
 his birth, resided in Fisher Street, in the town of 
 Swansea, Glamorganshire. His paternal grandfather, 
 Richard Phillips, was of Cornish extraction, and a 
 member of the Society of Friends. He died at the 
 Hot Wells at Clifton, 4mo. 30. 1753; and was buried 
 at Swansea. His wife, Esther Griffiths, was united to 
 the same religious community before her marriage with 
 him. She died, a widow, 3 mo. 13. 1773, at the advanced 
 age of ninety-six. Catherine Phillips, in her .Journal, 
 remarks, that " she was an exercised woman ; and I 
 believe finished her course with joy, about the ninety- 
 seventh year of her age ; and, except her hearing, she 
 retained her faculties to admiration." ' With her, the 
 hoary head was truly a crown of glory, being found in 
 the paths of righteousness : a consistent member of 
 
 (') C.Phillips's Memoirs, p. 241. 
 
 R 
 
2 HIS PATERNAL GRANDMOTHER, ESTHER PHILLIPS: 
 
 the religious body with whom a sense of duty had led 
 her to connect herself, she nevertheless exercised a 
 spirit of true christian liberality, towards those of a 
 different persuasion ; manifesting that divine grace was 
 the governing principle of her conduct, by the beautiful 
 fruits of christian charity, meekness, and active be- 
 nevolence, to the utmost limits of her ability. She 
 was not in affluent circumstances ; but her charitable 
 acts were often surprising to those around her; and 
 the sorrow of the poor, when she wa^ laid in her quiet 
 grave, was such as to afford an indubitable proof of 
 the efficacy of her labours, in relieving and soothing 
 their distresses and cares. 
 
 Some, who are not rich in this world's goods, are, 
 perhaps, too soon discouraged from practising active 
 benevolence, by the notion that they cannot do aught 
 to lighten the many trials under which they grieve to 
 see their neighbours suffering. But this is a great 
 mistake. We are formed to depend upon the sympathy 
 and kind feeling of our fellow-beings. The judicious 
 expression of companionship in their griefs ; the kind, 
 but firm, rousing of their mental energies; the in- 
 structing them in christian principles, and guiding 
 them in their social duties, often confer a far higher 
 portion of good on the heavy-laden poor, than the 
 most lavish gift of money could ever accomplish. 
 
 The mere desire to bestow comfort is a boon of no 
 mean value ; and this balm is frequently all the assis- 
 
HER CHARACTER. 
 
 3 
 
 tance which we can offer to the sufferer, in our own walks 
 of life. But there are those who have drunk deeply 
 of the cup of affliction, who can indeed bear testimony 
 to the soothing efficacy of affectionate sympathy ! 
 
 The memory of Esther Phillips was thus embalmed 
 in the hearts of the poor : and one little anecdote, 
 which her grandchildren tell, is so characteristic of 
 her, and of the manners of those past days, that, though 
 trifling, I may be permitted to relate it here. When, as 
 was usual in Welsh families, the ale was brewed which 
 was designed for domestic consumption, she always 
 sent a message to the parish poor-house ; and the 
 inmates of that asylum of calamity and old age brought 
 their little pitchers, for the portion which she bestowed 
 upon them ; while she cheerfully I'emarked, that her 
 little store reminded her of the widow's cruse. 
 
 The placid sweetness of an aged person is a most 
 beautiful object of contemplation, when we are war- 
 ranted in concluding that no dangerous apathy mingles 
 with its quiet atmosphere, — when we can feel convinced 
 it is based upon those hopes which are sure and stead- 
 fast, because they emanate from di\4ne grace in the 
 heart, — when, at the latter stage of a long and busy 
 life, the toil-worn frame sinks gradually into decay, 
 and the chastened spirit is meekly waiting its sum- 
 mons to enter into the desired haven. Such a hallowed 
 old age was that of Esther Phillips. The children of 
 her son John, from the circumstance of their parents 
 
 B 2 
 
4 ESTHER PHILLIPS HER GRANDCHILD'S ATTACHMENT. 
 
 residing a short distance from the town of Swansea, 
 were much with her, after they had passed the period 
 of their infancy, for the convenience of their attending 
 schools ; and many are the fondly-cherished little 
 proofs, which they remember, of her kindness of dis- 
 position. 
 
 I must relate one, as a sweet contrast to the dis- 
 tressing peevishness which perhaps, at last, from con- 
 stitutional causes and long uncombated habits, in 
 some instances, unavoidably attends the evening of life, 
 and which so painfully interrupts the harmony we are 
 peculiarly desirous to preserve unbroken at such 
 periods. Esther Phillips often fell into a gentle slum- 
 ber by her fire- side ; when the youngest child would 
 hasten to stand beside her, and carefully place her little 
 shoulder so as to support her beloved grandmother's 
 head ; standing quietly and patiently, till the old lady, 
 awakening, exclaimed, in her own pleasant tones, " O, 
 Hetty ! ^ is it thee ? " There surely must have been 
 much of true loveliness in the character, which could 
 thus forcibly attract a most lively, though affectionate, 
 little child to a very old woman ! My father was the 
 only boy of his family who was preserved from the 
 early grave to which four other boys and two girls were 
 consigned ; and was, of course, fondly cherished by his 
 grandmother. Many were the distinguishing little 
 tokens of her affection for him. They are of too 
 
 ( ^ ) An abbreviation of Hester, as the Welsh commonly call Esther. 
 
INFLUENCE OF PARENTAL PIETY. 
 
 5 
 
 domestic a character to detail here ; but they furnished 
 delightful reminiscences to her family ; and I have often 
 known the recital of them shed a pleasant gleam over 
 the mind of my father, when, exhausted by the every- 
 day cares of life, he reposed in the peaceful atmosphere 
 of his own little domestic circle. Indeed, not one of 
 the least valuable blessings attendant on the treasure 
 bequeathed to us, in the character of a pious and 
 heavenly-minded parent, is the power of producing 
 such hallowed moments of quiet refreshment, by 
 making their virtues pass, as it were, in review before 
 us ; such seasons as I have seen created by the retro- 
 spect of the " sweet charities of life" which had been 
 originated and shared in by the ancestors of my 
 parents ! 
 
 How invaluable is the legacy of such treasures, when 
 contemplated in higher points of view ! How encou- 
 raging it is to pious parents, to consider, when wearily 
 labouring here, in how many ways they shall hereafter, 
 " being dead, yet speak," to those, for whose eternal 
 as well as temporal interests their deepest solicitudes 
 are constraining them to watch and pray, when no 
 human eye beholds them ! — a precious bequest of holy 
 efficacy to leave with their mourning family, when they 
 are called away, to dwell with " the justified in Jesus " ! 
 
 The second child, and eldest son of Richard and 
 Esther Phillips, was William Phillips ; who married, for 
 liis second wife, Catherine Pay ton. They resided at 
 
6 
 
 JOHN PHILLIPS — HIS CHARACTEU. 
 
 Redruth; and she was a valued Minister among the 
 Society of Friends. The record of her experience and 
 christian labours, from which I have already quoted, 
 was published in 1797, under the title of " Memoirs of 
 the Life of Catherine Phillips : to which are added 
 some of her Epistles." 
 
 John, the youngest child of Richard and Esther 
 Phillips, was a person possessing many amiable qua- 
 lities ; and his talents for cheerful conversation ren- 
 dered his society peculiarly acceptable to his friends. 
 He was, during the last six or seven years of his life, 
 the agent of some copper-works at a place called White 
 Rock, situated on the river, about a mile from the 
 town of Swansea. Those who have lived in districts 
 where the labouring population is brought, in masses, 
 into contact with the middle and higher ranks will 
 best comprehend the proof of his virtues, which my 
 father loved to dwell upon ; — the tears and lamentations 
 of the poor men over whom he had been placed, when 
 he was taken from them in 1774, in his fiftieth year 
 — and how the concourse of them who voluntarily 
 attended his funeral spoke, more loudly than words, 
 their just appreciation of his character. Even within 
 the last twenty years, some of them were still living, 
 who remembered and spoke of John Phillips with 
 grateful affection. 
 
 Much of the kindly feeling which formerly subsisted 
 between workmen and their employers is now, unliap- 
 
HIS WIFE — HER DESCENT. 
 
 7 
 
 pily, unknown ; and the interchange of humane atten- 
 tion on the one side, and of grateful attachment on the 
 other, is, in too many cases, neither bestowed nor 
 appreciated : but I trust there still exist many " hearts 
 of native proof," and much good old British feeling, in 
 our peasantry, which needs but the judicious and fos- 
 tering hand of the other class to develop ; and that, 
 where words of sympathy and acts of kindness are 
 administered with the dignity, not hauteur, which 
 becomes the difference of station, there yet remains a 
 sufficiently healthy tone in our moral system to allow 
 the heart of the poor man to glow with affectionate 
 gratitude towards those who he perceives are really 
 interested in his welfare. 
 
 The descent of Mary Jones, the wife of John Phillips, 
 though marked by some of the undulations which most 
 families experience, was traced from a highly-respect- 
 able and ancient family, named Gwynne. One of 
 them, a Captain Gwynne, commanded the Guard in 
 the Tower, during the incarceration of Anne Boleyne : 
 and I have seen, in the possession of my aunt, a 
 little gold trinket for a watch, in the shape of a cannon 
 with a serpent twined round it. Anne Boleyne pre- 
 sented this to Captain Gwynne, just before her ^ 
 execution, as a token of gratitude for his humane 
 conduct towards her; remarking, as she gave it to 
 him, that " a serpent of a present it had been to her — 
 for it was a gift of Henry the Eighth to Anne, before 
 her marriage. One member of this family married a 
 
8 
 
 MARY PHILLIPS. 
 
 gentleman who resided at Golden Grove, in Carmar- 
 thenshire; a spot which is dear to all who delight in 
 the fascinating combination of talent and piety which 
 the lovely character of Jeremy Taylor exhibited. It 
 was at Golden Grove, during his residence in the family 
 of his friend and patron. Lord Carberry, that some of 
 Bishop Taylor s most valuable works were composed. 
 A sweet little sentence, taken from his writings, was 
 found in my precious father's private pocket-book : 
 and truly his life and death were exemplifications of 
 the truth of the sentiment embodied in its words ! — 
 " He only dies cheerfully, who stands waiting for death, 
 in the ready dress of a long preceding preparation." ^ 
 
 Mary Phillips was possessed of the same benevolence 
 of character and kindness of disposition which en- 
 deared the family of her husband to all who came 
 within their sphere. She was a decided and attached 
 member of the Established Church ; and I believe it 
 was from the circumstance of his union with her, that 
 
 (^) This would have been a safer assertion, had tlie expression 
 "only" been omitted : for though it is a fearful thing to loiter with 
 untrunmed lamps, uncertain whether the next moment may find 
 us in time or eternity, yet never may we forget the one memorable 
 instance of divine grace which was vouchsafed, as at the eleventh 
 hour ; and left on record, thi-ough the loving-kindness of Him, who 
 wiU not abandon the sincere penitent to utter despau'. Such are 
 sometimes permitted to depart rejoicing in hope. Encouragement 
 is surely given to them, in the remembrance of the case of the be- 
 lieving sinner on the cross, to whom the dying Redeemer promised 
 an immediate entrance into Paradise. 
 
RICHARD PHILLIPS — HIS BIRTH. 
 
 0 
 
 John Phillips quitted the Society of Friends, and their 
 children were educated in the tenets and practices of 
 the former religious community. Her conduct, during 
 a widowhood of twenty-three years, disturbed by more 
 perplexities than are always allotted to those who 
 sufier that bitter bereavement, was truly exemplary, as 
 a christian woman, and a mother. She died, at Swansea, 
 5 mo. 5. 1797, at the age of sixty-four, beloved, and 
 mourned for, beyond the common measure of regret. 
 
 My father was born on the 3d of Imo. 1756. Of his 
 childhood there are not many incidents remembered ; 
 and these are chiefly boyish frolics, betokening that 
 flow of good-tempered spirits and abounding glee, by 
 which his whole life was so happily distinguished ; 
 casting a sunny glow on many a passage of anxiety 
 and trial, which might else have pressed upon him with 
 overwhelming gloom. 
 
 The study of the human mind, and the endless 
 variety of its hidden impulses, is one of the most 
 powerful engines of usefulness which we can bring to 
 bear upon the great human family, of which we form a 
 component part. By watching the first buddings of 
 thought, before they expand into the maturity of 
 action, we learn to trace action down, through motive, 
 to its most secret springs ; we gain the habit of almost 
 instant perception of the tendency of qualities which 
 are scarcely dawning; and we acquire the power of 
 cherishing and directing those which will ri])en into 
 
10 VALUE OF MATERNAL WATCHFULNESS. 
 
 moral excellence, and of repressing the development 
 of incipient moral turpitude. 
 
 This is especially applicable to childhood ; and is a 
 point which peculiarly asks the attention of the chris- 
 tian mother, and to which her most vigilant and 
 prayerful energies should be directed. She must assi- 
 duously study the individual character of her child, to 
 discover, through the medium of what feeling or disposi- 
 tion she may become the instrument of implanting the 
 good seed, with the brightest prospect of success. To 
 the timid, but confiding, mind of a docile child, she will 
 exhibit the attractive resource of a Sa\dour's protecting 
 love ; and teach the fearful, clinging little heart to 
 entwine its affections, imperceptibly, around the Rock 
 of Ages. Thus, if it please the great Husbandman to 
 bless her labours with success, she will establish so 
 powerful a hold upon the feelings of her child, that 
 love to God will grow up as a part of the child's 
 nature ; it will become a vital principle, pervading the 
 faculties, and secretly influencing all the reasoning 
 powers, as they develop themselves in his progress 
 towards manhood. She need not fear enervating and 
 debasing the higher faculties of his mind, by instilling 
 the gentle and attractive quality of love : it is perfectly 
 compatible with that of decisive firmness : indeed, it 
 can scarcely exist without that invaluable characte- 
 ristic; for the simple act of attaching ourselves to a 
 pure and holy Being involves the practice of every 
 virtue which can elevate and ennoble the human soul. 
 
INFANCY — ANECDOTE. 
 
 11 
 
 One little incident which my father remembered of 
 his infant days — though, of course, it was imperfectly 
 recollected by himself — proves at how early a period 
 that affection towards his Saviour commenced ; which 
 afterwards ripened into so remarkable a reliance on 
 His redeeming love, and formed so distinguishing a 
 trait of my father's matured religious character. 
 
 It happened, one evening, when he was about three 
 or four years old, that, as his mother was putting him 
 to bed, it thundered. The child inquired what " that 
 rumble-tumble " * was : she made him understand that 
 " God did it ; "—when he said, he wished she would ask 
 Him that it might be stopped until the morning, 
 " when he would go and talk to Him about Jesus." 
 
 Here, though existing in infantine simplicity, we can 
 trace the germ of true christian principle ; — faith in 
 God ; belief in the efficacy of prayer ; and an idea of 
 the intercession of Jesus, indistinctly shadowed forth, 
 but really existing. The good seed was sown, and the 
 soil was peculiarly adapted for the prominent deve- 
 lopment of those parts of the christian way of salvation. 
 The disposition of this child was timid, but affectio- 
 nately confiding ; and the clinging to an all-powerful 
 and compassionate Saviour, thus commenced in in- 
 fancy, became an abiding and active principle, influ- 
 encing his whole life in a remarkable manner, and 
 greatly conducing to render him a " vessel unto honour, 
 fit for the Master s use." 
 
 C) His own expression. 
 
12 EDUCATION — CLASSICS — MATHEMATICS. 
 
 My father received his earliest public instruction at 
 the school of Solomon Harris, a Presbyterian Minister, 
 then the leading member of that persuasion in Swansea. 
 At the age of fifteen he went to an establishment at 
 Frenchhay, a village near Bristol ; where he remained 
 till the death of his father, in 1774. I do not possess 
 materials for tracing the progress of his religious 
 feelings during these periods : the results alone are 
 left, to tell of his growth in grace. 
 
 The distinguishing features of his intellect were 
 those of the reasoning class, which inclined him to the 
 thorough investigation of every subject that was pre- 
 sented to his notice; and with clear and rapid per- 
 ceptions, he possessed great power of perseverance. 
 Mathematical studies were therefore those of his pre- 
 ference, rather than the classics : and though Latin 
 and Greek, of course, formed part of his school edu- 
 cation, I do not believe that he retained much know- 
 ledge of them in mature life, or made use of them, 
 except to ascertain the derivation of English words, in 
 order to define their meanings : but with this object 
 he often applied to them, particularly to the Greek 
 language. Nor did he pursue the Mathematics at all 
 deeply, or otherwise than as furnishing an interesting 
 change of occupation ; for which purpose his kind 
 master, Solomon Harris, made them the reward of his 
 attention to his classical studies. 
 
 That his religious views were deepening, and his 
 
RELIGIOUS GROWTH.— STUDIES THE LAW. 13 
 
 mind following a guide more spiritual than the forms 
 of worship, in which he was educated, presented to him, 
 was evinced by a feeling of dissatisfaction which long 
 oppressed him, at the arrangement in the church, by 
 which the congregation, at particular periods of the 
 Service, turned their faces to the east : and at length, 
 conceiving it to be wrong to unite in this relique of a 
 more superstitious age, he one day retained his usual 
 position ; so that the congregation were all turned one 
 way, and he alone stood facing them. 
 
 It was a trial of no light kind, for a youth of sixteen 
 to bear such a public testimony against what he be- 
 lieved to be an improper practice ! 
 
 Richard Phillips spent a few months at home, after 
 his father's death ; and then removed to London, in 
 1774; where he commenced the study of the law, under 
 the care of one of his maternal uncles, who then had 
 a country residence at Hampstead ; but he lived prin- 
 cipally in chambers, at No. 9 Lincoln s-Inn Old Build- 
 ings, until his marriage ; though he had, at one time, 
 some lodgings in Fleet Street. He kept some of his 
 terms among the Barristers at Lincoln's Inn ; but 
 discontinued the practice — -I think before the necessary 
 number was completed — from a dislike to the dissi- 
 pating association which it involved : and he eventually 
 took to the Conveyancing branch of the law, as the one 
 which presented the fewest difficulties to his consci- 
 entious feelings ; and the only one which did not involve 
 
14 
 
 EARLY PURSUITS. 
 
 serious impediments to the religious course which 
 appeared to be his only safe path ; and into which 
 he was gradually, and through great mental provings, 
 conducted ; until, in 1789, he was united to the Society 
 of Friends. 
 
 Besides diligently pursuing his Professional stu- 
 dies, he by no means neglected the cultivation of 
 his mind ; keeping a beautifully- written little Note- 
 book, from which it appears he attended Lectures and 
 read works on Moral and Natural Philosophy, Theo- 
 logy, &c. 
 
 I have a little collection of Texts, which he vsrote out 
 when quite young ; but he did not remember exactly at 
 what time. It is entitled " Religious Principles ; ' and, 
 in the general style of its arrangement, slightly re- 
 sembles the " Christian Institutes " by Francis Gastrell, 
 Bishop of Chester. 
 
 For some years after his arrival in London, he 
 entered into the amusements common to young men 
 of his station in society ; and during his visits to his 
 native place more particularly — for they were seasons 
 of relaxation from close study — he joined in the song 
 and the dance with all the ardour of his animated 
 character. Of the latter diversion he was the life 
 and spirit; and there are still surviving those who 
 
 (') See Selections from Lettera and Papers. 
 
AMUSEMENTS. 
 
 15 
 
 remember the almost untiring vivacity with which he 
 pursued it. Still, he never was a dissipated character ; 
 and an early associate of his youth now remarks, that 
 she does not " think the most rigid observer of his 
 conduct at that time could have detected in it any 
 departure from his high sense of religious and moral 
 duties, and his fixed views in these important re- 
 spects." 
 
 And, with reference to dancing, I would remark — 
 though not for the purpose of advocating its prac- 
 tice, which my father subsequently disapproved of, in 
 common with all spiritually-minded persons — that, in 
 those days, it was an amusement possessing a very 
 different character to that which it now presents. It 
 was of a more social nature — was less refined — and, 
 among strangers, was perhaps more objectionable, as 
 being conducted with less precision : but when practised 
 by the small circle of a country-town, it took more the 
 form of a simple outlet for the overflowings of youthful 
 spirits, than that of a heartless medium of fashionable 
 display and dissipated intrigue. 
 
 Richard Phillips relinquished the amusement of the 
 Theatre, after a very few visits within its walls, in 
 London. I understood, from his conversations, that his 
 resolution was taken in this matter from motives of 
 moral prudence. He appears, by so prompt a step, to 
 have escaped a severer conflict, which must have hap- 
 pened when the higher dictates of a religious feeling 
 
16 THEATRES ORATORIOS. 
 
 of duty called for the relinquishment of a diversion 
 rendered more difficult to surrender, from a long- 
 established habit of indulgence. 
 
 The attractions which the Theatre then presented, to 
 a disposition like his, were great. Garrick and Sid- 
 dons were ranked among its performers ; their talents, 
 high moral respectability, and the manners of the day, 
 rendered them admissible to the social circles of 
 literature and rank ; and the line of demarcation which 
 now excludes theatrical performers from free inter- 
 course with such families did not then exist. 
 
 Perceiving therefore, with the acute foresight which 
 formed a singularly striking feature in the character 
 of my father's mind, that the fascinations of the Drama 
 were such as would soon become very difficult for him 
 to preserve within the bounds of due moderation, he at 
 once withdrew from the temptation which was so 
 alluringly presented to him. 
 
 He gave up the gratification of attending Oratorios 
 from higher motives ; and the sacrifice was greater. 
 It would have been difficult to find an ear more accu- 
 rate, a finer taste, or a more acute perception of the 
 beauty and grandeur of sacred music : indeed, in that, 
 as well as in the delightful art which delineates the 
 beauties of nature, the cultivation and practice of 
 which he always encouraged, his taste and judgment 
 were remarkably good : his mind was eminently fitted 
 
ORATORIOS — OBJECTIONS TO THEM. 
 
 17 
 
 to appreciate the full sweetness of a passage which he 
 often quoted, — as in adoration of Him, who 
 
 " Maketh all nature, beauty to the eye, 
 And music to the ear." Akenside. 
 
 The principal ground on which he became dissatisfied 
 with Oratorios was, as far as I could gather, the awful 
 incongruity, which presented itself to a conscientious 
 mind, between the character of the public performers 
 on those occasions, and the subjects committed to their 
 execution. 
 
 That themes so sacred, treated of in words so solemn, 
 heightened .by all the embellishments of music the 
 most attractive and sublime, should be spoken by lips 
 which, with no deficiency of charity, we must admit 
 are but too often utterly unfitted to pronounce them, 
 would naturally strike one of unsophisticated mind 
 and tender conscience, as a profanation, from which he 
 would recoil, with something like a shudder. 
 
 Ah ! let not those, who, as it were, thus intuitively 
 shrink from the appearance of evil, blunt the fine 
 perceptions of an unseared conscience, by indulging in 
 a gratification of doubtful propriety. May it not also 
 be worth considering, whether we should act perfectly 
 right, in encouraging those gifted, but often unhappy 
 beings, to commit fresh acts of sin for us ? — for does not 
 each repetition of those sacred words, in their impeni- 
 tent state, add another weight to the load of evil which 
 
 c 
 
18 
 
 RICHARD PHILLIPS S RELATIVES. 
 
 clogs their souls, and tend to sink them to yet lower 
 depths, and sear their consciences yet more fearfully ? 
 
 The maternal uncle, under whose kind patronage and 
 almost parental care Richard Phillips was brought to 
 London, was a member of the Established Church, and 
 seriously attached to its tenets: but my father had 
 relatives in town and its vicinity, on the paternal side, 
 with whom much of his time was passed ; they were 
 members of the Society of Friends, and their compa- 
 nionship, doubtless, was increasingly congenial to him, 
 as his principles gradually became those of that body. 
 
 Through his association with some of those connec- 
 tions arose his early and very important introduction 
 to that path of public philanthrophy in which he after- 
 wards so faithfully trod, whenever opportunities pre- 
 sented themselves, or duty called him. 
 
 One of the most valuable of these christian friends 
 and relatives was .Joseph Gurney Bevan, whose tovm 
 residence was then in Plough Court, Lombard Street. 
 His highly-gifted and powerful mind rendered his 
 society very attractive to my father; who found the 
 good sense and sound judgment of his counsels truly 
 useful, when he was able to unbosom himself to that 
 hardy veteran in christian warfare. This, however, 
 did not often occur; for in those seasons of deep 
 provings and of tossings, when the " word of the Lord 
 tries " those whom He is preparing for His work, there 
 
RELIGIOUS EXERCISES. 
 
 19 
 
 is frequently no power of opening the heart to any 
 human being ; nor, till the will is sufficiently humbled 
 to enable them to come down and sit, as at the feet of 
 Jesus, will they find much capability of taking sweet 
 counsel together with His Disciples. It is an indivi- 
 dual and inward work, and must be transacted prin- 
 cipally between God and the soul, by the operation of 
 the Holy Spirit ; of whom our Redeemer said, " He 
 shall take of mine, and shew it unto you." ^ 
 
 The means by which this training, this effectual 
 bending of our wills to that of our Heavenly Father, is 
 accomplished, are, by His unspeakable condescension, 
 varied, according to the disposition of the individual. 
 
 It is a mistake, into which some religious persons 
 fall, to conclude that all the entanglements and temp- 
 tations, which are permitted to beset the young chris- 
 tian, are punishments — I had almost said, judgments. 
 Far, far from it! "My brethren, count it all joy, 
 when ye fall into divers temptations ; knowing this, that 
 the trial of your faith worketh patience. But let 
 patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect 
 and entire, wanting nothing." ' It may, and doubtless 
 often does occur, that, in these trials of faith, the 
 Christian may so fail to keep his eye single, that 
 He who said, " I have prayed for thee, that thy faith 
 fail not," will permit his foot so to slide, that he may 
 have to " go softly all" the rest of his "years* ;" yet, 
 
 (^) Johnxvi. 1.5. (')Jamesi.2 — 4. (8) Isa. xxxviii. 15 
 
 c 2 
 
20 
 
 JOSEPH GURNEY BEVAN. 
 
 assuredly, He will not suffer him utterly to fall. If, 
 wlien his " foot slippeth," he cries unto Him, he shall 
 yet have to say, " Thy mercy, O Lord, hath held me 
 
 up !" " 
 
 Let those, whose path has not been so slippery, 
 or whose progress has been blessed with a steadier 
 onward course, beware how they " talk, to the grief of 
 those whom God has wounded let them rather pour 
 in the oil and the wine, and sooth the broken heart 
 with the sweet consolations of christian love ; and in 
 the " spirit of meekness, considering themselves, lest 
 they also be tempted," " cherish them with " the nurture 
 and admonition of the Lord." These tried and 
 tempted ones are dear to Jesus ; and He will make the 
 world to know, that He has loved them." 
 
 Joseph Gurney Bevan possessed a remarkably up- 
 right and conscientious spirit, combined with great 
 firmness and decision of character. He was once 
 elected constable of the night, in his own parish ; and 
 deeming it an abandonment of duty to delegate the 
 performance of the official work, which the appointment 
 involved, to hired and less-capable agents, he determined 
 to undertake the unpleasant task himself, and perso- 
 nally perfoi-m its irksome and rather arduous duties. 
 My father frequently accompanied his noble-minded 
 relative on these occasions : they went after supper, 
 
 0 Ps.xciv.18. (">) Ps.lxix.26. (") Gal.vi.i. 
 (■2) Eph.vi.4. (") Rev.iii.!). 
 
JOSEPH GURNEY UEVAN. 
 
 21 
 
 about nine o'clock ; and remained several hours, re- 
 ceiving charges at the vpatch-hoiise. 
 
 At Stoke Newington, the country residence of Joseph 
 Gurney Bevan and his wife, my father was a frequent 
 and welcome visitor; and at Timothy Bevan s, " at 
 Hackney, he often passed his Sabbath-evenings. At 
 the latter house he met some young relatives ; and 
 unbent, in their society, after the solemn occupations 
 of the day, with all that chastened cheerfulness which 
 peculiarly distinguished his happy disposition. 
 
 ('^) A physician of some eminence. 
 
22 
 
 JAMES PHILLIPS. — THOMAS CLARKSON. 
 
 CHAP. 11. 
 
 James Phillips, the second son of my father's uncle, 
 William Phillips, then resided in George Yard, Lom- 
 bard Street ; and there my father was introduced, in 
 1786, to Thomas Clarkson; and became earnestly en- 
 gaged to assist him, with all his energy, in the cause to 
 which that great philanthropist has devoted his life. 
 And at this period, many hours, stolen from his needful 
 nightly rest, were given to labour on behalf of the 
 oppressed African. 
 
 Thomas Clarkson says, in his " History of the Abo- 
 lition,"' alluding to James Phillips of George Yard, 
 Lombard Street : — " He introduced me also to his 
 cousin, Richard Phillips, of Lincoln's Inn ; who was, at 
 that time, on the point of joining the religious society 
 of Quakers. In him I found much sympathy, and a 
 willingness to co-operate with me. When dull and 
 disconsolate, he encouraged me ; when in spirits, he 
 stimulated me further. Him I now mention, as a new, 
 but soon afterwards as an active and indefatigable 
 co-adjutor in the cause." 
 
 My fathers first interview with Thomas Clarkson 
 
 (') Vol I p. 217. 
 
THOMAS CLARKSON. 
 
 2:i 
 
 took place when the latter was in London, making 
 arrangements for the printing of his Prize Essay ,^ on 
 the " Slavery and Commerce of the Human Species." 
 
 My dear father, who delighted to trace the footsteps 
 of Providence in the rise and progress of human events, 
 and to observe from what small and insignificant 
 occasions the most important affairs often proceed, 
 used to relate the fact of this Prize Essay, as one of the 
 most remarkable he had known. The title of that 
 little pamphlet was the subject given as a theme for a 
 Prize Essay, at Cambridge ; when Thomas Clarkson was 
 a student there, preparing to take orders in the Church. 
 The subject so unfolded itself, and fastened upon his 
 mind, as he wrote the work which proved to be the 
 successful Essay, that he never could shake off its 
 impression ; and from that period, he gradually relin- 
 quished his first destination, and devoted a long and 
 active life to the service of humanity ; — with what 
 success I need not say. 
 
 From this time, my father entered into the labours 
 of Thomas Clarkson with a zeal and perseverance, in 
 which, perhaps, he was equalled only by his friend, the 
 great Abolitionist. In the same year when Thomas 
 Clarkson had determined to devote himself to the 
 cause, he says : " I took up my abode at the Baptist' s- 
 
 O For the year 1785. The Essay was published in Oct. 1786.— 
 See T. Clarkson's " History of the Abolition of the Slave Trade," 
 Vol.1, p. 217. 
 
24 
 
 EFFORTS IN FAVOUR OF 
 
 Head Coffee House, in Chancery Lane ; in order to be 
 near my friend, Richard Phillips, of Lincoln's hm ; 
 from whose advice and assistance I had formed 
 considerable expectations." 
 
 For a long time they were constant companions. 
 " The examination of the Muster Rolls, from the 
 Custom House at Liverpool," says Thomas Clarkson, 
 " which took place at the chambers of Richard Phillips, 
 was long and tedious. We looked over them together. 
 We mostly met for that purpose at nine in the evening ; 
 and we seldom parted till one, and sometimes not till 
 three, in the morning. When our eyes were inflamed 
 by the candle, and tired by fatigue, we used to relieve 
 ourselves by walking out, within the precincts of Lin- 
 coln's Inn, where all seemed to be asleep ; and thus, as 
 it were in solitude and in stillness, to converse upon 
 them, as well as the best means of the further promo- 
 tion of our cause. These scenes of our early friendship 
 and exertions I shall never forget. I often think of 
 them, both with astonishment and pleasure." ^ 
 
 I have often heard my father speak of the great 
 quantity of paper which he filled by writing down the 
 Answers to the Questions which were put to Alexander 
 Falconbridge. He had been a surgeon on board slave- 
 ships, and was an important witness ; but would not 
 have been able to furnish much information, in a 
 
 {') Vol. I. p. 246. 
 
SLAVE-TRADE ABOLITION. 
 
 25 
 
 connected form, himself. It was therefore necessary 
 to draw it from him, by numerous interrogations; to 
 write it down; and subsequently to arrange it; — a long 
 and tedious process ! 
 
 On the 25th of the 5 mo. 1787, the Committee for 
 the Slave-Trade Abolition, consisting of twelve mem- 
 bers, was formed; which, as Thomas Clarkson observes, 
 " labouring afterwards with Mr. Wilberforce for their 
 Parliamentary Head, did, under Providence, in the space 
 of twenty years, contribute to put an end to a trade, 
 which, measuring its magnitude by its crimes and 
 sufferings, was the greatest practical evil that ever 
 afflicted the human race." 
 
 Of this noble little band my father was one : the 
 sole survivor now, 1841, is Thomas Clarkson. En- 
 tering into the cause with all the ardour, the enthu- 
 siasm of his disposition, and pursuing it with the 
 perseverance for which his character was so remark- 
 able, my dear father was indeed a faithful co-adjutor of 
 the great Abolitionist. I have often heard him say, 
 as Thomas Clarkson has mentioned, how they walked 
 together under the trees in Lincoln's Inn during the 
 silence and solitude of midnight ; how they wept to- 
 gether over the wrongs of Africa ; or rejoiced when the 
 horizon of their righteous cause appeared to brighten 
 before their anxious gaze. 
 
 I find, among my little stock of materials, two 
 
26 
 
 JOHN NEWTON. — COWrKli. 
 
 original Letters from the celebrated John Newton^; 
 one of which appears to have been written to my father, 
 partly in reply to a request made to that excellent 
 Minister of the Gospel, that he would publish some 
 additional facts relative to the Slave Trade — facts 
 which lifted the veil from its dark and appalling fea- 
 tures a little more than any which he had already 
 given to the world. Another object seems to have 
 been, the conveying of an answer to a solicitation made 
 through John Newton to his friend, the sweet Chris- 
 tian poet, William Cowper, that he would write a poem 
 upon the Slave Trade. 
 
 With my fathers characteristic habit of bringing 
 every possible impetus to bear upon the subject he was 
 desirous of promoting, it is no wonder that he longed 
 to employ the talents of such a man as the poet, in the 
 service of outraged humanity. 
 
 In the same packet, I find the three little pieces, 
 which were all that Cowper's pen produced, on a subject 
 too harrowing for his gentle spirit and deeply-morbid 
 feelings. I have heard my dear father speak of the 
 
 C) This remarkable and most encouraging monument of the 
 long-suffering of divine grace and mercy was, at one time, actively 
 engaged in the " commerce of the human species." — See the 
 deeply-interesting sketch of his early life, entitled " An Authentic 
 Narrative of some Remarkable and Interesting Particulars in the 
 
 Life of ; communicated in a Series of Letters to the Rev. 
 
 Mr. Haweis, Rector of Aldwinckle, Northamptonshire. 1786." 
 
LETTERS OF JOHN NEWTON. 
 
 27 
 
 matter ; but I cannot feel perfectly certain, whether 
 these three little poems were written in compliance 
 with the above application, or afterwards, in conse- 
 quence of the subject being further pressed upon his 
 attention by my father; but I think it is highly 
 probable that the latter was the case. They are well 
 known, and are — particularly "The Negro's Complaint" 
 and " The Morning Dream" — exquisitely beautiful. 
 
 As this work may meet the eyes of some persons who 
 have been but little initiated into the horrors of that 
 nefarious traffic, I give these poems in the Selection 
 from Letters and Papers ^ I shall also here give a 
 large extract from the second of these Letters, which 
 especially relates to that subject : for though the trade 
 in Africans is no longer sanctioned by the laws of our 
 own land of freedom, it is still carried on, to a fearful 
 extent, under the flags of other nations ; and the spirit 
 which pervades it is, and of necessity ever will be, of 
 the same diabolical nature. 
 
 John Newtons first Letter is dated the 14th of June 
 1786, from Coleman-Street Buildings. He says : 
 
 " I have to thank you for the cameos*. Mine is a 
 very acceptable present ; for I really wished for one, but 
 
 (*) See Selections from Letters and Papers : (B.) 
 
 (*") Little china cameos, made by the Wedgewoods, representing 
 a Black Man in Chains, kneeling, with liis upraised hands, clasped : 
 the motto, " Am I not a Man and a Brother ?" 
 
28 SLAVE-TRADE ABOLITION. LETTERS. 
 
 did not know how to procure one. I shall forward the 
 other, in your name, to Mr. Cowper, to whom I doubt 
 not but it will be equally pleasing. I communicated to 
 liira your desire ; and I shall transcribe so much of his 
 answer as refers to that point. 
 
 " I shall rejoice if your friend Mr. Phillips, influenced 
 by what you have told him of my present engagements, 
 shall wave his application to me for a poem on the 
 Slave Trade. I account myself honoured by his inten- 
 tion to solicit me on the subject ; and it would give me 
 pain to refuse him, which inevitably I should be con- 
 strained to do. The more I have considered it, the 
 more I have convinced myself that it is not a promising 
 theme for verse. General censure on the iniquity of 
 the practice will avail nothing. The world has been 
 overwhelmed with such remarks already. And to 
 particularize all the horrors of it, were an employment 
 of the mind, both of the poet and of his readers, of 
 which they would necessarily soon grow weary. For 
 my own part, I cannot contemplate the subject very 
 nearly, without a degree of abhorrence that affects my 
 spirits, and sinks them below the pitch requisite for 
 success in verse. Lady Hesketh recommended it to 
 me some months since ; and I then declined it, for these 
 reasons, and for others which need not now be named." 
 
 John Newton concludes his letter, by saying : " I am 
 running hither and thither so much, that there is little 
 certainty of finding me at home, except on a Tuesday. 
 I should be very glad to have more conversation with 
 
SLAVE-TRADE A150LIT10N. — LETTERS. 
 
 29 
 
 you. Our dinner is usually upon table exactly at two 
 o'clock; and from that time I seldom stir out for the 
 rest of the day, unless unexpected and unavoidable 
 business requires me. But I am often at home at 
 other times ; and if you take the trouble to call, when- 
 ever you are in the city and have leisure, I hope you 
 will find me in the way. 
 
 " I am respectfully, 
 
 " Your sincere friend and servant, 
 
 "John Newton." 
 
 With two unimportant exceptions, I transcribe the 
 whole of the second Letter, dated 5th July, 1788 : — 
 
 " DEAR SIR, 
 
 " I have been so much engaged, I can but just 
 answer your wishes, if at all ; for I am liable to inter- 
 ruption every moment, t think the following notes 
 are all that I can suggest, in addition to what I have 
 already written, if you should think proper to reprint 
 the pamphlets'. 
 
 " The perusal of Mr. Falconbridge's pamphlet, and of 
 some others, since the publication of my own, reminds 
 me of a particular which should have been inserted 
 under this article. The very ill-treatment the seamen 
 
 (') Here is a reference to the page of the publication alluded to, 
 the title of which I have not the means of ascertaining : but the 
 facts, though probably printed at that time, as proposed, are so 
 striking, that I wish to revive thein at the present time, related, 
 as they are, by so competent and conscientious an eye-witness. 
 
30 
 
 HORRORS OF THE SLAVE TRADE. 
 
 receive from the captain, or those who act under his 
 authority, is often fatal. I have myself — and I believe 
 more than once — seen sick men, who were unable to 
 work, beaten or flogged, under a pretence that they 
 were lazy, till they died under the blows. A savage- 
 ness of spirit, not easily conceived, infuses itself 
 (though, as I have observed, there are exceptions) into 
 those who exercise power on board an African slave- 
 ship, from the captain downwards. It is the spirit of 
 the trade, which, like a pestilential air, is so generally 
 infectious, that but few escape it. Many of the 
 captains are brought up in the business ; and pass 
 through the several stages of apprentices, foremast- 
 men, and mates, before they are masters, and gradually 
 acquire a cruel disposition together with their know- 
 ledge of the trade : and, as it often happens that they 
 are men of no education, and have no taste for books 
 or turn for reflection, the chief study and amusement 
 of their leisure hours seems to be, how to make the 
 sailors, at least such of them as they take a dislike to, as 
 miserable as they can. I remember one, who stood 
 upon the quarter-deck while his vessel was casting off 
 from the pier-head at Liverpool, and, with a suitable 
 expression of countenance, took his leave of the people, 
 who were standing upon the pier, with these words : 
 'Now, I have a Hell of my own !' 
 
 " I have been told that I ought not to have suppressed 
 the recital of the particulars, here' referred to, out of 
 
 (*) Another reference to a page of the before-mentioned pamphlet 
 occurs here. 
 
Honiions OF the slave trade. 31 
 
 compassion to my readei''s feelings. My chief reason for 
 suppressing it was, that it is the only instance of the 
 kind I had knowledge of, and I would hope the only one 
 that ever was heard of. But I submit to the respectable 
 judgment of the friends who advised me to mention it, 
 in case of another edition. I sailed with that captain, 
 and therefore frequently heard the detail of his cruelties 
 from his own mouth. I do not remember the whole ; 
 but two methods of his punishment of the poor slaves, 
 whom he sentenced to die, I cannot easily forget. Some 
 of them he jointed ; that is, he cut off, with an axe, first 
 their feet, then their legs below the knee, then their 
 thighs ; in like manner their hands, then their arms 
 below the elbow, and then at the shoulders, till their 
 bodies remained only like the trunk of a tree when all 
 the branches are lopped away ; and, lastly, their heads. 
 And, as he proceeded in his operation, he threw the 
 reeking members and heads in the midst of the bulk of 
 the trembling slaves, who were chained upon the 
 main-deck. He tied round the upper parts of the 
 heads of others a small soft platted rope, which the 
 sailors call a point, so loosely as to admit a short lever : 
 by continuing to turn the lever, he drew the point 
 more and more tight, till at length he forced their eyes 
 to stand out of their heads ; and when he had satiated 
 himself with their torments, he cut their heads off. . . . 
 * » * * 
 " I have not time to add more than my best wishes 
 and respects ; and my prayer, that God may bless you 
 in all things, and give you and your friends the comfort 
 
32 
 
 SLAVE TRADE. 
 
 of seeing your benevolent endeavours succeed, for the 
 suppression of that abominable trade of which I was 
 once an abominable instrument ! I hope God has 
 forgiven me; but I ought to walk softly all my days, 
 in the remembrance of what I have been, and what I 
 liave done. 
 
 " I am, Sir, your sincere friend and servant, 
 
 " John Newton." 
 
 Such, though this is acknowledged to be an extreme 
 case, is the spirit of the trade in Africans. It is a 
 striking instance of the depth of depravity into which 
 the human heart is led, when we cast aside all the 
 restraints of authority, morality, and religion. The 
 evil passions then acquire a strength which amounts 
 almost to madness ; — at least, such we term it. 
 
 Is it not a faint picture of the condition of Lost 
 Spirits ; who are abandoned to every species of male- 
 volent impulse, without one counteracting virtuous in- 
 fluence to stem the mighty torrent of evil. 
 
 It is a melancholy circumstance, that the commerce in 
 the human species is now in the same unregulated state 
 as it was when John Newton wrote; and the most 
 appalling facts still shew that its atrocious features are 
 not lost, amid the general refinement of the age. 
 
 While it was a lawful trade, it was subject to restric- 
 tions as to the crowding of the vessels and the treat- 
 
SLAVE TRADE. 
 
 ment of the slaves; but now, the hand of legal justice 
 cannot, as at the former period, be stretched forth, to 
 assuage, although but with the shadow of mercy, the 
 sufferings of those unhappy victims of avarice and 
 cruelty. Let us, then, in the spirit of the good Sama- 
 ritan, remember, that the sable native of Africa is a 
 " man and a brother"; and let us practically " recognise 
 the image of God, whether it be carved in ebony or 
 in ivory." ^ 
 
 At a much later period, my father also became a 
 Member of the Committee of the Society for the Abo- 
 lition of Slavery ; and exerted himself in that cause, 
 until age, and his diminished strength, compelled him 
 to leave active efforts to younger persons, who had 
 subsequently entered into the labours of the old Com- 
 mittee ; while those who had borne the burden and 
 heat of the day remained thankful spectators of the 
 ultimate triumph of justice and humanity. Well do 
 I remember the solemnity of my father's manner, and 
 the tone of voice in which, when, in 1834, the abolition 
 of slavery appeared to be finally achieved, he so sweetly 
 expressed his humble trust " that a blessing would 
 descend upon Britain, who had been made willing, 
 under all her burdens, to make so great a pecuniary 
 sacrifice to remove the guilt which, as a nation, 
 
 (■') Fuller's '■ Holy and Profane States :" — " Character of the 
 Good Sea-Captain," 
 
 i> 
 
34 
 
 APPLICATION FOR MEMBERSHIP. 
 
 attached to her, for having sanctioned the slave-trade 
 and slavery." 
 
 To return to the subject of my beloved fathers clo- 
 ser approximation to the Religious Society of Friends. 
 — I do not find that he encountered so much external 
 opposition to this step, as is sometimes allotted to the 
 young disciple. It was natural, that his only surviving 
 and tenderly-attached parent should feel acutely the 
 step which her beloved son was taking, in quitting the 
 section of the Christian Church to which she and her 
 family belonged ; and she wrote once to her brother, 
 under whose auspices my father studied, to desire that 
 he would interpose his authority, and prevent her son 
 attending the Meetings of Friends : but he replied, 
 that "so long as his nephew conducted himself well 
 in his profession, he would not interfere with him." 
 This was a circumstance of which my father always 
 spoke, with grateful feelings towards his uncle, and 
 adoring thankfulness to Him who thus restrained the 
 opposition which threatened to beset his onward path 
 with additional perplexity and distress. 
 
 How soon, after my beloved father's arrival in 
 London, he began to attend the Religious Meetings of 
 Friends, I do not know. He went to the Meetings, 
 regularly, about seven years before he applied for 
 admission into the Society ; feeling, as he has told me, 
 no wish at that time to do move than sit down with 
 
ACKNOWLEDGMENT AS A MINISTER. 
 
 35 
 
 them in their religious assemblies ; and not believing 
 it to be his duty to adapt his mode of dress to their 
 peculiar forms. But, at length, a belief that he was 
 called to the work of the Ministry among them, which 
 had been at a former period powerfully impressed 
 upon his mind, became so clear and weighty, that he 
 dared not any longer withstand it ; and he accordingly 
 applied for membership, on the 10th of the 12th month 
 1788. Indeed, he did speak once, in a Religious Meet- 
 ing, previously to his becoming a Member ; but whe- 
 ther or not it was before his request to be admitted, 
 I do not recollect. 
 
 His reception into the Society took place at West- 
 minster, on the 8th of the 1st month 1789; and his 
 acknowledgment as a Minister, on the 15th of the 9 th 
 month 1791. 
 
 The following is the Minute of the Meeting on the 
 latter subject : — 
 
 "15th of 9th month 1791.— Richard Phillipps having 
 for a considerable time appeared in public testimony, 
 to the satisfaction of Friends, this Meeting apprehends 
 it right to signify their unity with him as a Minister ; 
 and recommends him, accordingly, to the Monthly 
 Meeting of Ministers and Elders, and to the Morning 
 Meeting. 
 
 " Signed &c." 
 
 D 2 
 
36 REMARKS ON PREPARATION FOR SERVICE. 
 
 A well-known friend, Martha Howarth, appears to be 
 speaking on this subject, when, in a Letter to my 
 fiither, dated Liverpool, 13th of the 8th month 1791, she 
 remarks : — " I am not clothed in doubt concerning thee, 
 having purchased all the ground thou standest upon, as 
 inch by inch, surely, will establish a correct estimate of 
 its intrinsic value, and therefore will powerfully tend 
 to preserve from lavishing away any part of such 
 inheritance. I shall rejoice to hear of thy prosperity, 
 knowing thee to be separated for the work, wherein 
 thou hast been prevailed upon, through the con- 
 straining Power, to engage ; and believing, as the same 
 anointing is abode under, no weapon formed against 
 thee shall prosper." 
 
 The trials and humiliations, the baptisms of Spirit, 
 which had been appointed to my father, were, as I 
 have before hinted, extraordinary and deep ; but he 
 always considered some of them, which had at first 
 appeared to be foolish scruples, as having been the 
 appointed means by which his natural will was tho- 
 roughly bowed to the Divine Will, and prepared for 
 the service to which he was called. These exercises 
 of mind were very hidden : the bright cheerfulness of 
 his disposition, his pleasant temper, and sportive wit, 
 were a great assistance to him, in not " appearing unto 
 men to fast." This was one distinguishing trait of his 
 character throughout life ; and he permitted few to 
 penetrate the veil which was cast over his mental 
 conflicts. His uncle's wife, Catharine Phillips, in her 
 
OPINION OF CATHERINE PHILLIPS. 
 
 37 
 
 Journal, relates, that her path was similar, with respect 
 to the depth of her trials, and lier inability to converse 
 upon them. Her remarks are so likely to be useful to 
 those who are wading through " the discipline of 
 storms," that I trust I shall be excused for dwelling on 
 this subject, while I repeat them here ; encouraging as 
 they are to the tried believer, to suffer " his bow to 
 abide" in patience ; — and cautionary as they are against 
 the injudicious putting forward of young converts ; and 
 thus producing a premature luxuriance of foliage, 
 which withers when heat and storm visit it ; rather 
 than that salutary deepening of the root, which enables 
 the tree to flourish as by the rivers of waters, and 
 bring forth his fruit in his season : — 
 
 " I leave it as an observation, that I have seldom, if 
 ever, seen any stand, and arrive to any considerable 
 degree of usefulness in the Church, whose foundations 
 have not been deeply laid in afflictions and exercises ; 
 whereby they are crucified with Christ; and shall 
 therefore rise with Him to glory and honour, in the 
 present as well as in a future state. But, in all my 
 afflictions and deep baptisms, the Shepherd of Israel 
 was with me, and preserved and supported my spirit, 
 to the honour of His own name, to whom alone I could 
 attribute the praise: for, in these allotted days and 
 years of tribulation, very little instrumental help was 
 afforded me; my lot being cast in a quarter where 
 there were none near who were capable of giving me 
 much assistance or wise counsel, not having trodden 
 
38 
 
 RELIGIOUS SCRUPLES: 
 
 the same steps. I sometimes thought my case was 
 hidden from some of the Lord's servants, who were 
 concerned to visit His heritage ; or else, that they were 
 in part restrained from ministering to it ; — and my 
 tongue was much sealed in silence, for my exercises 
 were incommunicable. 
 
 " All this I saw to be of excellent use ; as the contrary 
 might have led to a dependence on the servants (which 
 ever brings weakness) ; or liave been productive of 
 confusion, through my imparting my case to such as 
 were not skilful to minister to it, and who nevertheless 
 might have advised therein. I have seen it to be 
 profitable and necessary, for such as are in a state of 
 infancy in Religion, to dwell with their exercises, 
 leaning simply on that Arm which alone is able to 
 carry them through ; and, until the mind has acquired 
 a depth of judgment, to distinguish clearly who is on 
 the Lord's side, to be very cautious to whom they 
 communicate them ; lest they be wounded, by disco- 
 vering those, whom they have chosen for their friends, 
 to be enemies to the Cross of Christ. Yet, when the 
 Lord directs, in times of great straits, to advise with 
 some experienced servant, it will undoubtedly be 
 advantageous ; and a steady sympathizing friend is a 
 great strength and blessing, when it is afforded in 
 divine wisdom." " 
 
 My dear father was for some time very grievously 
 
 (") Memoir of Catharine Phillips, pp. 17, 18. 
 
RELIEF FROM THEM. 
 
 39 
 
 tried with scruples about things in themselves per- 
 fectly immaterial ; and during the comparative seclu- 
 sion in which he necessarily lived for the few last 
 years of his precious life, he occasionally mentioned his 
 opinion of this dispensation, which he always spoke of 
 as inexpressibly distressing. 
 
 I may possibly expose his memory to the charge of 
 indulging in the ^^sions created by a heated imagi- 
 nation, if I insert an incident which he occasionally 
 related to very intimate friends and to myself, always 
 with so much solemnity of manner and deep feeling, 
 that I carefully committed it to paper — not daring to 
 consign to oblivion what he so evidently intended 
 should be preserved. I had afterwards the satisfaction 
 to find it in his private pocket-book, written down by 
 himself. I must however say, that few individuals 
 were more free from nursing the sickly effusions of a 
 morbid brain, or indulging in aught that savoured of 
 a fanciful religion : he possessed a healthy tone of mind 
 — a sound clear judgment, cherished by intercourse 
 with the intellectual and the benevolent of all Deno- 
 minations : braced by active mental exercise, and 
 brightened by his happy buoyant spirits, his was a 
 lively, a charitable, and a masculine piety. 
 
 The occurrence to which I allude took place while 
 he was residing in Chambers, at Lincoln's Inn. He 
 was just preparing to depart, on horseback, on a little 
 journey for a religious purpose, and was carrying his 
 
40 
 
 KELIEF FROM RELIGIOUS SCRUPLES. 
 
 saddle-bags on his arm. My fathers own words will 
 best relate the incident I have thus introduced; and I copy 
 them from the paper to which I have just alluded : — 
 
 " Being at one time much tried and distressed by 
 the prevalence of numerous scruples, directed or 
 permitted with the gracious design of reducing and 
 rendering more subservient the obstinate will of man 
 — opposed, as it naturally is, to submission to the real 
 Cross ; in a kind of almost despair of obtaining any 
 relief from their pressure and subsequent recurrence, 
 in anguish I hastily exclaimed, ' Why is it thus ? — I will 
 follow Thee, even to the gallows f — upon which, a 
 sudden flash of light, similar to lightning, passed before 
 me, as into the ground ; — when these scruples, in a very 
 considerable degree, ceased. How wonderful and 
 
 merciful are the ways of the Most High ! who thus, by 
 what may be termed things that are not, brings to 
 nought things that are. The haughtiness and pride of 
 man are laid low, and a way made for the operation 
 and prevalence of that spirit, by which alone he can 
 
 ('") A proof this, that he was then in a state far removed from 
 nourishing pride; for he had been— as he sometimes used to 
 remark, when telling this incident — accustomed to the attendance 
 of a servant, who would carry the bags upon his horse, the custo- 
 mary mode in tliose days, wlien gentlemen travelled. There are 
 seasons, in the Christian's course, when things appear improper 
 luxuries, which are afterwards felt to be only as " providing things 
 honest in the siglit of all men." We do well not to judge another 
 man for his liberty in things indifferent ; remembering to be 
 careful, that we be " thoroughly persuaded in our minds," and that 
 our conscience condemn us not in the thing which we allow. 
 
REMARKS ON RELIGIOUS SCRUPLES. 
 
 41 
 
 durably profit ! — ' He that glorieth, let him glory in 
 the Lord ! ' " " 
 
 On the subject of scruples, my father thus wrote to a 
 friend, on the 1st of the 4th month 1834 : — 
 
 " I have repeatedly thought of the effect of ap- 
 parently very foolish and insignificant and trifling 
 things, in preparing the way and leading to highly- 
 important and glorious results ; and thus evincing that 
 • the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the 
 weakness of God is stronger than men.' 
 
 " In Friends' journals, the description of their very 
 trying exercises and experience, during the day of 
 small things and scruples, when the ground is prepared 
 for the ready reception or sowing of the small grains of 
 ' mustard-seed ' and its growth promoted, are, I think, 
 very far from being noticed or described as their 
 importance merits ; or the advantage and encourage- 
 ment which such information would alFord to many, 
 particularly to those who are, in the infancy of their 
 spiritual life, commencing the conflict for eternal bliss. 
 
 " Of their reason for such an omission I am ignorant : 
 it may be from the belief, that not only the carnally- 
 minded, to whom the Cross in every form is foolishness, 
 but that many, in the infancy of regeneration, would 
 be startled, misconstrue, and reject as visionary and 
 foolish, those apparently weak things ; but which, in 
 reality, had in them, and would prove, the power of 
 
 ('■) 1 Cor.i. .31. 
 
 (") 1 Cor. i.25. 
 
42 
 
 POWERFUL EFFECT OF SCRUPLES, 
 
 God unto salvation to them that believed, and the very 
 means whereby the great work would be carried on 
 and accomplished. Such is the lamentable effect of 
 being blinded by the spirit of this world, so as not to 
 discern that these ' foolish ' and ' base things ' ori- 
 ginate in boundless love; and are directed in their 
 operations by perfect wisdom, so as clearly to prove 
 their divine origin, by effectually depriving self-im- 
 portant, vain, weak man of all grounds for glorying, 
 and manifesting that he who glories should glory in 
 the Lord, to whom alone such glory belongs ; who, by 
 thus dealing with His creature, man, proclaims His 
 invariable, merciful, and glorious design of weaning 
 him from the things and vanities of time, and quali- 
 fying him to participate of the great realities — the 
 everlasting joys and glories of eternity. 
 
 " The operations of these foolish things, and these 
 base things (of the world), which are despised, and even 
 of 'things which are not,' in bringing to nought 
 things that are, are clearly manifested during the day 
 of apparently'^ small things, by subduing the pride, 
 haughtiness, and fallacious importance of fallen man ; 
 laying him — where it is most profitable he should be — 
 in the dust, and reducing him into a state of deep 
 humility, to the surrendering of his own will, and 
 becoming as unresisting clay in the hands of the 
 Heavenly Potter, to be formed into whatsoever kind of 
 vessel He sees best, for fulfilling His merciful and glo- 
 rious design. 
 
 See 1 Cor. i. 27. 
 
IN TRAINING THE MIND FOIl SERVICE. 43 
 
 " In this state of humiliation, poor man is given to 
 see or feel his own weakness, poverty, and total inability 
 for any good work, or even thought ; and consequently 
 (may we not reverently hope?) effectually seeks for 
 divine assistance : for ' the prayer of the humble 
 pierceth the clouds ; and, till it come nigh, he will not 
 be comforted, and will not depart till the Most High 
 shall behold; 
 
 " Many can testify, with gratitude and in deep 
 humility, to the beneficial and powerful effect which 
 these apparently foolish, base, despised things, and 
 even things which are not, have produced in them ; 
 particularly during their infancy, in the state of rege- 
 neration, when these foolish and despised things (or 
 scruples) most prevail. 
 
 " I know an individual who was so dismayed and 
 terrified by an impression on his mind, requiring him to 
 do a particular act, that he hastily resolved, that should 
 such a requisition be repeated, he would, sooner than 
 comply therewith or submit thereto, sacrifice his life : 
 yet, some years subsequently — his mind having been 
 greatly exercised, humbled, and reduced by the opera- 
 tions of these foolish despised things, and even by 
 things that are not — on the requiring, before alluded 
 to, being repeated, he submitted thereto, and had to 
 participate of the sustaining and encouraging fruits of 
 obedience. 
 
 " Does not this striking fact prove the powerful effect 
 
 ("') Ecclesiasticus, xxxv. 17. 
 
44 
 
 PRACTICAL RESULT OF SCRUPLES. 
 
 and value of these apparently small and despised, weak 
 and foolish things ? and should they not be highly 
 valued and minutely described, as also their effect, by 
 Friends, in their journals ? For in this day of seem- 
 ingly small but invaluable things, is not the foundation 
 laid of ' a house not made with hands, eternal in the 
 heavens ? ' How highly, then, are these despised 
 things to be prized ! " 
 
 It now remains for me to raise the veil a little more 
 from these facts : — and, in so doing, I believe that I 
 follow my precious father's own advice, in the extract 
 which I have just copied. 
 
 The individual whom he mentions as determining 
 to sacrifice his life rather than comply with the requi- 
 sition of duty which was impressed upon his mind, was 
 himself. It was at a Meeting, in which he felt that 
 he ought to communicate something : and the effect 
 was so terrific to him, that he mentally resolved, that 
 " if ever that was repeated, he would jump into the 
 Thames." I believe I quote the expressions which he 
 used, in relating the occurrence to me. 
 
 Then succeeded the long time of trial by these scru- 
 ples ; and the release from them, as I have mentioned, 
 when their purpose was fully answered. My father 
 always spoke with trembling, adoring thankfulness of 
 
 ('■) 2 Cor.v. 1. 
 
PRACTICAL RESULT OF SCRUPLES. 
 
 45 
 
 the mercy and long-suffering of his Saviour, who thus 
 bore witli his rebellious spirit, and gradually led him 
 about, as through the wilderness ; till, having tried and 
 proved him, and by such gradual training made it 
 possible to him to follow his Divine Master, that 
 Saviour brought him up " from the wilderness, leaning 
 on the arm of his Beloved," and fitted to take his stand 
 among the spiritual warriors of the Lamb. 
 
46 
 
 DOUBTS RESPECTING BUSINESS. 
 
 CHAP. III. 
 
 There was a period, while my dear father s mind was 
 passing through so much conflict, in which he was very 
 doubtful whether he could continue his Professional 
 pursuits with a peaceful conscience ; and, in the serious 
 consideration of his path, he became willing to sur- 
 render the excellent prospects which his kind uncle's 
 patronage had opened to him. Under this impression, 
 he turned his thoughts towards entering into a trade, 
 which would have occasioned him to keep a shop. 
 After much patient and honest deliberation, however, 
 he felt satisfied to remain in the Legal Profession ; only, 
 as I have already hinted, restricting his practice to the 
 Conveyancing department. This decision occasioned 
 him the loss of a great deal of his uncle's connection, 
 to which he had designed my father should succeed 
 him. The choice, thus impartially weighed and faith- 
 fully determined upon, was never regretted ; — a pleasing 
 proof of the value of discreet reflection to young con- 
 verts ! In all the glowing warmth of newly-awakened 
 feelings, and in the first delightful moments of hallowed 
 dedication, they often forget to avail themselves of 
 that reason which has been bestowed upon man, to be 
 
NECESSITY FOR PRAYERFUL CAUTION. 47 
 
 prayerfully used by him, as a guide in all matters 
 wherein the higher and more immediately commu- 
 nicated commands of God are not so imperatively laid 
 upon the soul. Thus they rush unbidden into the 
 thickest of the combat, and bring themselves into 
 harder straits and greater perplexities than their All- 
 wise Leader designed they should so early encounter. 
 This is often the case, when, from hastily-adopted ideas 
 of abasing themselves — not from any actual unfitness in 
 their business or station for the christian disciple (for 
 that should never be passed over lightly) — they relin- 
 quish their usual avocations : their proper place in 
 society is abandoned — their usefulness cramped and 
 dimmed — and their progress, in the real way of their 
 Lord's requiring, is robbed of much of its energy, 
 brightness, and vigour. Had Richard Phillips omitted 
 patiently and wisely to ponder his path — to bring, with 
 honest purpose, the thoughts and intents of his heart to 
 the light of divine truth within him — had he hastily 
 yielded to his first impressions — it is evident that his 
 intellectual talents would have had less scope for use- 
 fulness; and the influence which he afterwards so bene- 
 ficially exerted, in the cause of suffering humanity, and 
 in the promotion of virtue and piety, would not have 
 prospered to the same degree. 
 
 Apart from the subject of this Memoir, and in refe- 
 rence to those who occupy a decidedly high station, 
 I would remark, that though we are told — and, alas ! 
 truly told — that " not many mighty, not many noble 
 
48 
 
 BEAUTY OF HUMILITY. 
 
 are called," ' yet we are also counselled, " Brethren, 
 let every man, wherein he is called, therein abide 
 with God."^ 
 
 It is often far more difficult to maintain a holy con- 
 sistency of christian character in a conspicuous sphere 
 in life, than to walk in a more sheltered path. But in 
 every station there is a grace bestowed upon the sincere 
 follower of Jesus ; and it is surely safer to strive 
 earnestly for His grace, in the situation wherein His 
 mercy has found us, than to seek what we fancy a safer 
 path, by abandoning the post which He has assigned us. 
 However specious be the appearance of lowliness which 
 tempts us to descend, the real and beautiful gem of 
 christian humility shines no where with a more hea- 
 venly lustre than upon the brow of the rich and noble, 
 who are disciples of a lowly Redeemer : it more pecu- 
 liarly graces them, because it is more foreign to their 
 worldly circumstances, harder to acquire, and more 
 difficult to preserve unsullied, amid the adulations 
 which beset them. When the worldly possessions of 
 these, whether they be rank or wealth, are dedicated to 
 the service of their Redeemer, it is like the offering of 
 the frankincense and the myrrh, which the wise men 
 of the East presented to the Holy Child, at Bethlehem. 
 
 Something, too, may be said of the good which such 
 are calculated to effect among their equals ; to whom 
 
 (') 1 Cor. i. 26. 
 
 {■) 1 Cor. vii. 24. 
 
EFFECTS OF U. PHILLIPs's CHANGE OF VIEWS. 40 
 
 their example, if not their precepts, come home with 
 far more weight than that of Christians in a different 
 sphere. The latter are raised and ennobled by their 
 faith ; the former are brought down from their worldly 
 pride and pomp : but let them practise the lowliness 
 of Christ, — not a " voluntary humility,'" but a conduct 
 firm and dignified, though abounding with simplicity 
 and charity. 
 
 The christian humility of the rich condescends to the 
 poor — that of the poor renders honour to whom ho- 
 nour is due ; — they do not change places. " Humility," 
 to borrow one of Jeremy Taylor's beautiful similies, 
 " enamels our virtues." 
 
 Besides the deprivation of connections in my fathers 
 profession, which ensued upon his faithful compliance 
 with the impressions of duty, he lost the expectation of 
 a fine estate, belonging to a distant relation, with whom 
 he was a special favourite until he joined the Society 
 of Friends. His first, and I believe his only visit, after 
 that event, to this kind and open-hearted but worldly 
 person, was a severe trial of faith and firmness to my 
 father ; but he passed steadily through the ordeal of 
 manifesting his decision on many points which were 
 highly disagreeable to his relative : and by that means 
 — if I remember rightly — he at once and finally se- 
 vered all bond of union and communication between 
 them. The property went to another branch of the 
 family. 
 
50 
 
 OPINIONS RESPECTING U. PHILLIPS : 
 
 I mention this, chiefly, to shew that our Good Shep- 
 herd can and will, with the kingdom of heaven, freely 
 give us all things which are good for us. Richard 
 Phillips displeased, to a certain extent, those on whom, 
 from peculiar circumstances, his worldly prosperity 
 almost entirely depended ; and at that time it was no 
 unimportant consideration for him : yet, like " him that 
 was separate from his brethren^," he was blessed "with 
 blessings of heaven above*," and the " fatness of the 
 earth'" beneath: thus affording a proof, more clear 
 than we are always permitted to see in this state of 
 existence, that " godliness is profitable unto all things, 
 having promise of the life that now is, and of that 
 which is to come**. " 
 
 In what a prepared condition, and with what 
 brightness he emerged from his trials, as from the 
 refiner's fire, will be best understood by the opinions 
 expressed in the Letters of one or two aged and esta- 
 blished christians, who were among the most highly- 
 esteemed and gifted members of the Society at that 
 time. 
 
 Esther Tuke, who was, in her day, a true mother in 
 Israel, thus mentions my father, in a Letter addressed 
 to an intimate friend in or near London ; dated York, 
 7th of the 8th mo. 1789. 
 
 (^) Gen. xlix. 26. 
 {') Gen. xxvii. 28. 
 
 (4) Gen. xlix. 25. 
 (f ) 1 Tim. iv. 8. 
 
ESTHER TUKe's OPINION. 
 
 51 
 
 After alluding to visitors who had been going to 
 or from the Ackwortli-School ' General Meeting, she 
 says : " We likewise, much to our comfort, had Richard 
 
 Phillips ; who went back with &c. to Ackworth. 
 
 I have had very little acquaintance with Richard 
 before ; though, from my first seeing him, I loved him : 
 but from his stay here, and in some opportunities, he 
 has become as an epistle wrote on my heart; which, 
 while I remain, and he walks in the truth, cannot be 
 erased. My husband, with the rest of our family, 
 L. M.* &c., have had good unity with him : he ap- 
 peared in a few words in our Meetings and oppor- 
 tunities, and felt to speak the language of a true-born 
 child ; and seemed much in the simplicity thereof, in his 
 whole conduct, which, considering his situation &c., is 
 indeed marvellous ; and affords great hopes, that, though 
 your warm city is not the most favourable ground for 
 such a plant to grow, yet, having already attained, that 
 excellent disposition seems like an invincible fortress. 
 It seemed a time of deep instruction, as well as en- 
 couragement to him; that I believe he thought him- 
 self well paid for coming to York, for which I was 
 thankful." 
 
 In writing to another friend in the same vicinity, on 
 
 (') One of the Establishments, supported by voluntary contri- 
 butions among the Friends, for giving a good plain education to 
 the children of their members who do not find it convenient to pay 
 for it at schools on the usual plan. 
 
 (*) Lindley Murray, the author of" Power of Religion on the 
 Mind," &c. 
 
 E 2 
 
52 ESTHER TUKE's AND HER DAUGHTER'S 
 
 the 21st of the 2d month 1790, she remarks concerning 
 my father : — " When he was here, in the latter end of 
 summer, I found my mind very nearly united to him ; 
 and could but admire how much he seemed reduced to 
 a childlike state, the innocence and simplicity which 
 attended the few words he spoke in public ; and yet 
 the life evidently marked its divine origin. I could 
 not but, in our private opportunities, set my seal to it, 
 as being the language of a true-born child. I am not 
 apt to do these things, especially to those with whom I 
 have had but little communication. I believe you 
 may have, as is the case in many places, some very 
 unskilful nurses, who cause many children to be what 
 I call neckled ; and some get lamed of their feet, like 
 Mephibosheth, by being carried in the arms. And I 
 really sought for something to say to him, by way of 
 guarding him in these respects ; but he seemed so very 
 low and diffident, that I could find nothing to him but 
 the language of encouragement. Our friend Ruth 
 Fallows was here, who was not one of those nurses I 
 have hinted at ; and her feelings were the same : she 
 had to encourage him, and take up the subject he had 
 mentioned in our Public Meeting, without knowing 
 he had first appeared in it, or did appear in Meetings 
 at all : the same sense, I believe, attended my husband, 
 and the rest in the Meeting, who, I trust, have ears to 
 try words, as a mouth to taste meats." 
 
 The daughter of this venerable, but lively, christian, 
 Elizabeth Tuke, afterwards the wife of Joshua Wheeler 
 
SENTIMENTS RESPECTING K. PHILLIPS. 53 
 
 herself a Minister, mentions him in a Letter, dated 
 York, 23d of the 2d month 1790, as " a plant sprung 
 up as out of the rubbish of this world's refinement ; 
 and which, we trust, is so freed from any thing of its 
 choking quality, as increasingly to bud, blossom, and 
 bear fruit, to the praise of the great Husbandman : for 
 herein is our Heavenly Father glorified, that his child- 
 ren bring forth much fruit, consonant to an apostolic 
 exhortation to Timothy : ' Let no man despise thy 
 youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in 
 word, in conversation,' " &c. 
 
 Esther Tuke writes to my father, 1st of the 7 th 
 month 1790, saying: "I have been much comforted 
 with thy communication : it seems to strengthen the 
 bond of what I trust may be called the celestial friend- 
 ship; in which there is no narrowness, but, as thou 
 remarks, freedom and openness, coming, in a good 
 degree, near to that desirable state of a common stock. 
 Thy sentiments on these important subjects are so 
 much mine, with an undoubted sense of thy being of 
 the little flock, that my heart hath felt uncommonly 
 knit to thee, in a bond which I trust will remain 
 through time, and live beyond the grave. John Hoy- 
 land read me thine : I requested it : and some remarks 
 were so pleasing and instructive to me, that I wished 
 him to copy them for me, but he did not. I drop these 
 hints for thy encouragement, to continue to ' do good 
 and to communicate' in every sense of the word, but 
 particularly in that which is given to thee," &c. 
 
54 SARAH PHILLIPS. THOMAS CORBYN. 
 
 I do not know when my father was first introduced 
 into the domestic circle of Thomas Corbyn ; — a circum- 
 stance which eventually led to his forming a connection 
 with a member of that family ; though he certainly 
 visited there previously to his admission into the So- 
 ciety of Friends. 
 
 Sarah, the individual of my father's choice, was the 
 second daughter of Thomas and Sarah Corbyn. He 
 was a highly-esteemed member of society at large ; and 
 both of them were greatly respected in their own 
 religious community. Thomas Corbyn was a man 
 of remarkable strength of mind and energy of cha- 
 racter, zealously upholding the tenets and peculi- 
 arities of his own religious community, and steadily 
 maintaining an upright integrity of purpose, in his 
 christian course through life. He was apprenticed to 
 a highly-respectable apothecary in Holborn, named 
 Clutton, who, in consequence of his good conduct, be- 
 queathed the business to my grandfather. He preserved 
 the branches of chemist and druggist ; and raised it 
 into a concern distinguished for the integrity with 
 which it was conducted, as well as the extent of its 
 connection. The sternness of his manner veiled a 
 heart susceptible of the kindliest feelings; he was 
 given to hospitality and acts of beneficence ; and his 
 life was a bright specimen of old English sterling 
 uprightness of character. 
 
 He was a good practical gardener, at a period when 
 
CHARACTER Ol-' THOMAS CORBYN. 
 
 55 
 
 the science was comparatively but little cultivated. 
 The public are indebted to him for strawberries of the 
 finest flavour, those called the " pines," which he care- 
 fully selected from the other sorts, and cultivated with 
 great care and skill, at his residence in Kentish Town. 
 In the latter part of his life, his great delight was, in 
 the season, to fill large china dishes with them, beauti- 
 fully piled up by the hands of his daughters, so as to 
 shew no stalks. The fruit, thus arranged, was pre- 
 sented to persons of his acquaintance in the neighbour- 
 hood, with particular directions how to rear the plants, 
 one or two of which accompanied the ripe fruit. This 
 species is distinguished by its rich flavour, deep colour, 
 conical form, and small neck, from which the little 
 green claspers above the stalk sit out loosely. 
 
 From the various passions and predilections which 
 produce individual characteristics of disposition being 
 more strongly developed, probably it arises that we 
 generally see persons of energetic minds selecting some 
 peculiar object to which their benevolent exertions are 
 especially directed. This is one of the beautiful pro- 
 visions of our Heavenly Father, in the economy of 
 nature, to supply the varied wants of the great human 
 family by the ministry of one another. It causes 
 every one to take his own department, without undue 
 interference in another's labours ; and with more effect 
 than if each individual's work was too desultory and 
 extended. Thomas Corbyn's line appears to have been, 
 assisting young men in their first efforts to establish 
 
56 
 
 - CHARACTER OF THOMAS CORBYN. 
 
 themselves in business ; and he used to lend small sums 
 to such as seemed worthy, and in need of so valuable a 
 help, on their outset in life. His losses from this prac- 
 tice were considerable ; but the good he effected, though 
 unobtrusive, was extensive, and, in many instances, 
 truly valuable and permanent. He also himself re- 
 ceived apprentices without fees ; and thus gave an 
 opportunity for talents and industry to gain know- 
 ledge, and, in some cases, positions of affluence and 
 usefulness. Thus did this good man practically testify 
 his gratitude to the kind Providence who had prospered 
 his own worldly affairs, by devoting a part of his sub- 
 stance to the assistance of his fellow men. — Blessed 
 and happy are those who have the power and the will 
 to " go and do likewise !" 
 
 Of the guileless nature and sterling piety of Thomas 
 Corbyn, the follovi'ing Letters will convey a satisfactory 
 testimony ; and I scarcely feel that I should be justified 
 in withholding the delineation of the character of a 
 man, whose eminent, though perhaps rather stern 
 virtue, rendered him so worthy an example of christian 
 excellence, in the lot which Providence assigned to 
 him. • 
 
 During a severe illness which afflicted him in 1788 
 or 1789, Esther Tuke thus wrote to him : — 
 
 " My greatly-esteemed friend, and father in the 
 truth ; — for so I may call thee, being an instrument of 
 great good to me, before I was known to thee. The 
 
LETTER OF ESTHER TUKE. 
 
 57 
 
 true sympathy I have felt with thee, since hearing of 
 thy bodily affliction, hath begotten a strong desire to 
 address thee thereon, though my weakness of sight 
 hath much discouraged the attempt ; but that love and 
 fellowship which have long subsisted and cemented in 
 true christian fellowship, feel, at this time, stronger 
 than death, and therefore far above the various impe- 
 diments our natural frames are subject to: and yet, 
 when those are affected, so as to feel a similar state, 
 like the holy Pattern, when He had to query, 'Why 
 hast thou forsaken me ?' seems the greatest trial His 
 followers can experience ; — and I had then been made to 
 taste that bitter cup ; as the most faithful servant is not 
 above his Lord. I feel a desire to be thy companion, 
 according to my measure, and cast in my mite of 
 condolence ; though I would that thou didst not need it ! 
 But being of that family, who said, ' When saw we thee 
 naked,' &c., it felt to me the language of truth, to 
 remind thee of thy faithfulness, and that thou hast 
 not followed cunningly-devised fables, nor comforted, 
 exhorted, or reproved in those words which man's 
 wisdom teacheth; but though, having often to fight 
 with spirits like those the Apostle describes at Ephesus, 
 the weapons of thy warfare have not been carnal : to 
 whom the effects of long and patient labour, without 
 fainting, doth now and will bear testimony that thou art 
 reaping the reward. Whether thou mayest be raised 
 again to maintain thy post, and continue to strengthen 
 the little soundness and true judgment yet remaining 
 in the church, must be left to the All-wise Disposer ; 
 
58 
 
 DEATH OF THOMAS COU13YN 
 
 though it feels a close trial to give thee up: — yet of this 
 I am assured, the change will be, to put on a crown of 
 righteousness, laid up in store for thee: for as thou 
 hast fought the good fight, and been the means of pre- 
 serving that faith in the church delivered to the saints, 
 I do believe it will remain with thee till the corrup- 
 tible things are swallowed up, and thou joinest the 
 spirits of those who in like manner have finished their 
 course, and have gotten the victory over the beast, his 
 image, and his mark ; and, with harps in their hands, 
 sing the song of the Lamb for ever. Accept, dear 
 friend, this little tribute, which hath lived in my heart, 
 as the testimony of Him who empowered and authorised 
 thee to do so ! — I cannot offer the paltry incense of 
 praise to any one ; and if I did to thee, I believe thy 
 spirit would nauseate it." 
 
 When she received intelligence of the death of this 
 christian veteran, Esther Tuke wrote to his daughter 
 Sarah ; — 
 
 " 17th of the 2d month, 1791. 
 
 " I have just received thy Richard's communication ; 
 — an additional testimony of that true friendship which 
 I hope will subsist with us ; as it has done with thy 
 valuable parents through time, and now lives beyond 
 the grave. I cannot say I sympathize with you in 
 sorrow, but rather wish to join you in solemn joy. 
 
 " I think I may say, that ever since the receipt of 
 thine, transmitting the account of thy valuable fa- 
 thers languishing state, he hath continued the almost 
 
ESTHER TUKE's OPINION OF HIM. 
 
 59 
 
 constant companion of my thoughts, in near sympathy ; 
 under which, I apprehend, I at times felt the spirit of 
 prayer, that the season of such deep affliction might 
 become shorter than, from the nature of his complaint, 
 could be expected : and for these two days past, my 
 mind seemed relieved with the reviving hope it was 
 so, which this Letter has realized ; for indeed I had no 
 fear but all sorrows would terminate when the body 
 ceased to breathe. That thankfulness fills my heart on 
 his account, that his warfare is accomplished ; for he 
 has fought the good fight, never turning his back in 
 the day of battle, and now inherits the crown prepared 
 for him. Thy Richard's felt comfortable respecting his 
 peaceful close, and undoubted belief of what I men- 
 tioned. 
 
 " I concur in desiring a profitable remembrance 
 may be retained ; — according to the exhortation, ' Mark 
 the perfect man, and behold the upright ! for the end of 
 that man is peace.' I was sensible of thy father s 
 worth ; and profited by his deeply-instructive remarks 
 in an early part of life, whilst unknown to him, and, 
 justly, myself unworthy of his notice. Near thirty 
 years ago our friendship first commenced, the foun- 
 dation being upon the Rock which is immovable : its 
 permanency hath continued unshaken and unmoved; 
 though I may have experienced from him what many 
 would have called ' the rod,' and perhaps thought, like 
 many, at times, that I did not deserve it : but years of 
 experience have instructed me ; and though a little 
 might have been spared me, yet the uprightness of the 
 
GO 
 
 SARAH CORBYN. 
 
 intention, and the good derived from other parts, so 
 abundantly made up, that I have numbered that part 
 as one of my blessings; and may say, that his wise 
 counsel hath been as a staff to lean upon, and his 
 example as an exalted star to look upon and endeavour 
 to follow. His many virtues, uprightness in trade 
 liberality — bounded with prudence to the objects and 
 subjects of it, without prodigality — that his enemies 
 could not but admire : and I believe, in these respects, 
 he has not left a fellow." 
 
 Sarah, the wife of Thomas Corbyn, was a woman 
 much beloved by her family and friends. She was a 
 source of painful interest to them for many years, from 
 the circumstance of her being a great though patient 
 sufferer from asthma. I must again recur to some 
 Letters of Esther Tuke, which pourtray some of my 
 grandmother's quiet virtues. This friend, in a Letter 
 to her dated the 14th of the 1st month 1781, tells her: 
 " Thou art the daily companion of my thoughts, in near 
 affection and sisterly sympathy, with desires, as for 
 myself, that He who hath been with us hitherto, and 
 drawn out of many waters, may continue to be our 
 support, and strengthen the hands of our arms to do 
 what He requires, in this eve of our lives, when the 
 grasshopper is often a burden — that we may lay down 
 our heads in peace. And this, dear friend, I believe 
 will be thy experience ; and the testimony given, as 
 of one formerly : — ' Let her alone 1 she hath done what 
 she could.' " 
 
SARAH CORBYN. 
 
 61 
 
 On hearing of her death, Esther Tuke wrote to 
 Thomas Corbyn, on the 29th of the 1st month 1790 : — 
 
 " Yesterday I received and esteemed thy affectionate 
 token of remembrance, as an additional favour, by 
 giving me the opportunity of uniting in near sym- 
 pathy, and shedding the tear drawn from long friend- 
 ship and affectionate regard, with thee, in the loss of a 
 faithful and valuable companion, and your children a 
 tender and affectionate mother, whose solicitude for 
 their present and future good, I have no doubt, conti- 
 nued to what may be called the final period ; and whose 
 prayers on their behalf have, I believe, been heard 
 with acceptance. On her account there is no need to 
 mourn ; but rather congratulate her, having put off the 
 body so deeply laden with infirmities, under which her 
 spirit hath long travailed, to the mansion prepared for 
 her, where sorrow is not known." 
 
62 
 
 MAUIvlAGF. OF RICHARD PHILLIPS. 
 
 CHAP. IV. 
 
 The marriage of my dear parents took place at the 
 Peel Meeting-House, on the 9th of the 11th month 
 1790. They resided at Thomas Corbyn s town house, in 
 Bartholomew Close, until the 7th mo. 1792; when they 
 removed into East Street, near Red-Lion Square ; and 
 my father relinquished his chambers in Lincoln's Inn, as 
 the house in East Street had convenient ones behind it. 
 
 I wish to avoid the appearance of stringing together 
 opinions and panegyrics in endless succession, by 
 quoting the Letters of my parents' friends ; but, in the 
 absence of diaries, it will be remembered, that I have 
 no other means of depicting the state of their minds, or 
 recording their growth in grace. In a Letter to my 
 mother, dated 11th mo. 1790, Esther Tuke, speaking of 
 my father, says : — " I wish him to be encouraged ; for 
 I believe it may be said to him, as unto Gideon, 
 ' Go in this thy might, thou mighty man of valour !' 
 &c. I believe he will feel an increase of strength in 
 many of his goings-out, particularly with respect to 
 repairing the wall which is broken down, by adhering 
 to the precept of, ' Salute no man by the way ; and if 
 any salute you, salute not them again.' We often lose 
 
SAKAH PHILLIPS. 
 
 03 
 
 strength, by entering into conversation of what is 
 going forward, what is to be done, &c." 
 
 Those, in whose memories the name of Sarah Pliil- 
 lips yet lives in aCFectionate recollection, will forgive 
 me, if, in tracing the lineaments of her sweet feminine 
 character, I yield too much to those glowing feelings 
 which the precious name of " mother " seldom fails to 
 call up, fresh and warm, from the heart's deep springs 
 of gratitude and love. 
 
 How full of incalculable responsibility is that en- 
 dearing relationship ! How fraught with the highest 
 and holiest opportunities for training up those immortal 
 beings who are committed to her care ! For how often 
 does it depend, under Providence, almost entirely on 
 a mother's early training, whether her children prove 
 blessings to society, and heirs of eternal peace ; or 
 whether they become mere vegetating beings, con- 
 suming time in the vapid monotony of a useless exis- 
 tence in this world, and falling short of the Rest pro- 
 mised to the people of God in the world which is beyond 
 the grave. Who shall define, in either case, how far 
 the blessing or the curse will extend ? Who shall trace 
 the still-widening circles which curl upon the surface 
 of the water long after the cause which originated them 
 has disappeared from our observation. 
 
 There are probably few who arrive at any distin- 
 guished eminence in virtue and piety, who do not 
 trace their earliest impressions of good to maternal 
 instrumentality — to the presiding spirit of prudence, 
 
64 
 
 CHARACTER OF SARAH PHILLIPS. 
 
 patience, firmness, and love, which the character of a 
 good mother exhibits; pervading, as with an atmo- 
 sphere of piety, every movement and action of the 
 family and household ! 
 
 My mother possessed great firmness and strength 
 of character — diffidence, and feminine sweetness, com- 
 bined with moral courage. Her mental perceptions 
 were acute, her judgment clear ; and she had so much 
 of that truly valuable quality, confidence in her own 
 powers, as enabled her to carry out her purposes to 
 completion. Many decide well ; but become timid at 
 the moment of acting ; and vacillate, in a manner which 
 renders their good judgment worse than useless. A 
 moderate intellect brought to bear upon the every-day 
 concerns of life, with steadiness of purpose, is more 
 valuable than brilliant perceptions and wise resolves 
 flinched from at the instant of achievement. In this 
 distinction, is it not that the chief difference exists 
 between what are called weak and strong minds? 
 Few, who have not attentively watched the workings of 
 these two striking characteristics of mental power and 
 weakness, can fully appreciate the great importance of 
 training young persons to use every means of strength- 
 ening the habit of mental energy and moral perseve- 
 rance ; teaching them to avoid rash and hasty decisions, 
 but sedulously to cultivate the courage which enables 
 them quietly and steadily to fulfil those designs which, 
 after mature deliberation, they have formed. Religion 
 here comes to our aid, with peculiar effect. The 
 
BENEVOLENCE OF SARAH PHILLIPS. 05 
 
 christian leans upon the arm of Omnipotence with firm 
 composure ; and acquires a greater dignity of character, 
 and a higher tone of mind, than is attainable by any 
 other means. Thus it is, that we see woman — weak, 
 defenceless woman — frequently face dangers, and sur- 
 mount difficulties, from which the stronger mind of 
 man, unassisted by such aid, shrinks discouraged. The 
 world calls it heroism : the christian denominates it, 
 the strength of God made perfect in weakness. 
 
 Sarah Phillips had a heart which never failed to 
 respond to the calls of poverty and distress : she took 
 peculiar delight in administering to the wants of indi- 
 vidual cases: though, from the circumstance of her 
 residing in London, and the very different style of alms- 
 giving in that period, her circle of recipients was not 
 large. It was more congenial to her feelings to extend 
 her charitable succour to the obscure sufferer, than to 
 labour on a large scale, and to approach a public sphere 
 of action ; leaving that department to her beloved hus- 
 band, in the progress and success of whose labours she 
 most cordially rejoiced. His mind, with masculine 
 vigour, delighted in combinations for effecting his 
 benevolent schemes, and bringing masses to bear upon 
 his dearly-cherished objects of good towards afflicted 
 mankind. She, with true woman's feelings, cared for 
 the small and minor details of human woe, anxious 
 that they should not be overlooked in the comprehensive 
 and undeniably more permanently useful plans of him 
 whose heart beat so truly in unison with her own. 
 
66 
 
 SOCIETY AT TUNBRIDGE WELLS. 
 
 My father bore a pleasing testimony to her, in this 
 respect, in a Letter written to her when he was absent 
 from home, upon a journey for religious purposes : it is 
 dated 29th of the 7 mo. 1794. He tells her, that he 
 approves of her benevolent intention toward the poor 
 sufferers by the late destructive fire, and wishes his 
 Sarah would mention her thoughts as to the sum ; 
 adding, " It is a pleasure to have to contribute for the 
 relief of the afflicted, wherein my Sarah may be said 
 not to be wanting." 
 
 The only Charitable Society which I know of my 
 mother being the means of establishing, was one for 
 the relief of poor women in their confinements. This 
 was at Tunbridge Wells, in 1816. As I have already 
 hinted, her habits, and the true feminine retiredness of 
 disposition which more particularly distinguished wo- 
 men of the olden time, would never have permitted her 
 to take the steps necessary for its establishment, by 
 calling upon ladies who were personally unknown to 
 her, even if her strength had not been wholly inade- 
 quate to the task. My father, therefore, took an 
 active part in stirring up the benevolent women of the 
 place to unite in the formation of the charity ; and his 
 proceedings amongst them afibrded one of those 
 characteristic exhibitions of his happy temper, which, 
 rejoicing in his labours of love, threw a sunny glow on 
 his path, and gladdened all around him. Charitable 
 Societies were then far less numerous than at the 
 present day ; and models for their organization were 
 
SAKAH Phillips's domestic management. G7 
 
 not so easy of access, while my father excelled in 
 framing rules for the management of them. He 
 accordingly met the Ladies' Committee, to assist them 
 in organizing their little Society. The morning was 
 a cold one ; and he sat amongst them, wrapped in one 
 of the ladies' shawls ; instructing them with all that 
 sportive good-humour by which he studied to conci- 
 liate those whom he was striving to lead forward in 
 his benevolent projects. 
 
 The Society was formed ; and has continued to flou- 
 rish ever since. The head who planned it, the kindred 
 hands who reared it, have mouldered into dust: but 
 the spirits who threw their energies into the task have 
 surely joined those who are gone to render an account 
 of the fulfilment of the work given them to do ; and, 
 as they behold fresh instances of comfort ai'ising fi'om 
 their labours here, they will raise new songs of praise 
 to Him, by whom they were honoured to become the 
 instruments of mercy and good-will to man 1 
 
 The talents for domestic management which my 
 honoured mother possessed were solid. Without the 
 affectation of good housewifery, which wastes as much 
 energy in fruitless bustle as in actual execution, she 
 yet maintained a thorough pervading superintendence 
 and well-defined authority : and now, after the lapse of 
 twenty-one years, I believe that a day seldom passes 
 over my head without its minor events calling up a 
 sense of the wisdom of her plans, by the sweet recol- 
 
 F 2 
 
(58 s. Phillips's appreciation of rural pleasures. 
 
 lection of the quiet houseliold comfort produced by the 
 unwearied steadiness of her domestic government. 
 
 The delicate health of my mother — chiefly caused, 
 I believe, by long-protracted and arduous filial duties, 
 pressing upon a constitution naturally far from strong 
 — rendered her unable to bear the close air of London ; 
 and she required frequent removal from its atmosphere, 
 to more congenial situations. 
 
 Few persons were more capable of appreciating the 
 pleasures of rural scenes — the sights and sounds of 
 village localities — the refreshing shade and the sweet 
 melodies which belong to the joyous woods — and the 
 repose which steals upon the exhausted spirit, from the 
 contemplation of beautiful scenery. The perfect har- 
 mony of form and tint, which pervades an extensive pro- 
 spect, produces an elevating yet quieting effect, which 
 must be felt to be understood. It comes on the soul of 
 those who are formed with the capability of compre- 
 hending its charms, like soft and distant music, which 
 
 " Attunes the wondering soul to praise." ' 
 Thus my father also felt such scenes, as, with the settled 
 bent of his soul, he looked, through the contemplation 
 of nature, " up to nature's God " : not using them as 
 nurses to morbid sensibilities, but as objects of enjoy- 
 ment, sources of refreshment, in passing from one 
 field of active labour to another. He thus felt the 
 
 (') Ps. Ixxiv. in, 17. Williams. — See P. Gurney's Selection of 
 Hymns, p. 143. 
 
COWPER ON UETIUE.MICNT. 
 
 6!) 
 
 lines of his favourite poet, Cowper, sweetly fitted for 
 the expression of his feelings; and he sometimes re- 
 peated the little poem ' On Retirement,' particularly the 
 second, third, and fourth verses, in reference to such 
 subjects ; though the two last verses were also strikingly 
 in accordance with the bias of his spirit : — 
 
 " Far from the world, O Lord, I flee. 
 From strife and tumult far ; 
 From scenes where Satan wages still 
 His most successful war ! 
 
 " The calm retreat, the silent shade. 
 With prayer and praise agree, 
 And seem, by Thy sweet bounty, made 
 For those who follow Thee. 
 
 " There, if Thy spirit touch the soul, 
 And grace her mean abode. 
 Oh, with what peace, and joy, and love, 
 She communes with her God ! 
 
 " There, like the nightingale, she pours 
 Her solitary lays; 
 Nor asks a witness of her song. 
 Nor thirsts for human praise. 
 
 " Author and Guardian of my life, 
 Sweet Source of light divine, 
 And (all harmonious names in one) 
 My Saviour, thou art mine ! 
 
 " What thanks I owe Thee, and what love — 
 A boundless, endless store, 
 Shall echo tlirough the realms above, 
 ^V'hen time shall be no more !" - 
 
 (-) See P. Gurney's Selection of Hymns, p. 248. 
 
70 
 
 SUMMER EXCURSIONS. 
 
 The summer excursions of my parents presented 
 ample fields of labour in a variety of ways — Ministerial 
 and philanthropic, in public and private ; of which my 
 father availed himself with an energy which was not 
 bounded by prudence, but only by actual incapability 
 of further exertion. I think it very probable that 
 they were guided, in their choice of destination and 
 time, in no small degree, by that reverential watchful- 
 ness of the leadings and openings of Providence which 
 marks the steps of all spiritually-minded persons. 
 I can faintly remember too, in my childhood, some 
 trials of patience which my precious mother and I 
 had to endure — some delays, and unpackings, and dis- 
 arrangements of domestic plans — which originated with 
 my dear father, and which I have now little doubt 
 arose from the cause I have mentioned. 
 
 From his being thus led about his great Master''s 
 business in what may appear an informal manner, 
 I conceive it happened that he so seldom travelled 
 professedly in the work of the Ministry, either in 
 company with others or with a certificate ^ himself : in 
 fact, I find no trace of the latter having occurred more 
 than once, though occasionally he and my mother 
 accompanied those who went on such religious jour- 
 neys. The first notice which I have discovered of such 
 a movement on the part of my father, after the one 
 
 (') A document given to the Minister by the Monthly Meeting 
 to which he belongs, testifying its unity with hini, and its approval 
 of the objects proposed by his (or her) rehgious engagement. 
 
FAMILY VISITS IN RATCLIFFE QUARTER. 71 
 
 which I have recorded, with its memorable incident, 
 at p. 39, is in a Letter from Elizabeth Tuke, dated 
 Sheffield, 13th of the 4th month 1791, and addressed to 
 my mother. She says : " I was glad to hear of dear 
 Richard's getting out ; hoping it will prove useful 
 to body and mind. I know thee too well to believe 
 such a separation could by any thing be made pleasant, 
 or even easy, but the apprehension of each being in 
 your respective allotments ; and here, my dear friend, 
 wilt thou often feel hard things made easy, and bitter 
 cups made sweeter." 
 
 The time when he requested and obtained a certificate 
 is thus mentioned on the books of the Westminster 
 Monthly Meeting :— 
 
 " 12th of 4th month 1792— Richard Phillips having 
 laid before this Meeting a concern he hath to accom- 
 pany our dear friends Deborah Darby and Rebecca 
 Young on a visit they have a prospect of paying to the 
 families'* in RatclilFe Monthly Meeting ; which having 
 been solidly considered, we feel unity therewith, and 
 leave him at liberty to propose the matter to the said 
 Meeting." 
 
 " 31st of 5th month 1792 — Richard Phillips informs 
 this Meeting, that having received the concurrence of 
 
 (^) In these visits, the Ministers call on every family of those 
 professing with the Society of Friends ; either sitting with them in 
 silence, or addressing them according to the impression on the mind 
 of the speaker, of his (or her) duty towards them, or offering up 
 supplication for them. 
 
72 
 
 JOliRNEY WITH E. TURK AND OTHERS. 
 
 RatclifFe Monthly Meeting, he joined tlie Friends, as 
 proposed, in the family visit, and had peace in the 
 service." 
 
 A Letter from Elizabeth Tuke, dated York, 19th of 
 the 6th month 1792 — and one from Elizabeth Hoyland, 
 at Doncaster, of the same date — allude to his having, 
 with my mother, " taken a little turn out" with Esther 
 Tuke, E. Hoyland, and John Abbott. I think they 
 accompanied them a little way on their journey north- 
 wards. That the health of both was delicate, is noticed 
 in one Letter ; and the disposition to use more exertion 
 than their strength was able to bear, produced some 
 kind words of caution from Esther Tuke to my dear 
 mother. She says : " I was glad to hear thy Richard 
 and thyself took a little turn out with them ; as I hope 
 thy health will be bettered by it, and thy husband's 
 also : for I do think you had need take especial care of 
 each other, and of yourselves ; then you may rub along 
 pretty comfortably, in the main ; which any how, I do 
 hope, will be your experience, notwithstanding bonds 
 and afflictions must be expected to await you. But I 
 want that R. P. of ours to do justice to his consti- 
 tution: what then succeeds, under divine controul, 
 may be blessings to us, if we are not found destroying 
 ourselves." 
 
 Elizabeth Hoyland remarks : — " I hope you would not 
 have cause to repent leaving your comfortable habita- 
 tion : and though your company was truly pleasant to 
 
VISITS WITH W. CKOTCH AND H.TUKli. 73 
 
 US, yet the evidence of our separation being at the 
 right time, and so under that precious influence that is 
 not under our command, left such a sweet savour, as 
 comparatively made our parting easy." 
 
 In the spring of 1794, William Crotch and Henry 
 Tuke were engaged in paying a religious visit in 
 London, in which my parents appear to have accom- 
 panied them; but I cannot trace many particulars of 
 their proceedings. Elizabeth Tuke writes, on the 4 th 
 of the 2d month 1794 : "You would perhaps hear that 
 my brother Henry is out, with the leave of his friends ^ 
 to visit the great cities of Norwich, London, and 
 Bristol. W. Crotch and he have now nearly got 
 through the families at Norwich, with Mary Alexander : 
 — whither, from thence, we know not." Esther Tuke 
 remarks, in a Letter dated 21st of 4th month 1794: 
 " As to our H. T., he seems to belong more to you 
 than to us, at present :" and, after alluding to Wil- 
 liam Crotch, adds : " It was no small gratification 
 to find you devoted so much time to accompany 
 them. H. T. says it tended to sweeten many of their 
 bitter cups ; — that no one helps W. C. like thy R. P., 
 whose cheerful conversation often turns back his 
 glooms. H. T. also comforts me in saying, that they 
 were greatly helped by thy R. P.'s exercising his ex- 
 cellent gift. You know, the offering of what may be 
 called ' adulation ' is loathsome to purified minds, and 
 
 Out with a certificate. 
 
74 JOURNEY WITH A. TUKE ANU M. HOYLAND. 
 
 beneath fellow-labourers to offer ; but, to the diffident 
 and Thomases, any thing that tendeth to discourage 
 unbelief, when it arises, ought not to be withheld." 
 
 My parents also appear to have travelled a little 
 with Elizabeth Drinker and Sarah Rudd, in the summer 
 of 1794, About the 19th or 20th of the 7th month, 
 1794, my father left London, in company with Ann 
 Tuke (afterwards the wife of William Alexander), and 
 Margaret Hoyland, from Ireland, on a religious visit 
 in parts of Surrey, Hampshire, Wiltshire, and in Bris- 
 tol ; holding Public Meetings, attending Friends' re- 
 gular Meetings, and visiting a very few families. It 
 was a long and trying time ; and they travelled over 
 much space, without going very far from home. By 
 the 4th of the Sth month, my father remarks, they had 
 gone 200 miles, though they were only thirty miles 
 distant from home ; and he added thirty-one to that, by 
 giving thorough notices of the Public Meetings. The 
 two female friends found him a truly useful care-taker, 
 and, as they said, an indispensable assistant to them, in 
 making arrangements for their Meetings. 
 
 Margaret Hoyland says, in a few lines which she 
 addressed to my mother, in the same sheet with one of 
 my father's Letters to her ; dated Dorking, 27th of 7th 
 month 1794 :— 
 
 " It is kind of thee to give up thy R. P. so freely 
 to us : his company is very pleasant ; and his spirit 
 and labours seem cordially to harmonize with our 
 
R. I'lIILLIPS's LETTKRS TO HIS WIFE. 
 
 75 
 
 A. T.'s movements; and, in accomplishing her pro- 
 spects, his assistance appears quite necessary, as we 
 have been circumstanced. I hope he does not suflFer 
 in his health by this excursion ; and his spirits seem 
 frequently less oppressed than when we left thee ; 
 though it is evident his sensibility and line of ser- 
 vice subject him to a considerable proportion of 
 exercise." 
 
 Ann Tuke tells my mother, at the end of a Letter 
 dated 29th of 7th mo. 1794, that "thy R. P.'s com- 
 pany has not only been pleasant, but often appeared 
 indispensably needful, in the singular path which at 
 times seems cast up for thy affectionate and obliged 
 friend, A. T." 
 
 A few extracts from the Letters which my father 
 wrote to my mother, whilst absent from her on this 
 journey, will be interesting; as exhibiting something of 
 his inward path at that period, and his affectionate 
 solicitude for the woman whom he felt to be so precious 
 a companion to him. They are written amidst changing 
 scenes and much occupation, and are therefore not 
 well calculated, perhaps, to meet the public eye : but, as 
 I possess so few of his Letters, excepting some written 
 for particnlar purposes, much nearer the end of his 
 life, it seems wrong to withhold the insight which such 
 documents afford of his views and feelings ; and I trust 
 I do not thus misuse the almost sacred deposit which 
 Letters so written become, when both parties have 
 
76 
 
 LETTERS FROM CARSHALTON. 
 
 entered into that state where no anxious cares mingle 
 with the interchange of every virtuous and hallowed 
 feeling of friendship and love. 
 
 "Carshalton, 21st of 7th mo. 1794. 
 " My much-beloved Sarah's indisposition has occu- 
 pied the thoughts and desires of her Richard. How 
 could it do otherwise, when his chief earthly treasure is 
 
 there centered ? I am better ; — my mind is more 
 
 calm and settled this morning, but lower than I recol- 
 lect it to have been for some time past. From 
 
 Esher I hope to write — and hear, from my very dear 
 Sarah ^ a true account of her health. In this, re- 
 member thy Richard, who, with a feeling of very near 
 affection, concludes, 
 
 " Her solicitous Husband, 
 
 " Richard Phillips." 
 
 "Carshalton, 23d of 7 mo. 1794. 
 
 " Ann felt it best to have a Meeting at the 
 
 village of Carshalton; which was held at a barn, at 
 seven. The inhabitants seemed pleased — the Meeting 
 satisfactory. Pressed upon, partly by discouragement 
 — and want of faith, which of late seems to have been 
 nearly gone — at the Meeting at Mitcham I did not 
 give up'. Tliis Meeting was thought to conclude 
 
 (^) My father generally put only the initial letter of my mo- 
 ther's name. I have supplied the deficiency in this case, and that 
 of some others ; as, of course, they were intended to be read out 
 at length. 
 
 ( ' ) Doubtless to an impression of duty, to express something. 
 
DORKING. — PUBLIC MEETINGS. 
 
 77 
 
 unfinished ; and R. P. came away burthened. Taught 
 by this deserved suffering, yesterday I acted differently ; 
 and had different feelings in returning here. &c." 
 
 " Carshalton, 25th of 7th mo. 1794. 
 
 " Our last Meeting, on 4th day, at Merton, was 
 
 quite satisfactory. In conduct and assistance, Friends 
 have shewn their kindness in this new track', which, I 
 should not be surprised, [will be] more followed than 
 heretofore ; the minds of the people appearing as if in 
 some degree prepared, and perhaps preparing, for at- 
 tention to, and probably reception of, Gospel truths. 
 I am inclined to suspect that doubts (though perhaps in 
 a small degree) seem to prevail amongst them, as to 
 their religious pursuits ; — frequently the forerunner of 
 ' What shall I do to be saved ?' " 
 
 " Dorking, 27th of 7th mo. 1794. 
 
 " Yesterday there was a Meeting of the Friends 
 
 at Esher : and in the evening, at a barn at Cobham, 
 was held a Public Meeting, pretty fully attended. This 
 morning we were at the Meeting here. Lamentably 
 low is the situation of the Society here — Where is it 
 otherwise ? However, there still remain mourners, on 
 account of the captivity of Zion. These, if they con- 
 tinue faithful, shall in no wise lose their reward. To 
 
 (') Alluding, I suppose, to Public Meetings as Friends call 
 those which are held with the wish of meeting with persons who 
 arc not members of our religious persuasion. 
 
78 
 
 MEETING AT LEATHERHEAD. — CAPEL. 
 
 me, it is subject for joy, that, in firm belief, I can class 
 my much-beloved Sarah amongst the number, who, I 
 have firm confidence, will become His, in the day when 
 
 he makes up His jewels. A Meeting is appointed 
 
 at Leatherhead, at seven ; and notice given, pretty 
 generally, to the inhabitants ; of whom but few are 
 expected, on account of the weather proving wet. If 
 the right one, or ones, be found amongst the few, it is 
 enough." 
 
 "Capel, 29th of 7th mo. 1794. 
 " First-day Evening. — The Public Meeting at Lea- 
 therhead was attended much beyond expectation. The 
 barn was crowded, in the part selected for the Meeting. 
 — My dear love to Sister E. Lloyd ^ The addition of a 
 girl has, I expect, been more acceptable than if a boy 
 being the act of Providence, it must be best. I wish 
 this, and all His dispensations respecting us, may, by 
 our increasing humility and submission to His re- 
 quiring, become additional blessings, and work unin- 
 terruptedly for our good. In degree, I know herein my 
 own deficiency ; and lament, without making much, if 
 any, progress in the school of real wisdom ; although 
 my dearest Sarah has frequently afibrded me an encou- 
 raging example." 
 
 (') Tlie eldest daiighter of Thomas and Sarah Corbyn, and wife 
 of John Lloyd ; both now deceased. 
 
 ('") On account of there bemg already many sons in her 
 family. 
 
E, DRINKERS ILLNESS. 
 
 79 
 
 "Godalming, 1st of 8th mo. 1794. 
 "As usual, my beloved Sai*ah's Letter was truly 
 acceptable, having desired much to hear from her. It 
 was not for want of real regard to our beloved friend 
 E. Drinker ", I omitted requesting my dear love might 
 be given her, in her afflicted situation ; which, it seems 
 likely, is now near terminating in endless bliss ; — 
 a happy portion ! How different from those who, tossed 
 as on the tempestuous billows of uncertainty, know not 
 but that their various exercises and afflictions may fail 
 to land them in the desired haven of rest ! I hope, 
 from what I have mentioned, my beloved Sarah will 
 not reap any discouragement; being convinced that 
 encouragement is her proper bread. Do give my 
 love to E. D., accompanied with every desire that 
 may promote her best interest, I am pleased my 
 Sarah went to Plaistow; and that watchfulness and 
 patience were exercised by her ; which, when fully 
 possessed, will, I have no doubt, preserve both the 
 strong and weak, through every exercise and proba- 
 tion, with safety and satisfaction : of these virtues, 
 thy R. P. stands in need of a large addition : may 
 
 faithfulness secure them ! E. Drinker has been 
 
 much the subject of our thoughts and solicitous desires, 
 for her consoling support to the haven of perpetual, 
 unalloyed rest. I know not one I feel greater love for, 
 than this afflicted disciple. I have been, in degree, 
 united to her. Happy for me if it be continued and 
 
 (") An eminent Minister; one whose last moments my dear 
 mother watched with tender care and affectionate attention. 
 
80 GUILDFORD. GODALMING. E. DRINKER. 
 
 increased ! — a prospect which present unworthiness for- 
 bids me to entertain." 
 
 "Guildford, 4th of 8th mo. 1794. 
 " I can truly say it has been cause of joy to me, in a 
 very low spot, that I was favoured to feel for my 
 dearly-beloved Sarah, when her mind was exercised 
 
 respecting the : and although, at the time, I was 
 
 ignorantly inclined to fear, not knowing the cause, that 
 something bodily might ail my Sarah — and therefore 
 was anxious to hear from, and at times to see her — yet 
 the information, that it was feeling with her in her 
 warfare, has repaid for those fears and anxieties to 
 which the mind of thy, at times, conflicted R. P. seems 
 too prone. Thus to feel for and with each other points 
 to an union which I wish ever to continue." 
 
 " Godalming, 7th of 8th mo. 1794. 
 " John Elliott mentioned dear E. Drinker being still 
 continued. I hope my Sarah has endeavoured to see, 
 and at times be with her. If sensible, do give her 
 my dear love. Though to part with real disciples is 
 painful, when the Church seems to stand so much in 
 need of them, yet how grateful to them must be the 
 prospect of a joyful release from all labours, sorrow, 
 and uncertainty, and a gaining of rest, joy, and an 
 endless certainty of unmixed bliss ! 
 
 ('■') This is a hint of my precious father's belief, which he, in 
 common with many devout persons, entertained on the subject of 
 the communion of spirits. 
 
E. drinker's death. 
 
 81 
 
 " I can truly say, my much-beloved Sarah, that this 
 journey, to me, in various respects, has been trying 
 and laborious : to wading seasons, and low times, I have 
 been no stranger : when strength and faith seem to be 
 at the lowest ebb, poor I, truly, am not, at times, void 
 of a fear I shall fall short of holding: out, even in small 
 things — much more in the work which may be allotted — 
 during the abode in this mutable state. However, there 
 does exist a High Priest, touched with, and who, I trust, 
 compassionates, the infirmities even of the most infirm 
 and feeble of the flock ; not extreme to mark what 
 may be done amiss, but willing to forgive, and cherish 
 the feeblest spark of life. How happy that such an 
 one we have to deal with ! Had it been otherwise, 
 what now must have been ray portion ! " 
 
 "Basingstoke, 13th of 8th mo. 1794. 
 " I cannot lament the release of our beloved friend " ; 
 her removal, no doubt, being from labour and pain, to 
 rest and unceasing felicity. These are the truly happy ! 
 T wish we may, by their example, be encouraged, witli 
 depending patience, to run the race (though apparently 
 at times wearisome) set before us ; that with them we 
 may receive the penny ; and experience our end to be 
 unalloyed peace, gathered unto the righteous of all 
 generations. I doubt not of my dear Sarah being pro- 
 perly gratified in her attention to the dying saint; and 
 I hope her health is not impaired thereby. Before and 
 since our friend's removal, I have several times thought 
 
 {") Elizabeth Drinker. 
 a 
 
82 
 
 D. DARBY — HER DEATH. 
 
 of her last appearance " at Westminster Meeting. ' Pre- 
 cious, very precious, in the eyes of the Lord is the death 
 of His saints ! ' — an experience now realized to her, 
 who, in example, calls, to ' mark the upright man, and 
 behold the perfect ; for the end of that man is peace.'' 
 
 " I heard lately of a Letter heing received from D. 
 Darby'^; dated, I believe, at Blackwater, Virginia, near 
 the end of the 5th month. They seemed to be well in 
 health. She had been six months, before the last Letters 
 were received, without hearing from her relations : — 
 went, in a waggon drawn by four horses, to visit a distant 
 colony of Friends beyond the Blue Moimtains, who had 
 only, before, been visited by a Committee : — seemed sa- 
 tisfied with this journey of 600 miles : — had lain a night 
 in the woods, occasioned by the swelling of a rivulet. 
 But perhaps my Sarah has heard this, and more?" 
 
 On the occasion of Deborah Darby's death, the 
 regret of her surviving friends was so feelingly ex- 
 pressed at the Yearly Meeting, and a tone of so sad- 
 dening a nature pervaded the assembly, that my 
 father rose, and, in his own beautiful manner, repeated 
 the following lines of a Hymn, written on the Death of 
 a Minister, by the pious Cowper. The effect was very 
 remarkable; rousing the Meeting from its undue 
 depression, and producing a sweet and tranquil feeling, 
 
 (''') Preaching. 
 
 The expression she used ; referring, without doubt, to Psalm 
 cxvi. 15. 
 
 ("') A very eminent Minister among the Friends. 
 
BRISTOL. 
 
 83 
 
 which the lapse of many years has not been able to 
 efface from the memory of some who were then cotem- 
 porary with my beloved father : — 
 
 What ! when a Paul has run his race, 
 
 Or when Apollos dies, 
 Is Israel left without resource, 
 
 And have we no supplies ? 
 
 Yes, while the dear Redeemer lives, 
 
 We have a boundless store, 
 And shall be fed with what He gives. 
 
 Who lives for evermore." 
 
 " Bristol, 31st of 8th mo. 1794. 
 " The resignation, which my dear helpmate in her 
 last and a former Letter manifests, affects, instructs, 
 and comforts me : indeed, the desire which she ex- 
 pressed for my possessing our beloved Masters peace, 
 on my return, is a cordial to my drooping spirits. I 
 could wish that the expectation held out in my last 
 was likely to be realized, so as not to render my writing 
 to my dearly-beloved Sarah, by this post, necessary : but 
 as now I have no expectation of returning sooner than 
 after third-day Meeting, it would be far from re- 
 turning the affection due to my own Sarah, to omit 
 sending, per return, this information ; which how to 
 reduce to a certainty, I know not, at present ; although, 
 at this morning's Meeting, it looked likely. Should that 
 be the case, I doubt not it will be received with thank- 
 fulness. About two weeks, or more, shall I then have 
 
 (") Olney Hymns, New Edition, 1825. p. 237. I am mdebted 
 to my dear friend Elizabeth Dudley for this little anecdote. 
 
 o 2 
 
84 BRISTOL. 
 
 to spend with my best-beloved Sarah, before the Welsh 
 journey Before I quitted my Sarah, I thought" my 
 love could not be increased ; but, since, I have felt her 
 so near, sweetly so, that I have felt thankful to Him 
 from whom I believed it did and does proceed ; — and 
 I believe my own Sarah has, and will, feel His peace, 
 perhaps for her present sacrifice." 
 
 " Bristol, 5th of 9th mo. 1794. 
 
 "Although I wrote yesterday to my best-beloved 
 Sarah, yet, considering if I omitted writing by this 
 post my Sarah would not hear from me before second- 
 day's post, I did not like to omit sending her a few 
 lines, containing probably very little. My health is as 
 well as usual ; my mind, as might have been expected 
 in this city, much exercised in silent suffering : thus I 
 passed the Meeting last evening, and for near an hour 
 and a half previous thereto ; and such, in degree, is my 
 present situation. Trying this is to patience ; but the 
 nearer we approach to the abode of the Seed, the more, 
 I believe, will be our suffering ; — and may we patiently 
 bear up under it ! — for, doubtless, those who patiently 
 suffer with it shall reign with it, — transiently, at times, 
 here ; and, permanently, hereafter. 
 
 " Desirous of escaping from hence on third day, 
 I called at the inn from whence a coach goes, and 
 
 ('*) A journey wliich several Members of a Committee, ap- 
 pointed by the Yearly Meeting, were going to make, in order to 
 visit some smaller Meetings, &c. His cousin, Joseph Gurney 
 Bevan, was one of this Committee, 
 
BKISIUI,. 
 
 8j 
 
 proceeded so far as to have my name put down as a 
 passenger, but which it seemed best immediately to 
 
 withdraw. I feel indebted to my brother-in-law, 
 
 J. C. for his kind attention to a truly-deserving 
 sister. My love to him." 
 
 "Bristol, 4th of 9th mo. 1794. 
 
 " Without expecting to send this Letter to my dearly- 
 beloved Sarah by to-day's post, I intend employing a 
 little of my time in thus communicating with my 
 Sarah ; who, from my Letter of yesterday, may see the 
 state of uncertainty I dwell in ; seemingly more trying 
 to me on my Sarah's account than on any other, at 
 times having more to feel on hers than on my own 
 account. It is not only trying, but cause of surprise, 
 that such a little insignificant one should be thus de- 
 tained, under some suffering, in this city. Perhaps it 
 may be for the purpose of giving me a fresh lesson of 
 patience, of which I certainly stand in need. I have 
 sat four Meetings, and, except a weak offering in the 
 second, have been silent ; though at times alive, and 
 much oppressed in feelings. But from this oppression 
 some encouragement may be derived ; for such is the 
 state of society, that to dwell with the blessed Seed is to 
 dwell in prison and in suffering ; but it shall enjoy its 
 own in the end, when patience has had its perfect work. 
 
 "Yesterday, W.^" and myself attended the funeral, 
 
 John Corbyn, of Walthamstow, Essex, the youngest child 
 and only son of Thomas and Sarah Corbyn 
 William Crotch. 
 
86 BRISTOL — WIDOW NASHS DAUGHTER, 
 
 at Clareham, of a middle-aged woman, who has left a 
 husband and four children. For no small time of the 
 Meeting, my sitting felt to be in darkness, poverty, and 
 indiSerency; which, concluding to be, in no small 
 degree, my own state, produced sorrow and discourage- 
 ment; until, by the communication of W. and the 
 further progress of feeling, I was led to believe it 
 might relate to others also, which it seemed best to 
 mention : but, discouraged by the low estate of things, 
 and great weakness, I concluded prematurely ; which 
 being seen by W., and my feeling being strength- 
 ened, a renewal was attempted at the grave ; where, 
 amidst much weakness, some real strength was mani- 
 fested — of late, an unusual circumstance. On our 
 return, we dined at a friend's ; where, amidst very mo- 
 derate circumstances, content and a good portion of 
 innocence seemed to be possessed : — had a short, encou- 
 raging opportunity. From thence, two or three miles 
 Bearer Bristol, William inclined to call on a Widow 
 Nash, and an afflicted daughter : — and here I could have 
 desired for my beloved Sarah to have partaken of the 
 feelings which the enviable state of this dear child 
 seemed to afford. She is about thirteen, much afflicted : 
 first, I believe, by fits, which, for the present, have 
 ceased : she is much emaciated, has lost the use of her 
 legs, and, in a considerable degree, of her hands ; — is 
 generally in a reclining posture. Her appetite now 
 seems to fail ; and I believe she is seldom without pain : 
 and her happy conclusion, as to time, does not appear 
 to be remote. Thus tryingly is she afflicted : but how 
 
WIDOW nash's uauohteu. 
 
 87 
 
 wonderfully efficacious do they [her sufferings] appear 
 to have been ! — so purified, and sanctified, as if nothing 
 remained, but to wait, with girded loins and a well- 
 trimmed lamp, for the Bridegroom's call. I never felt 
 the like respecting any one ; — neither William, except 
 one, a little boy. Her refined, innocent spirit it was 
 consoling to weary travellers to feel ; being, methought, 
 one of those little-ones of whom is the Kingdom 
 of Heaven, and whose angels are said to behold the 
 face of their Heavenly Father. In patience and resig- 
 nation, thus young, she affords a bright example. — 
 During a short sitting, on her account, a rejoicing in 
 humility was experienced. 
 
 " In suffering, I do not wish for my Sarah to be a 
 partaker; but when consolation in a small degree is 
 felt, then I wish not to eat my bread alone, but with 
 my dearly-beloved Sarah to share. This produced 
 the desire (wherein W. joined) for my Sarah to feel 
 this little angel's spirit; rejoicing, I. believe, while 
 clothed with mortality and its infirmities. 
 
 ^ 'if: ^ 'if: 
 
 " I have just received my Sarah's Letter. I need not 
 say it was truly satisfactory to an exercised mind, but 
 not so much distressed as has been the case. I have no 
 doubt that the acuteness of my much-beloved Sarah is 
 less. I rejoice it is what I have been repeatedly de- 
 sirous might be experienced. With me, there exists 
 not a doubt but that it proceeds from acceptable 
 resignation." 
 
88 LETTERS ON THE WELSH JOURNEY. 
 
 I must now give some Extracts from Letters written 
 to my mother, on the journey into Wales with the 
 Committee, alluded to at p. 85. 
 
 " Worcester, 21st of 7th mo. 1794. 
 " I wish any thing my Sarah may believe conducive 
 thereto [to her comfort], she may not withhold, as 
 to procuring a companion in her solitary habitation, 
 or otherwise: though, while writing, I do without 
 doubt renewedly believe she has the best companion — 
 Him, who cares for, and who will sustain, the tried and 
 afflicted; though at times, as with an invisible arm, 
 hiding Himself, to try our faith; but in due season 
 
 manifesting Himself : for He will, in His own 
 
 time, console the afflicted, and never forsake them. 
 My mind at present is pretty quiet ; not so conflicted 
 as for a length of time it has been. A comfortable 
 addition thereto, would be the information, that such 
 
 is the case with my beloved Sarah. My health 
 
 and strength continue better than I could expect. This 
 morning's Meeting was exercising, and some relief 
 obtained. We want more weaning from man and 
 instruments, that more dependence might be placed 
 on the pure Spring, and greater watchfulness for its 
 arising; which, if properly attended to, would never 
 be unfruitful or unprofitable." 
 
 " Haverfordwest, 28th of 9th mo. 1794. 
 " Last fifth day, I wrote to my dearest Sarah from 
 Llandovery, expecting it would be received yesterday. 
 
HAVERFORDWEST. 
 
 89 
 
 That day, instead of ^oing forward, as expected, to 
 Llandilo, we went no farther than about six miles — to 
 
 Job Thomas's. About eight the next morning, 
 
 after breakfast and a short opportunity, we set forward ; 
 — arrived at Carmarthen, twenty-one miles (having 
 baited our horses), about three; where, by desire of 
 T. Colley, a Public Meeting was held that evening, 
 which was crowded. He stood ^' for a considerable 
 time ; and was followed by a friend in Welsh ; when 
 the Meeting concluded. Yesterday we continued 
 
 our journey ; and arrived here about five. 
 
 Hitherto my path has been, in degree, exercised ; and 
 low' — at times almost discouragingly so; — it may be, 
 and seems most likely, more on my own account than 
 that of the Society ; which, indeed, is very low ! There 
 doubtless is One who can work by few as by many ; 
 but if there is not a permitting Him to rule in them, 
 how can He work by them ? 
 
 " On sixth day, I called at the post-office at Llandilo ; 
 and received my beloved Sarah's Letter of the 23d, 
 which was acceptable. Her R. P. wished to hear 
 from her ; on whom he often thinks, in low moments, 
 when every thing here seems to fail in affording 
 scarce any consolation. But for me, it may be — 
 probably is — good to be brought and dwell thus low, 
 and in silence to pass away exercised time. If pre- 
 servation be my lot, I should be thankful. As to my 
 Sarah, I do not believe she is conscious altogether 
 
 (-') Preached. 
 
90 HAVERFORDWEST. 
 
 of her state. I cannot but think, at times, it is ac- 
 ceptable — perhaps mostly so to our benevolent, sustain- 
 ing Master, and at times Leader into baptisms and 
 deaths, that His gracious work may go forward, and 
 His glorious design [be] accomplished. Oh, may 
 patience be handed to us, accepted, and do its blessed 
 work ! for in this day we need much of patience (when 
 was it otherwise .^^) : for although, in this cold, luke- 
 warm age, summer may appear before it comes, and 
 the fruits of autumn still linger, yet those who are 
 blessed to wait shall reap in due time their sweet 
 reward : for yet, comparatively a little while. He that 
 will come, shall come, and will not tarry ; bringing, in 
 undiminished bounty, His perfect, unmerited reward 
 with Him. Then the blind shall see, and the dumb 
 sing, for unutterable joy; when they receive the re- 
 ward in degree, even while here, of their labours, and 
 behold the tendency and end of their faith. Doubt- 
 less, not small will be the consolation of the afflicted 
 blind, when given to see the cause and object of their 
 repeated baptisms into the cloud, the sea, and death. 
 In these I wish — though, as to myself, scarce know 
 how to expect — we may remain patiently the allotted 
 time, in that which will give us the victory — make 
 more than conquerors ! Then, 
 
 " ' The dumb shall sing ; the lame his crutch forego, 
 And leap, exulting, like the bounding roe.' 
 
 (^^) Pope's Messiah. My dear father frequently repeated these 
 lines, in his melodious and sweetly-modulated voice. 
 
HAVERFORDWEST. 
 
 91 
 
 "As to my beloved Sarah, I have no doubt of good 
 things being in store for her, whether she believes 
 it or not: in time they shall be in degree revealed, 
 and the object of her exercises and baptisms savingly 
 disclosed. — More and more, my beloved Sarah, seek to 
 wait for this! Avoid unprofitable discouragement; 
 and applying that to thyself — which may not belong, 
 but only as partaking of the afflictions of the body — 
 and great will be thy reward. But I must conclude, 
 time pressing, 
 
 " My own Sarah's affectionate Husband, 
 
 " Richard Phillips." 
 
 " Haverfordwest, 1st of 10th mo. 1794. 
 
 " Not being certain of writing to-morrow to my own 
 beloved Sarah, so as to forward it by the post, it seems 
 most agreeable to write this evening, that my Sarah 
 may be informed when we expect being at Swansea ; 
 which now seems likely to be next seventh day: to 
 which purpose I have just written to my mother; or 
 Esther in her absence. 
 
 " On second day, we attended the Quarterly Meeting 
 
 here. Yesterday, we went down to a Meeting 
 
 appointed with the Friends from Nova Scotia, living 
 near Milford, in the morning; and in the evening, 
 had a Public Meeting at Milford. 
 
 " J. G. B. and self seem, in feeling, in many respects, 
 
 (^^) His sister, the little " Hetty " mentioned at page 4. 
 
92 
 
 SWANSEA. 
 
 to have been united; for I trust it is not altogether 
 
 our own, if in any degree. 
 
 " My best beloved's affectionate Husband, 
 
 " Richard Phillips." 
 
 " Swansea, 5th of 10th mo. 1794. 
 " The desired Letter from my beloved Sarah I re- 
 ceived on my arrival here, last evening. Had it con- 
 tained a more favourable account of my dearest Sarah's 
 health and spirits, it would have proved more ac- 
 ceptable. 
 
 ***** 
 
 " Cousin J. G. B. and self lodged at my mother's ; 
 who I found not so well as I expected, although 
 
 better than a short time since. My mind is less 
 
 exercised than it has been. Hitherto, this journey, 
 to my cousin J. G. B., has been in no small degree 
 exercising. At times, I have been much cast down 
 and depressed ; but there is that can preserve, 
 through all baptisms and dispensations, I wish 
 my Sarah would not so shut the door against all con- 
 solation : I cannot think it right. To be sensible of 
 the absence of Good, as to our feelings, (for otherwise 
 I do not believe He is absent, particularly as to my 
 Sarah,) is undoubtedly desirable. To endure patiently 
 this absence is profitable ; and in the end will produce 
 a sweet reward. If I say such is my faith, [that] my 
 Sarah will receive, it would be no more than present 
 feelings authorise. But what avails my thus expressing 
 myself, however authorised, to my Sarah, who (I think 
 
SWANSEA. NEATH. 
 
 93 
 
 improperly) seems resolved to turn a deaf ear to in- 
 strumental encouragement? I do wish my Sarah to 
 consider the propriety of thus limiting the way whereby 
 consolation may be appointed to flow. 
 
 " I sat yesterday Meetings silent. In the after- 
 noon, not many of the Society attended. 
 
 " My mother proposes going, in about two weeks, 
 from home ; make a short stay at Bath ; and then go 
 to London, and spend her time there at Brompton^* 
 and East Street. Esther will go with her. Ann^^ 
 is not here : last fourth day two weeks she went to 
 see her acquaintance Jane Powell, near Brecon. I do 
 not expect to see her. She and Esther are tolerable. 
 
 To-morrow morning we intend leaving this 
 
 place, for Pontypool." 
 
 " Neath, 7th of lOth mo. 1794. 
 " Feeling affection induces me to write this morning 
 to my much-loved Sarah: although I wrote her yes- 
 terday from Swansea, which my cousin and self left 
 this morning about six. My exercises there were 
 trying and lasting ; but hoping, at times, it might be 
 in union with the ever-blessed Seed, afforded encou- 
 ragement to seek after patience, with desires it might 
 
 The little country residence of his eldest sister, Elizabeth ; 
 then the wife of William Bevan, solicitor, of East Street, London ; 
 now the widow of the late Edward Kendall, Esq. of Dan-y-parc, 
 Breconshire. 
 
 (-^) His youngest sister, now the widow of the late Captain 
 John Jones, r.n., of St. Helen's, Swansea. 
 
94 
 
 NEATH. 
 
 have its perfect work. Mostly thus exercised, two 
 Meetings on First [day], and the Meeting yesterday 
 morning, were passed in silence. When Friends were 
 concluding this Meeting, it seemed best for me to desire 
 those who generally attended our Meeting might re- 
 main, while a few stransfers who came to that Meetins: 
 withdrew : after a short silence, it then appeared best 
 concisely to disclose my continued suffering, and what 
 appeared the cause of the wide-spreading desolation, 
 which had extended over the vineyard in that part. 
 Very low is the Society in these parts ! Few remain ; 
 and of these few, no small proportion dwelling too 
 much in that spirit which desolates and lays waste, 
 and prevents taking warning by others' harms. Such 
 views are mournful to feeling minds ! although amidst 
 the small weak remains, that at times may be felt, 
 which is capable, and would preserve in and through 
 all, if steadily depended upon. Indeed, from hence 
 alone can any help be derived : here there is no lack. 
 But who will savingly believe the report ? This the 
 poor servant must leave with Him who knows what is 
 best, and, on His part, never fails. Unto Him, my 
 own beloved Sarah, let us look, and on Him alone 
 depend; who, in the end, will give its own unto the 
 wrestling Seed; causing it to inherit His unfailing 
 promise, the true substantial riches of eternity. To 
 secure this possession, how necessary is patience, to 
 endure the suffering which will not fail to be, at times, 
 the experience of living members, when united and 
 baptized into the state of the Seed ; led, as into prison — 
 
NEATH. 
 
 95 
 
 baptized, as into death, for the sake of the dead, the 
 lukewarm, and the reprobates ! Blessed are they who, 
 through these various christian exercises, endure to the 
 end ! — they shall be saved with an everlasting salvation. 
 When such become as the dead, the insensible, and the 
 lukewarm, they shall not be deserted ; neither, as they 
 know their trust to be kept entire, shall they expe- 
 rience a want of sufficient strength, nor be confounded 
 to everlasting ages. But how various are the ways by 
 which the grand Enemy seeks to overthrow these bap- 
 tized servants ! — what jeopardy do they frequently stand 
 in, while thus exercised ! — at times nearly, if not quite, 
 repining ; sometimes almost ready to despair, believing 
 they are deserted by the Source of all good ; separated 
 from the fountain of everlasting consolation ; believing 
 that indifFerency, lukewarmness, desertion, and death, 
 is theirs, solely on their own account; and that for 
 them scarce any proper ground for hope remains, nor 
 scarce any prospect but that of failing to attain to the 
 Master s Rest. And this, I believe, is sometimes the 
 case, when true progress might be known, and gigantic 
 steps made. But from such wily stratagems there is 
 which can preserve from false conclusions, and af- 
 ford that degree of patience which will be necessary, 
 savingly, to support, through every baptism into the 
 valley of the shadow of death, and into insensibility and 
 death itself ; until the work shall be accomplished, and 
 the mysterious design of an all-wise, gracious Provi- 
 dence unfolded to the admiring gratitude of the con- 
 flicted, tossed, and, at times, comfortless, dependent. 
 
96 
 
 CARDIFF, 
 
 How do I wish this preservation may be possessed by 
 my own beloved helpmate more and more, equally so 
 as on my own account : indeed, the best interest of my 
 beloved seems nearly united to my own; of which union 
 I wish an increase, through time ; and to know no 
 diminution, through eternity ! Let us then, my beloved, 
 endeavour earnestly to seek for patience, to preserve 
 through every exercise, dispensation, and trial, which 
 He, who knows what is best for us, may, in mercy, 
 dispense to us ! 
 
 * * * * 
 
 " During this journey, it has seemed best for me to 
 be mostly silent in Meetings. To feel, and keep silence, 
 seems generally my place. To dwell in the depths, 
 though much pressed upon from the situation of the 
 Society, seems most likely to produce safety and profit ; 
 — a favour, if experienced !" 
 
 " Cardiff, 9th of 10th mo. 1794. 
 " From Neath, I wrote to my own beloved. On third 
 day, the wet weather prevented, I expect, many at- 
 tending the Public Meeting held there ; though several 
 were present. To me, the Meeting was exercising. 
 I passed it much as usual ; except towards the conclu- 
 sion, when my mind was exercised in a manner that 
 afforded the prosjiect of a necessity to mention some- 
 thing amongst them : but the Meeting was concluded, 
 so as to leave me rather burthened, and the exercise 
 incomplete. In the evening, J. B. ministered in the 
 family, but it seemed to me as if the time for my 
 
CARDIFF. 
 
 07 
 
 release from that family was not fully come. I there- 
 fore, with an exercised mind, kept silence, desirous of 
 not prematurely obtaining relief therefrom. Thus 
 exercised, my rest was not refreshing, as otherwise it 
 might have been. In the morning, I was much hum- 
 bled by an increase of exercise ; but was strengthened 
 immediately after breakfast, in the way of encourage- 
 ment, to disclose my feelings and exercises, in part, 
 whilst amongst them ; and had to depart in a tolerable 
 degree relieved ; — a favour to those who depend on the 
 Great Master for ability to labour in his time, and not 
 prematurely fly from suffering ! This I wish to become 
 m;, i ncreasing experience ; — as herein is safety, and, in 
 the end, when patience has done its work, no doubt the 
 most satisfactory peace. 
 
 " Last evening we arrived here, thirty-six miles from 
 
 Neath. At ten, a Meeting is appointed, with the 
 
 very few who belong to or attend our Meetings in this 
 place. In the evening, it is proposed to go to Newport. 
 
 " The more the state of our Society opens to view in 
 these parts, the more clearly it appears, that the more 
 the living Members dwell with the Royal Seed, the 
 deeper they will have to dwell ; and the more intimate 
 the union, the closer fellowship will they have, with 
 suffering. But, through all, it appears help is laid on 
 One that is mighty — yea. Almighty ; who, if depended 
 upon, as with an outstretched arm, will support and 
 afford never-failing protection to His little-ones, who, 
 in this Laodicean day, must expect times of suffering, 
 of deep baptisms, of fiery trials, as their fellowship with 
 
 n 
 
98 
 
 CARDIFF. — PONTYPOOL. 
 
 the Seed increases ; and of purging, that they may be- 
 come more and more fruitful, to the merited praise of 
 the Great Husbandman." 
 
 "Pontypool, I6th of 10th mo. 1794. 
 
 " Yesterday I expect my beloved Sarah received my 
 last short Letter from hence. Unexpectedly we have 
 been detained here till this morning; but, I trust, not in 
 idleness. We are now just on the point of setting out 
 for Llanelly, James Lewis's^''; where a Meeting is ap- 
 pointed with his family, and some of the Harfords, 
 who live about four miles distant from J. L.'s. 
 
 " We attended the Monthly Meeting here on t ... . .^d 
 day — very low. On third day, not feeling myself clear 
 of the family (Chambers's) at Newport, J. G. B. and self 
 went there ; sat with the man, his wife, daughter, and a 
 niece; and also saw a nephew, a waiter at the inn. 
 Afterwards called in the house of one Richards, who, 
 with his wife, attends Meeting : he was gone to Bristol : 
 saw her and a young servant-girl : dined, and came 
 back here. Saw a young couple here, who attend 
 Meeting; both in some degree promising, but the 
 young woman particularly so ; — neither Members. For 
 her I felt much ; and, if she keeps her place, [she] will, 
 I expect, become a valuable Member ^. 
 
 "Second day, after Meeting, called at 's. Saw 
 
 liim : believed it I'ight to speak to him. I know not 
 when I have been so much, so humblingly, affected. 
 
 (^^) A distant relative of my mother. 
 (^') This was fully realized. 
 
PONTYPOOL. 
 
 99 
 
 Although in dress, and address^*, apparently remote 
 from Friends, perhaps he may yet be brought back 
 though by Judgment. I believe the mask exceeds 
 reality. 
 
 " Third day, had a Public Meeting ; — the seventh I 
 have been at with the Friends, and the first I said any 
 
 thing in ^. Thomas [Colley] was instructive. In 
 
 health, I continue well ; — spirits, varying. At times, and 
 according to what seems my measure, deeply exercised 
 
 on 's account. I felt, before seeing him, on the 
 
 road here, a pressing exercise. First-day morning 
 collected the servants, eight or nine, the man and his 
 wife, and two or three accidental comers. Being de- 
 tained longer than usual, made us late at Meeting at 
 Shire Newton, where it was thought best to go. After 
 dinner, set out for this place ; — appointed to call on a 
 sister of Ann Giles, whom I seemed to have some 
 desire of seeing. Just on leaving Shire Newton, my 
 mind was so overcome with love for the people, that it 
 laid me low, and caused much exercise on the way to 
 A. G.'s sister, about five miles on the road to this place. 
 I kept it to myself ; drank tea with her ; attempted to 
 disclose my feelings as to her ; and then believed it best 
 to intimate to J. G. B. what had affected me much. He 
 
 (^') Alluding to the absence of the peculiarities of the Friends in 
 manners and speech. 
 
 (^^) I have a strong impression on my memory that this person 
 fell into habits of deplorable intemperance. 
 Preached. 
 
 (") The person spoken of above. 
 
 H 2 
 
100 
 
 PONTYI'OOL. LEOMINSTER. 
 
 behaved truly kind, as a friend in need. It seeming 
 best to me, a Public Meeting was appointed at Shire 
 Newton, the first of the kind I ever attended, as it were, 
 alone in my line, my Sarah will feel for me. Many 
 readily attended. The Meeting was exercising and 
 low, like the communication, though in no small love 
 towards the people." 
 
 "Leominster, 19th of 10th mo. 1794. 
 " I expect my best-beloved Sarah received the Letter 
 I wrote from Pontypool. We arrived at Llanelly, 
 fourteen miles, between ten and eleven, at James 
 Lewis's. Had a Meeting at twelve. Present, two of 
 James Harford's sons ; — Richard and his wife, settled at 
 a new iron- works, Nant-y-Glo ; and John, who, from 
 seeing at Bristol some time since, I had cause to 
 remember. 
 
 " Through labour, I obtained some relief. Remained 
 
 there that night. T. B. and T. C. went forward, 
 
 over a high mountain, about four miles, to John Wil- 
 liams's, Pen-y-Craig, that night. The following morn- 
 ing (yesterday), we went there to a Meeting ; — a very 
 difficult road. After dinner, about three, came forward, 
 over the mountains fourteen miles, to Kington, at- 
 tended with some difficulty. Came here this morning, 
 to Meeting. At six o'clock, a Public Meeting is ap- 
 pointed. To-morrow it is expected to go to Worcester; 
 where, I expect, we part : — Thomas Colley going for 
 home, and probably Joseph Gurney Bevan and R. P. 
 also for their homes : but I hope to write further to 
 
LEOMINSTER. 
 
 101 
 
 niy own Sarah from Worcester. — For how it has been 
 with nie of late, my Sarah may, in a considerable 
 degree, see by my former Letters : — much exercise and 
 depression ; with now and then a release, so as to 
 enable to aim at holding on. 
 
 ".J. G. B.'s conduct has manifested much kindness. 
 Seeing how it is with me. he aids, when he thinks he 
 can ; seemingly solicitous to help his weak, and almost 
 fainting, friend. Indeed, he has had his baptisms — hum- 
 bling ones ; wherein, in degree, we seemed, as to some 
 of them, to be united, and helpmates to each other, 
 where mutual help was wanted. In several places, 
 during this journey, my mind has been nearly united 
 to some of the living : at times, I have been enabled to 
 declare it; and found herein, occasionally, more relief 
 than in Meetings. To-morrow evening, I hope to 
 receive a Letter from my own Sarah. I think fre- 
 quently of her. Even when brought low and exercised, 
 I look towards my Sarah ; but when favoured to know 
 a little release, then my Sarah has more room than 
 usual. I dined at a friend's here, with S. and D. 
 Pritchard, both apparently well; and, after dinner, 
 believed it best to speak, rather particularly and 
 encouragingly, to them and some others. I think, 
 then, thus relieved, I thought of my Sarah with true 
 affection, and of writing a short account for this post ; 
 remaining my own dear Sarah's truly affectionate 
 husband, 
 
 " Richard Phillips." 
 
102 EXTRACT FROM S. PHILLIPs's LETTER. 
 
 This is the last Letter of that packet : and I doubt 
 not that my dear father returned home immediately 
 after his arrival at Worcester, where it is most likely 
 he received the distressing intelligence of the almost 
 sudden decease of his beloved eldest sister's husband. 
 I find one Letter from my precious mother in this 
 bundle; but as it is full of family details, some of 
 them relating to affairs of business connected with the 
 melancholy event, I cannot do more than quote the 
 concluding paragraphs. This Letter, if communicable, 
 would demonstrate rather strikingly the kind feelings, 
 yet prudence and good sense, of the writer ; especially 
 when read with reference to her position at the time. 
 It is dated, Brompton, 18th of the 10th mouth 1794: 
 and she ends by remarking, that — 
 
 " The contents of thine, just received, occasion much 
 sympathetic feeling." And adds : " It was painful to 
 observe the date of thy Letter ; having hoped thou 
 mightest have been nearer London by this time : yet, 
 as no determination was come to respecting North 
 Wales, I still cherish a hope thou mayest come 
 soon. 
 
 " Very near afiiection, which makes me at this time 
 particularly experience thy absence to be a trial, au- 
 thorises me to subscribe myself, as heretofore, with 
 unabated regard, 
 
 " Thy truly affectionate Wife, 
 
 " S. Phillips." 
 
REMARKS ON THK FOREGOING LETTERS. 103 
 
 My mother, as I have before mentioned, was of a 
 very retiring disposition ; which made it really painful 
 to her to be among those with whom she was not 
 intimately acquainted. At such a period, therefore, 
 she must have felt very acutely the absence of her 
 husband ; to whose afflicted relatives she was perform- 
 ing all those offices of affection and sympathy which, 
 as his wife, it befitted her to render to them : but as 
 she had not, I believe, been much accustomed to the 
 society of persons who were not of her own peculiar 
 persuasion and habits — and some of these estimable but 
 newly-acquired relatives were hitherto personally un- 
 known to her — they had not learned to love each other, 
 as they subsequently did ; and i* must altogether have 
 been a truly uncomfortable position for such a woman 
 to be placed in. The general tone of her Letter, does, 
 if considered with reference to these circumstances, 
 place the firmness of her mind and the soundness of her 
 judgment, as well as her gentle affection, in a very 
 favourable light; and goes far to prove how correctly 
 her husband estimated her character, and how " safely 
 his heart might trust in her 
 
 The tone which pervades these Letters of my dear 
 father is indicative of so much exercise of mind, and 
 is altogether so depressed, that I may perhaps be per- 
 mitted to pause and make a few remarks ; which I would 
 hope will place them in their true light, and prevent 
 
 (■^-) Prov. xxxi. 11. 
 
104 
 
 VALUE Ol' LETTERS DISCLOSING 
 
 the discouragement which they might cause to those 
 who have not yet known that 
 
 The path of sorrow, and that path alone, 
 Leads to the land where sorrow is unknown." 
 
 And experienced, that that " land," or rather that state, 
 is to be found brightly pictured out even here : — 
 
 " All joy to the believer, he can speak ; 
 Trembling, yet happy ; confident, yet meek." 
 
 It has been well said, by a pious and highly- gifted 
 writer, that " Christianity is a religion of motives ^ 
 and, in this point of view, the confidential and familiar 
 Letters of a spiritually-minded person are most valuable 
 to us, because they reveal the secret springs of his 
 actions : but they develop the sources of the virtues 
 which adorn his character, rather than those virtues 
 themselves. 
 
 Correspondence with a dear and intimate friend is 
 often a kind of written meditation ; and, in minds of 
 considerable spiritual and moral excellence, the more 
 solid qualities, particularly in the early part of their 
 christian life, frequently lie deep in the recesses of the 
 heart. Communications of the nature I have spoken 
 of, reveal their existence and power ; and shew us, that, 
 like the abounding waters of a noble river, though 
 
 (") See " Life of Dr. Claudius Buchanan," p. 124 ; and a beau- 
 tifid paper on the subject, by J. J. Gurney, in " The Amethyst 
 for 1833," p. 145 
 
I 
 
 THE PROGEESS OF THE CHRISTIAN CHARACTER. 105 
 
 sometimes superficially ruffled, and their course even 
 reversed by passing tempests, they yet maintain a 
 strong under-current, pursuing, with undeviating pur- 
 pose, its onward way. 
 
 In such Letters are disclosed to us the working 
 of grace in the inmost soul"; and its never- failing con- 
 comitant, sore conflict with innate corruption : so that 
 sometimes we learn, from these data, rather at how 
 high a standard of excellence the individual aims, 
 than what he really is; — what are the powers of his 
 mind, rather than his actual attainments. The one 
 may be truly good ; the other, great and varied : but 
 to what extent they have been carried out into his real 
 character, remains to be told by his actions. 
 
 Many traits, both estimable and the reverse, will not 
 be discovered by perusing those productions of the 
 pen ; though doubtless, where the thoughts and intents 
 of the heart are decidedly governed by the best of all 
 guides, we may safely conclude that the fruits are, and 
 will be, more and more apparent to his fellow-men. 
 A mind by which the beautiful gem of humility is 
 possessed — and minds of the highest order, whether in 
 religion or talent, are most likely to possess it — 
 resembles a person carrying a dark lantern : he makes 
 his light shine brightly on all around him, while he is 
 himself cast into that shadow in which he feels it to be 
 his great privilege to abide : indeed, he is very often 
 unconscious of the utility and brilliancy of the lustre 
 
106 
 
 THE OPERATION OF DIVINE GRACE 
 
 which marks his path in the sight of others. Thus 
 does he make his light shine before men, so that they 
 may glorify his Father which is in heaven. 
 
 It is deeply instructive to trace the operations of 
 Divine Grace in forming a christian character, when 
 we have an opportunity of seeing its gradual progress. 
 It has been observed, in marking the course of many 
 true Christians, that there is a state in which the 
 believer is led to take remarkable heed to his steps ; so 
 earnest a watching of them, that we are inclined to 
 fear he is in danger of being betrayed into a vain 
 dependence on the merits of his own works for ac- 
 ceptance, rather than regarding them as fruits by 
 which his faith is shewn — as labours which grateful 
 love deems but too cold and small a service to render 
 to his Heavenly Father — to Him, who, with His ever- 
 blessed Son, has indeed given us all things. But, 
 sometimes by degrees, and often even at the close 
 of life, increased light breaks in upon the mind ; and 
 he gives full evidence of the real ground of his hope, 
 earnestly disclaiming all reliance upon his own righte- 
 ousness, and, as a title to salvation, utterly renouncing 
 it. He then, with childlike simplicity, rests upon the 
 mercy of God in Christ Jesus, as the sole ground 
 of his hope ; and, with his home just in view, is pre- 
 pared to approach it with no other plea for admission. 
 
 But the Christian looks for sanctification, as well as 
 justification : and it would appear, that this close walk. 
 
IN PREPAKING THE SOUL FOK HEAVEN. 107 
 
 this narrow path, in which the attention of the soul is 
 so intently fixed upon the guidance of the Holy Spirit, 
 is one way in which it is experienced: for without 
 holiness no man shall see the Lord^. Nor could we, 
 if admitted to the blessed " Society of Jesus," in " the 
 heavenly Jerusalem^," bear its holy atmosphere; much 
 less find it to be pure, unalloyed happiness, unless we 
 were sanctified — made " meet to be partakers of the 
 inheritance of the saints in light 
 
 In all states, let us endeavour to come boldly to the 
 Throne of Grace ; remembering, that we have an High 
 Priest, who can be touched with a feeling of our in- 
 firmities^ — a Mediator between God and man** — an 
 Advocate with the Father^, who ever liveth to make 
 intercession for us*" ; whereof the Holy Ghost also is 
 a witness to us : for, " saith the Lord, I will put my 
 laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write 
 them; and their sins and iniquities will I remember 
 no more*'." And let us take heed that we fall not 
 out by the way, with our fellow-pilgrims; and that, 
 vphile we earnestly strive to hold fast the whole counsel 
 of God, we forbear one another in love ; and judge not 
 those, who, either from the bias of their natural tem- 
 peraments, or from being in different states of their 
 
 Heb. xii. 14. C) Heb. xii. 22. 
 
 Col. i. 12. ('0 Heb. iv. 16, 16. 
 ('") 1 Tim. u. 6. 1 John ii. 1. 
 
 ( 0) Heb. vii. 25. (") Heb. x. 16, 16, 17. 
 
108 
 
 FAITH IN CHKIST. 
 
 christian life, appear to dwell more exclusively than 
 we think desirable on one or other of the great doc- 
 trines of the Gospel plan. 
 
 If w^e are faithful to our different degrees of light, 
 we shall be helpful to those who are still less advanced 
 than ourselves ; thus keeping up a constant succession ; 
 " ever rising with the rising mind." 
 
 Of one thing we may rest assured : The more we cul- 
 tivate the blessed habit of looking to Jesus — of spread- 
 ing: our sins and sorrows before the Mercv-seat to 
 which he has purchased our access — the easier will be 
 our path. It is at once our duty and our privilege to 
 lay at His feet our errors and our cares ; to carry out, 
 in every possible form, the beautiful similitude of a 
 gentle confiding flock, following, with the simplicity of 
 perfect love which casteth out fear the Good and 
 long-tried Shepherd. Let us not shrink from His 
 hand, who probes our wounds but to cure them. We 
 shall assuredly find, that godly sorrow worketh repen- 
 tance to salvation, not to be repented of *^ : it is a 
 sorrow that leaves no stinof behind : it makes the heart 
 better. And thoug-h the Christian's conflicts are hard 
 to bear, yet, as they drive us to the " strong-hold," 
 they eventually bring us out into green pastures ; and 
 beside the still waters where our leaf shall not 
 
 (") 1 John iv. 18. 
 (") Zech.ix. 12. 
 
 («) 2 Cor. vii. 10 
 Ps.xxiii. 2. 
 
EVIDENCE OF RIPENESS FOR HEAVEN. 
 
 109 
 
 wither and we shall not be careful in the year of 
 drouffht It is our own unsubdued and evil nature 
 that causes the heaviest conflicts which we endure. 
 When once we are brought to bend completely, as at 
 the feet of Jesus we shall find a sweetness even in the 
 cup of bitterness, if His hand present it to our lips. 
 
 I believe we shall generally see, that the nearer the 
 prepared spirit approaches to the borders of the Pro- 
 mised Land, the more it dwells in adoring contempla- 
 tion of the Author and Finisher of its faith** ; feels, that 
 it is of His free and unmerited mercy that it has been 
 led onward, through heights and depths ; and desires no 
 more than the assurance, that nothing may be able to 
 separate it from the love of God in Christ Jesus ^'K 
 This appears to me to have been the case with my 
 precious father. The foregoing Letters were written 
 when he was in the first stage of his christian course : 
 and I shall be able to finish the picture, by those Letters 
 and Papers which were written quite at the latter period 
 of his life ^ ; when he had entered into the last stage, 
 when he stood waiting the summons to depart hence 
 and to enter into the joy of his Lord^* : — 
 
 (^') Ps.i.3. Jer.xvii.8. 
 Lukeviii.35. («) Matt. xx. 22. 
 
 Heb.xii.2. (^') Rom. V. 18. 
 
 Rom. viii.39. 
 
 (") Chiefly to his dear and highly-valued friend, J. J. Gurney, 
 who has kindly permitted me to use them. 
 (5^) Matt. XXV. 21. 
 
110 IMPORTANCE OF INCIDENTAL CONVERSATIONS. 
 
 " There, like streams that feed the garden, 
 Pleasures \vithout end shall flow ; 
 For the Lord, your faith rewarding, 
 All his bounty shall bestow. 
 
 " StUl, in undisturb'd possession, 
 
 Peace and righteousness shall reign ; 
 Never shall you feel oppression. 
 Hear the voice of war again. 
 
 " Ye, no more your suns descending. 
 Waning moons no more shall see ; 
 But your griefs, for ever ending, 
 Find eternal noon in Me 
 
 " God shall rise, and, shining o'er ye. 
 Change to day the gloom of night ; 
 He, the Lord, shall be your glory, 
 God your everlasting light.'"''' 
 
 Never shall I forget, although I w^as quite a girl at 
 the time, hearing my dear father, at the dinner-table of 
 a friend at Ipsvv^ich, repeat this lovely Hymn, in the 
 melodious tones of his fine voice. I believe somebody 
 was very ill ; and my father had been to visit him. or 
 there had just been a death among the circle of their 
 acquaintance. How little do we know the value of 
 such apparently unimportant conversations, which 
 arise from having our attention chiefly fixed on the 
 things of Heaven. My fathers recitation of these lines 
 indelibly engraved the sweetness of them upon my 
 memory ; and many times since have they risen up to 
 cheer me, in moments of deep sorrow and depression. 
 
 (") Cowper. 
 
I.ETTERS TO A FRIEND. 
 
 Ill 
 
 This is a trivial instance ; but, doubtless, thousands 
 productive of truly momentous results will be re- 
 vealed to our adoring spirits, when we enter that land 
 where we shall know even as also we are known*®. 
 Then, I believe, many of us will discover, that, 
 having kept our eye much upon Jesus, we have un- 
 consciously proclaimed to those around us that we have 
 been with Him ; and, with blessed effect, spoken a 
 " word fitly ™ and preached the Word out of season 
 as well as in season 
 
 A short Letter to my beloved mother — full, as usual, 
 of affectionate solicitude to spare her anxious feelings 
 at the uncertainty of his return — shews that my father 
 was at Reading, attending a Monthly Meeting, about 
 the 2d of the 1st month 179S ; but it does not contain 
 any thing sufficiently interesting to extract. 
 
 My next materials consist of' two Letters addressed 
 to a dear and intimate friend of my precious father; 
 and afford some valuable additions to the selections of 
 this period. This friend was a Minister; of whom I 
 have often heard my father speak, as a man possessing 
 a most extraordinary gift of " discerning of spirits 
 he was not a person of high mental capacity, and was 
 subject to great depression of mind. 
 
 {'^) 1 Cor. xiii. 12. Acts iv. 1.3. 
 
 ) Prov. XXV. 1 1 . (^9) 2 Tim. iv. 2. 
 
 C^") 1 Cor. xii. 10. 
 
112 
 
 LETTERS TO A FRIEND. 
 
 To those who are not acquainted with the striking 
 manner in wliich our Ministers do " discern the spirits," 
 and speak words " in season," to the states of others, 
 I should " seem as one that mocked ®' were I to relate 
 some of the remarkable, hidden things which this 
 person brought to light, during the course of some of 
 his religious visits, and which were surprising even to 
 our own people. 
 
 " 32 East Street, 22d of 4th mo. 1795. 
 
 ^"ly. , Thine was received the 17th, 
 
 two days after our arrival from Wickham, our stay 
 being prolonged there (not disagreeably) a week longer 
 than expected. Although, from the depressed state of 
 thy mind, and the increasing view which thou seemedst 
 to have of the propriety of thy returning home, it was 
 not for me to obstruct ; yet thy departure seemed to 
 leave me so naked, by being deprived of thy company, 
 on which I was willing to build — it may be more than 
 was meet (for I frequently find I want weaning from 
 undue dependence), — that doubting and discouragement 
 had nearly prevented our going: however, we went, 
 and, as yet, have not seen any cause to regret: for 
 although (speaking to a small degree, compared to 
 many) bonds and afflictions awaited us, yet, when the 
 allotted portion of suffering was borne, the bonds were 
 
 (« ) Gen. xix. 14. 
 . 1 do not like to remove little characteristic peculiarities, 
 
 when I can avoid doing so. My dear father almost always abbre- 
 viated the word " Dear," in the commencement of his Letters. 
 
LKTTKKS TO A FlflENI). 
 
 broken, and the Seed reigned, in a degree of the Father's 
 strength"; wiiich Ho fails not to communicate to the 
 wrestling children in due time ; when, happily, depen- 
 dence is known to be solely on the never-failing arm 
 of the Omnipotent — the true consolation of the little- 
 ones (in this day of lukewarmncss and suffering), as in 
 past ages ; — and it continues to be sufficient, 
 
 " I often think how lovely, how powerful, these little 
 dependent ones are ; and nearly as frequently lament 
 my deficiency. How backward, how dull a scholar I 
 am ! Were it not for multiplied allowances, what must 
 have been my present situation ? Well is it, I have 
 not to do with one who is extreme, or even prone, to 
 mark what is omitted to be done, or done amiss. This 
 thought, at times, excites gratitude and desire for pre- 
 servation in His favour, wherein is life, and in whose 
 service is perfect freedom. 
 
 " At Wickham, there are, I believe, of the true-born, 
 to whom a visit of love proves refreshing ; — and of the 
 bodily afflicted, of which there seemed ground to hope 
 it might not prove in vain. Our late visit has in- 
 creased our love for Friends there : it seemed as if a 
 tendering call was felt by some of the youth ; one of 
 the chief means whereby I believe it is designed our 
 Society shall regain her first brightness. Some of the 
 youth, I trust, have been truly yoked. I much desire 
 their dependence may be preserved entire ; and their 
 
 C"^) By this expression is meant the presence and power of 
 Christ, as the Head of the Church. 
 
 I 
 
114 
 
 I.KTTERS TO A FRIEND. 
 
 eye single, that they patiently wait the gradual open- 
 ings of a gentle Master, and not take offence thereat ; 
 or, by pressing unwisely forward, leave Him behind, 
 and forsake the true support. How wise should the 
 nursing fathers and mothers be, in their conduct to- 
 wards these little-ones ! avoiding extremes of keeping 
 them back, or urging to premature steps. These tender 
 plants are so liable to be hurt, that I am solicitous, by 
 all, the Master s counsel, as to them, should be particu- 
 larly attended to ; which, I believe not unfrequently, it 
 will be found to be, to let them alone, under His imme- 
 diate direction ; — counsel, which, if followed, I believe 
 future days would testify it was best for individuals. 
 
 " I have not been without fear, that some, enamoured 
 with the appearance of these lovely plants, have sought 
 a more rapid growth, and a more early abundant pro- 
 duction than the Great Husbandman designed ; so that, 
 forcing them by encouragement beyond real strength, 
 a pretty certain foundation is laid for fruit of less 
 savour, if not less abundant, than if they had abided 
 under the immediate wise management of the Lord of 
 
 the Vineyard. But, Dear , what can be said to 
 
 these things ? If the deputed vine-dressers act thus, 
 how can the tender branches escape harm, or yield the 
 savory sustaining fruit, which, for the benefit of the 
 flock, the Good Lord designed ? 
 
 " In regard to thy coming to Yearly Meeting, thou 
 knowest where to find a bed and welcome in East 
 Street ; of which we wish to be informed, as soon as 
 thou canst. In coming to the Yearly Meeting, 
 
LKTTERS TO A FRIEND. 
 
 115 
 
 I wish thou mayst be rightly directed. Suffering Meet- 
 ings require a consciousness of this kind, to support 
 under. We unite in love to thy wife and daughters. 
 " Thy sincere friend, 
 
 " Richard Phillips." 
 
 " Bath, 19th of 9th mo. 1796. 
 
 " D^ , Thine reached me here yesterday ; 
 
 where I came the preceding day, 'to see my mother, who 
 is much indisposed ; and has been here for some time, 
 attended by one of my sisters. I expect to return the 
 latter end of this week, to attend our Quarterly Meet- 
 ing. The receipt of thine caused friendly wishes for 
 thy encouragement in the pursuit of manifested duties ; 
 wherein, doubtless. He who has supported will continue 
 to support, and provide every thing necessary for thy 
 furtherance in the way of peace, whether in the line 
 that may appear to thee most agreeable or otherwise. 
 What is best. He will do ; for Omniscience cannot err. 
 
 " And now, my beloved friend, I trust I need not tell 
 thee I esteem and regard thee, and, on this occasion, 
 wish thy continued preservation on that unshaken 
 Foundation which never yet [was], and we trust never 
 can, be shaken. Yet thou well knowest all this is not 
 sufficient to authorise a going forth in the awful work 
 of Religion — to qualify for services not required at 
 our hands; or to support under those exercises and 
 baptisms to which travellers are necessarily exposed, 
 whether in small or more extensive engagements. I 
 have thought the Great Masters time is the most effica- 
 
 1 2 
 
116 
 
 LETTERS TO A FRIEND. 
 
 cious time (although frequently unseen, as to efficacy, 
 by short- siglited mortals) ; while man's time is marked 
 for being unproductive. Happy are they, that in this 
 respect keep the word of patience in the day of battle 
 (engaging neither in their own wills nor in their own 
 service) ! — they experience a covering impenetrable to 
 all the darts of the enemy. 
 
 "After this unexpected introduction, I scarce need 
 inform my friend, I am not to be depended on in 
 regard to the journey he intimates ; and, if he comes 
 to the Quarterly Meeting, could add other reasons 
 than what he may think hinted at above : and, as thou 
 hast entertained hopes of seeing my Sarah and myself 
 in the country, may we not, with equal propriety, 
 expect seeing thee at our next Quarterly Meeting ? 
 I believe thou hast no doubt as to the kind of welcome 
 East Street would afford. I should sincerely regret any 
 thing relating to me should have the least tendency 
 to turn thee aside from the right way. If London be 
 in this way, by no means miss it 
 
 " Remainins:, in dear love and wishes for thy en- 
 couragement, 
 
 " Thy affectionate friend, 
 
 " Richard Phillips." 
 
R. Phillips's suggestions to authors. 117 
 
 CHAP. V. 
 
 Among the numerous methods by which tlie active 
 mind of my father endeavoured to eflfect his benevolent 
 schemes, one, to which he not imfrequently resorted, 
 was that of directing the attention of men of talent 
 and literature to subjects which were likely to produce 
 beneficial results, when brought before the public in 
 attractive forms. The diligent attention which he 
 conscientiously bestowed on his profession naturally 
 exhausted his mental vivacity, and rendered him less 
 equal to apply himself to the sedentary occupation of 
 composing for the press. He always asserted — and 
 I believe with some truth — that he did not possess the 
 ready flow of ideas, when writing, which is one very 
 essential qualification for a popular author: therefore, 
 as he had not either leisure, inclination, or power, to 
 perform much himself in that line, he occasionally 
 applied to some of his kind and valued friends; and 
 prompted their energies successfully, in different ways, 
 as the need of particular works presented itself to 
 his penetrating observation. He used, in these 
 affairs, to compare himself to the quiet little mole. 
 
118 LiNDLEY Murray's ruplv to a suggestion. 
 
 which works in silence and obscurity beneath the sur- 
 face of the earth, and permits only the effects of its 
 labours to become visible. 
 
 Some plan of this description appears, in 1797, to 
 have been proposed for the pen of that excellent and 
 pious author, Lindley Murray ; but what the subject 
 was, I cannot discover. In a Letter from him to my 
 father, which now lies before me, after replying to 
 a suggestion by the latter of some addition to the 
 " Power of Religion on the Mind," Lindley Murray 
 proceeds to say : — 
 
 " I have seen thy Letter to William Tuke, in 
 
 which thou hast planned a little employment for me. 
 It is, indeed, a work that would be very useful to our 
 youth, if it were well executed. But, besides my in- 
 ability to perform such a task as it ought to be done, 
 I have before me several little works, which will occupy 
 a considerable portion of my time, should I be favoured 
 to get through them. My feeble state of health ren- 
 ders a performance, which would be short to others, 
 a work of time to me. But I shall not forget thy 
 proposal ; and it is possible that, at a future day, both 
 leisure and powers may better correspond to the under- 
 taking than they do at present. 
 
 " I remain thy sincere friend, 
 " York, 2d mo. 13. 1797. " Lindley Murray." 
 
 In the summer of 1801, a little journey undertaken 
 to Ack worth furnishes three or four more Letters; but 
 
JOURNEY TO ACK WORTH. 
 
 119 
 
 they contain so much less of sentiment, that small 
 extracts must suffice. 
 
 "York, 25th of 7th mo. 1801. 
 " I expect my beloved Sarah received this morning 
 my short note of yesterday, mentioning [my] having 
 safely proceeded sixty miles on the journey. We then 
 proceeded, favoured by the weather — arrived at Stam- 
 ford about eleven — supped there — breakfasted at Ret- 
 ford — dined at Ferrybridge, about two — and arrived 
 
 here a little after six. I have given Cowpers 
 
 Translations to Henry [Tuke], for his wife. The 
 
 country exhibits an unusual appearance of vegetation, 
 in all the most material articles of food : it is truly 
 beautiful ! and calls for gratitude for such additional 
 unmerited bounty. I hope my dear Sarah is attentive 
 to her health. My dear love attends both thee and 
 little Mary. I hope she is attentive to what her 
 mother desires ; which will, when I hear it, please me 
 much. 
 
 " From my dear Sarah's affectionate 
 
 " Richard Phillips." 
 
 " York, 28th of 7th mo. 1801. 
 " I received my beloved Sarah's Letter yesterday ; as 
 usual, with pleasure, particularly as it contained so 
 favourable [an] account of thine and dear Mary's 
 health. Thine, by continued care, has, I hope, continued 
 to mend. Having spent here the time expected, and 
 been kept in the noiseless tenor of my way, this aftc'i'- 
 
120 
 
 END Ol- THE FIRST DIVISION. 
 
 noon I intend, accompanied by Henry Tiike, in his one- 
 horse chaise, to set o(F, about three o'clock, for Ponte- 
 fract (three miles short of Ack worth) ; remain there the 
 night ; and proceed to-morrow morning to Ackworth. — 
 I have been twice to see L. Murray and wife, agreeably : 
 they desired their love; inquired for you both; and 
 thought they should have been pleased to see you. I 
 have not seen H. T.'s wife ' ; but sent her the Poems, 
 
 as from thee ; with which she was pleased. The 
 
 Retreat exceeds much my expectation. My dear love to 
 little Mary. 
 
 " Affectionately thine, 
 
 " Richard Phillips." 
 
 The completion of these Extracts from my father s 
 Letters brings me to the conclusion of my First 
 Di vision, and to the consideration of his character in 
 active and public life. I trust I have been enabled 
 to present a tolerably minute and faithful history of 
 the gradual development of divine grace in his heart: 
 and having thus traced the formation of the only safe 
 and secure foundation for moral excellence, I must now 
 delineate the superstructure which, by obedience to the 
 leadings of the Holy Spirit, was raised upon it. For 
 the sacred lip of Truth has told us, that we must judge 
 of the tree by its fruit; and an inspired Apostle re- 
 commends us to shew our faith by our works. 
 
 (') This dear Friend was confined to her bed for many years, 
 and almost wholly secluded from society ; but she retained a sur- 
 prising vigour and brightness of intellect during her long trial. 
 
UEFLIXI'IONS ON THE DIVINE ECONOMY. 121 
 
 In this place — following out my father's ideas in his 
 remarks upon Samuel Scott's character — I would pause, 
 to make a few reflections ; leading us to see, that here, 
 as in every other part of the Divine Government, 
 we " shall, if we observe these things, understand the 
 loving-kindness of the Lord." We may notice the 
 discriminating arrangement which is made of those 
 who are honoured instruments of good in the hands 
 of God — how, " dividing to each one severally as He 
 will," those, whose natural dispositions qualify them for 
 any peculiar line of service, are called into the sphere 
 wherein they will have the widest scope for the exer- 
 cise of their talents, and can most freely " magnify 
 their office." 
 
 To the timid and reserved disciple, his gracious 
 Master assigns the labours of the pen, in the retire- 
 ment of the closet ; — to the enterprising and companion- 
 loving mind, he gives the free and social path of active 
 engagement. Both are equally prepared, and their 
 tempers sanctified ; while a far greater amount of good 
 is effected in the world at large, than if their respective 
 duties were reversed. The wild S])irit of the sea-bird 
 is as little fitted for the enjoyment and shelter of the 
 smooth parterre and the peaceful garden, as the gentle 
 nature of the dove is ill adapted to breast the stormy 
 waves of the unquiet ocean. Those, in whom the 
 tender sensibilities are predominant, in wiiom the milk 
 of human kindness exists in most purity — those, whose 
 dispositions display, in its most unsullied form, the 
 
122 CHARACTERISTICS OF A PHILANTHROPIST. 
 
 peaceful benignity which doubtless distinguished our 
 unf alien parents, in whose bosoms we are bound to 
 believe there dwelt no feeling opposed to perfect love 
 towards all the created beings around them — must 
 obviously be better adapted for philanthropists, than 
 those in whom the soft feelings of compassion are but 
 faintly perceptible, and whose stern natures render 
 them more calculated to wage war against vice and 
 folly than to soothe the miseries of suffering humanity. 
 Both dispositions may be of essential service, in the 
 economy of the great human family; but, like the 
 impetuous and iron-minded Luther, and the sweet and 
 gentle Melancthon, they have different departments 
 to fill. 
 
 Yet, I think, in the moral government of the world, 
 the mercies of the Supreme Being are, beyond com- 
 pare, more frequently exhibited to us, than his judg- 
 ments. Never may we for a moment forget the one 
 stupendous proof of this assertion — the mercy which 
 provided the sacrifice of God's only Son, to satisfy the 
 claims of that justice which man's disobedience had 
 outraged. Ah ! surely the tender mercies of the 
 Almighty are far more familiar to us than his severe 
 frowns ! What a much closer approach we seem to 
 make to the temper of Heaven, if, applying the meta- 
 phor to the moral world, we contemplate Him, when, 
 sitting 
 
 " Like the Ruler of the storms, 
 He smiles the winds to peace ;" 
 
KINDNESS TO ANIMALS. 
 
 123 
 
 than when we behold him, in needful wrath, lashing 
 them to fury ; so that men are tossed and driven upon 
 the foaming billows, even though it be to their desired 
 haven ! 
 
 With this view, it is very desirable to cultivate, in 
 the minds of children, a tender feeling towards what is 
 termed the minor creation ; for I do believe, that no 
 child, who is permitted to treat those beautiful " handi- 
 works" of our Creator with inconsiderateness, will 
 grow to manhood with so much abounding compassion 
 in his soul towards his fellow-beings, as he would 
 have possessed, had that sweet quality been assiduously 
 cultivated. 
 
 If, in early life, we cherish the habit of gentleness 
 and kindness towards so defenceless a portion of ani- 
 mated nature as the brute creation confessedly is, we 
 shall go far towards sowing seed which, in maturer 
 years, will produce the lovely plant of benevolence; 
 whose fruit will be, the good works of charity towards 
 helpless and aflBicted human beings. Indeed, it is 
 perhaps impossible to begin too early to train children 
 in the practice of kind offices to all around them. 
 How beautiful and cheering are the sweet charities 
 of life, when bestowed through the medium of a child ; 
 if it be only the flower gathered with the fresh dew 
 of the morning sparkling on its fragrant blossoms, and 
 presented, by its tiny hand of friendship, to the weary 
 and imprisoned invalid ! 
 
124 R. PHILLll's's PHILANTHROPIC CHARACTER. 
 
 My precious father's peculiar line of usefulness, 
 besides that of a Minister of the Gospel, was un- 
 questionably that of a Philanthropist. To this he 
 brought to bear a natural disposition, remarkably en- 
 terprising and social — a mind inquisitive, and delight- 
 ing in the acquisition of useful matter-of-fact know- 
 ^ ledge. He was a keen investigator of circumstances — 
 a clear discerner of motives ; and, with a sound judg- 
 ment, possessed the lively imagination fitted to con- 
 ceive, and the vigorous intellect necessary to carry 
 out, benevolent schemes. 
 
 Cheerful, and hopeful, and singularly persevering, he 
 held on the course which he had determined to pursue, 
 for the attainment of any of his plans — often amidst 
 discouragements which few others would have sur- 
 mounted : and so great were his powers of constancy, 
 when once he embarked on an attempt of the kind, 
 that I do not remember his ever failing of ultimate 
 success, excepting in one instance. His compassionate 
 love of the animal creation was, I believe, clearly 
 developed in his childhood : it led, combined with con- 
 scientious feelings, in early manhood, to the abandon- 
 ment of all field-sports, though they possessed great 
 charms for him in other respects ; and, in mature life, 
 I can testify to its being so strong, that he exercised 
 care to keep it within those bounds which every 
 rightly-judging person deems fitting. At the suffer- 
 ings of those creatures he evinced the keenest sensi- 
 bility ; and I well remember a little incident which 
 
ANECDOTE. 
 
 125 
 
 occurred, when I was quite a child ; and which I will 
 relate, though it be at the risk of producing a smile, or 
 it may be a frown, upon the countenances of some 
 who are cast in other mould than he was. 
 
 A poor little bat was found in our house, in an 
 almost torpid state : my father superintended the care 
 of it for some days ; but at last it died, in his own 
 hand. Never shall I forget his tender sorrow, when it 
 was gone ; and my mother and myself found it quite 
 desirable to abstain, for a long time, from alluding to 
 the occurrence. It might literally be said, that he 
 would not 
 
 " Needlessly set foot upon a worm ;" 
 
 and, as he truly rejoiced at the sight of happy animals, 
 so he grieved at that of suffering ones ; enjoying those 
 creatures for their own sakes, and also because they 
 were the handiwork of the Great Creator. He could, 
 and evidently often did, entertain the full feeling of 
 the phrase — 
 
 " My Father made them all !" 
 
 « 
 
 It is not designed that man should take up his 
 rest in this world: he is compelled, by the force of 
 circumstances, to labour either in the service of God 
 or Mammon. Happy for him if he enlist himself 
 under the banners of Him who is not a hard master, 
 and with whom his deeds are neither misinterpreted 
 nor unrewarded ! Work enough, indeed, there is for 
 us all to do ; and day by day there arises, to the willing 
 labourer, little acts of faith and deeds of mercy, too 
 
126 IMPORTANCE OF ATTENTION TO MINOR DUTIES. 
 
 plainly brought before him to be doubted of as being 
 his proper business, though too minute to be regarded 
 as matters of much importance. Yet, as life is, gene- 
 rally speaking, made up of trifles, it is a blessed and 
 a happy course to endeavour to execute these little 
 missions faithfully and simply ; for we do not know the 
 ultimate bearing or intrinsic value of these apparently 
 minor labours : — they may be mere exercises of our 
 own virtues ; or they may be in themselves germs of, 
 or auxiliaries to, important works. 
 
 A favourite topic of conversation with my dear 
 father, was these grains of mustard-seed — these tiny 
 links in the chain of Providence ; and he delighted to 
 trace, from apparently very insignificant commence- 
 ments, several of the charities which he had been the 
 means of establishing. How encouraging to the way- 
 worn traveller, in the world's rough path, are these 
 traces of the "footsteps of Providence"! — how dif- 
 ferent from the chilling theories which would lead us 
 to believe we are treading the mazes of life undirected 
 and unassisted by a Superior Intelligence ! 
 
 I have often had occasion to remember a sentiment 
 which I read in some pious author, whose name I have 
 forgotten : it was, that " if man will settle down too 
 much in his nest here, God will set it on fire, and drive 
 him out." Ah ! how frequently do we find our nests 
 thus set on fire ; and ourselves sent forth, in ways and 
 places we little anticipated or desired ! 
 
OUU SEliVlCE ADAPTED TO OUIl DISPOSITIONS. 127 
 
 I think that the afflictingly-delicate health of my 
 beloved mother was sometimes like a setting of my 
 father's nest on fire. He disliked the effort of leaving 
 home ; though no one could enjoy the variety of travel- 
 ling among his friends more than he did, when he was 
 once started : and, as he always travelled well stocked 
 with Pamphlets, containing pattern Rules and Reports 
 relating to the Societies he was particularly interested 
 in, he was led into scenes of usefulness, by means of 
 his social and cheerful companionable qualities, which 
 would not otherwise have opened before him. His 
 own health too, and my requiring purer air than that 
 of London, were also compulsory motives which led 
 him to visit places where he established useful and now 
 very flourishing Charities. He was^lways abound- 
 ing in the work of the Lord ; and truly his labour was 
 not in vain in the Lord ! * 
 
 As the natural bias of our dispositions decides our 
 peculiar line of service, so it imperceptibly conducts us 
 into it ; and that, sometimes, in a manner which is 
 very surprising to ourselves and others. " Who is 
 blind as he that is perfect, and blind as the Lord's ser- 
 vant^?" I have seen instances, though not in my dear 
 father s case, where the most indomitable restlessness 
 and uncontrollable distaste for the quiet routine of 
 home, in a mind far from being a discontented one, 
 were the symptoms which indicated the " nest being on 
 fire," and were the means of leading the individual into 
 
 (-) Sec ] Cor. XV. .50. (') Isaiah xlii. 19. 
 
128 THE ROUSING CALLS OF PROVII)EN( K. 
 
 a circle of active duties little apprehended when these 
 soul-stirring feelings were combatted, very ignorantly, 
 but with perfectly upright intentions, as being the off- 
 spring of sinful discontent, and the forerunner of 
 dangerous enterprise. Here the hand of Divine Provi- 
 dence was doubtless at work ; like the eagle, stirring up 
 her nest, and impelling, by natural feelings, a mind 
 which could rejoice in the activity of the engagements 
 into which it was thus conducted. 
 
 From such instances as this — and I doubt not that 
 there are many, if we could lift the veil of domestic 
 privacy beneath which they are concealed — we may 
 learn not to cramp the innate energies of the soul, 
 which do grievously disturb us, until we perceive that 
 they only need wise direction and judicious application. 
 Let us fear to crush them in the first stage of their 
 existence : they may, for aught we know, be the germs 
 of labours of love, which will not cease with our present 
 state of being. They may lead to the cultivation of 
 the tempers of Heaven, and to the practice of the em- 
 ployments of purified and disembodied spirits. For 
 that happy Intelligences are occupied on such errands, 
 will surely not be deemed a visionary notion : and we 
 may remember, that among the few places in which we 
 are permitted, through the Holy Scriptures, to obtain a 
 glimpse of the unseen world, there are several instances 
 in which the angels were employed on missions of love 
 and mercy to ourselves.^ 
 
 {*) See Selections from Letters and Papers : C. 
 
THE HEAVENLY QUALITY OK MERCY. 129 
 
 It has been remarked, that the constant aspiring of 
 the human mind, its ceaseless reacliing forward to 
 something yet beyond its present possessions, furnishes 
 a strong proof of the immortality of the soul. There 
 is something peculiarly delightful and cheering to the 
 feelings, in believing that the employments of mercy 
 which we begin here shall be continued in another 
 state of being ; — that the pattern which our Blessed 
 Redeemer set for our imitation on earth, that of going 
 about doing good, bears the stamp of fadeless immor- 
 tality, and will abide, in undiminished beauty, " in tlie 
 land that is very far off." 
 
 Can it be, that in that state we are destined to lay 
 aside those holy tempers and labours of love which we 
 have cultivated and practised here with so many 
 prayers and with so much delight ? No ; surely no ! 
 On the contrary, we shall be enabled to carry them on 
 "pure and undefiled;" not "in weakness, but in 
 power." This belief will give us to feel, that death will 
 not sever us from pursuits which have become very 
 precious to us : it will encourage us more and more to 
 become as " servants of all," when we can reflect, that, 
 in this respect, we shall not have to change our habits, 
 but that works of charity, in the full meaning of the 
 term, are but the commencement on earth of some of 
 the employments of blessed spirits in heaven. 
 
 To return to the fruits of my father's faith. 1 will 
 
 now endeavour to record the leading transactions of 
 
 K 
 
130 
 
 RICHARD Phillips's leading 
 
 his busy life, so far as I can trace them ; the Charitable 
 Institutions which he established ; the books he wrote, 
 or persuaded talented and pious authors to prepare; 
 and his christian bearing under affliction. 
 
 I have mentioned his entrance into the great work 
 of the Slave-Trade Abolition in 1786: he indeed de- 
 voted much time and energy to this, the first object 
 of his christian philanthrophy : and the succeeding 
 years of his long and active life beheld no change 
 pass over his spirit, with regard to the deeply-injured 
 African Race. 
 
 The next public labour of charity in which I have 
 any knowledge of his taking a leading part, was the 
 establishment of a Hospital " for the Cure and Preven- 
 tion of Contagious Fever in the Metropolis." He 
 co-operated, for this purpose, with a benevolent young 
 physician — the late Dr. Thomas Archibald Murray : 
 and, in 1801, they opened a house in Constitution Row, 
 Gray's-Inn Lane, for the reception of persons suffering 
 from typhus fever. The amiable and humane Dr. 
 Murray speedily fell a victim to his devotion to the 
 cause : he freely visited the miserable dwellings which 
 were in the focus of infection, caught typhus fever, and 
 sunk under it. 
 
 For many years, my father was Treasurer to this 
 Institution, and zealously watched over its interests, 
 both regarding the funds and the internal arrange- 
 
PHILANTHROPIC UNDERTAKINGS. 
 
 131 
 
 ments. At one time (1803), when its finances were at 
 a very low ebb, his friend, the late Joseph Smith, 
 Banker, of Broad Street, observed him to be a good 
 deal depressed, and having inquired the cause, offered to 
 accompany him to some Bankers, who, knowing Joseph 
 Smith, would listen to my fathers solicitations on 
 behalf of the Fever Hospital. They devoted some days 
 to the business ; and I have often heard my father men- 
 tion this time as one of sweet and abiding interest to 
 his own mind. He was frequently cheered, when, on 
 entering the banking-houses, the gentlemen said : 
 "Come, Mr. Smith, you are our almoner; what do 
 you want — and my father then stating his case to 
 them, they gave with the cheerfulness and liberality 
 which usually characterize British mercantile men. — 
 — My father particularly reverted to the satisfaction 
 which he felt, when, returning home in an evening 
 from those fatiguing days, toiling up Holborn Hill 
 with weary limbs and exhausted spirits, he reflected, 
 that he was not labouring thus for profit, nor devoting 
 the whole of his time to worldly pursuits. He raised 
 about £1100 by this effort, which placed the Institution 
 
 for some time above its difficulties. This charity 
 
 is still in operation ; and, with the addition of a few 
 wards for the reception of scarlet-fever patients, took 
 possession, in IS 15, of one wing of the Small-pox 
 Hospital, near Gray's-Inn Lane. 
 
 Here let me drop a hint to those who love my 
 father s memory, or, like him, delight in diminishing 
 
 K 2 
 
132 
 
 IKVEH HOSPITAL. VACCINATION. 
 
 human suffering, on behalf of a charity which is far 
 more important than is generally imagined. Indeed, 
 among its class, which is not of a religious character, 
 I doubt whether, in positive utility, it yields the palm 
 to any. Its operations are naturally unobtrusive and 
 hidden : they steal in quiet obscurity among the most 
 wretched objects of the densely-populated capital. Its 
 advantages cannot be fully estimated, because they are 
 in part negative. It professes to prevent as well as 
 cure; and this is effected by the removal of the patient 
 into the airy ward of the hospital, while his infected 
 dwelling is purified and whitewashed : thus frequently 
 saving the sufferer s life, and preventing the extension 
 of the malady to a degree which, of course, cannot be 
 calculated. Its funds are not, I believe, very large; 
 and, owing to the difficulty of obtaining pecuniary aid, 
 there exists but one establishment of the kind in our 
 vast metropolis. 
 
 My father took a warm and active interest in the 
 success of Vaccination, as introduced and practised by 
 Dr. Jenner. He was personally acquainted with the 
 benevolent Doctor, whose social visits to our fire-side 
 I can remember. 
 
 The subject of the amelioration of the Criminal Code, 
 and the diminution of the punishment of death, appears 
 to have been the next which engaged my fathers 
 vigorous co-operation. The early history of the little 
 band who associated for this deeply-important object 
 
AMELIOKATION OF THE CRIMINAL COUE. 133 
 
 bears, in one point, a strong resemblance to that of 
 the Committee for the Abolition of the Slave Trade. 
 Two names were inscribed upon its banners, under 
 whose peculiar guidance it marched onward : they 
 were, emphatically, the Wilberforce and the Clarkson 
 of the cause. 
 
 The fine talents and the benevolent mind of Basil 
 Montagu have been, through life, devoted to the dimi- 
 nution of capital punishments ; while the labours of the 
 lamented Sir Samuel Romilly brought just that kind of 
 Parliamentary aid which the cause required, and which 
 Africa found in her own Wilberforce. 
 
 Sir Samuel Romilly did not remain to witness so 
 much achieved as did Wilberforce ; and, in both cases, 
 others have entered into the field of their labours. 
 Thomas Clarkson yet lives ; and stands like a time- 
 hallowed beacon, around which the friends of Africa 
 delight to rally. Basil Montagu still lives, and still 
 labours to ameliorate that code which was once traced 
 as in characters of blood. 
 
 In the very commencement of both these great 
 works my father was engaged. In one, the Slave- 
 Trade Abolition, I believe I may safely assert he was 
 the most intimate friendly co-adjutor of the leading 
 Labourer. In the other, the Abolition of the Punish- 
 ment of Death, his position was a prominent and active 
 one, involving also a true friendship with the highly- 
 
134 AMELIORATION OF THE CRIMINAL CODE. 
 
 gifted founder. Basil Montagu's attention was awak- 
 ened to the urgent necessity of a reformation in our 
 Criminal Code, by the circumstance of his carrying a 
 reprieve to Huntingdon— that memorable reprieve, the 
 history of which his pen has told with a pathos and 
 beauty peculiarly his own. It will be remembered, 
 that, after incredible exertions, he succeeded in taking 
 this reprieve, in time, into Huntingdon Gaol. He was 
 advised by the gaoler to quit the prison by a circuitous 
 and a back way ; because the assembled multitude had 
 gathered to witness an execution, and would surely 
 visit, with ferocious insult, the person who, by saving 
 the culprits' lives, had deprived them of the pleasure of 
 such a spectacle. By this incident, the mind of Basil 
 Montagu was powerfully impressed with the more than 
 unfitness of capital punishment, as a means of pre- 
 venting the commission of crime. He returned to 
 London with a fixed resolve, that something should be 
 attempted to change a system so obviously demora- 
 lizing in its effects upon the mass of the population. 
 That resolve, he — who, we may not doubt, was a 
 chosen instrument in the ordering of Divine Provi- 
 dence — has been enabled to " hold fast," and to contend 
 for, amidst the arduous toils and difficulties of long 
 succeeding years. 
 
 On the return of Basil Montagu to London, he con- 
 ferred with his friend, Frederic Smith ; who cordially 
 entered into his views, and introduced my father to 
 him as a man possessed of more than a usual share of 
 
INSTITUTION OF A SOCIETY. 
 
 ■135 
 
 the energy requisite to such undertakings ^ I think 
 myself happy in being able to give the account of my 
 dear father s first Committee-sitting in this cause, in 
 the words of his valued friend, Basil Montagu ; to 
 whom I wrote, requesting him to give me the date of 
 my fathers connection with the Society. 
 
 Referring to my Note, he says : — 
 
 " It has vividly recalled the many sweet associations 
 which always accompany the recollection of your 
 father, and the labours of love in which he passed 
 his virtuous and religious life. 
 
 " I have now before me the Minute Book of the 
 Society for the Diffusion of Knowledge, upon the 
 Punishment of Death. It thus begins : — 
 
 " 4 GrayVInn Place, March 21, 1808. 
 
 Richard Phillips, Frederic Smith, George Dyer, 
 and Basil Montagu, met in this place, to consider 
 the expediency of forming a Society to diminish Capital 
 Punishments, and to alleviate the Miseries of Public 
 Prisons. 
 
 " What a multitude of thoughts are awakened in 
 my mind, by the recollection of this Meeting ! It is 
 scarcely possible for me to attempt to note them 
 down ! Let us be grateful to the Almighty, for having 
 lived to see the work that we have made ; and to see 
 that it is good ! 
 
 {^) For these particulars, I am indebted to tlic kindness of Anne 
 D. Montagu, the wife of Basil Montagu. 
 
13G BENEFICIAL EFFECTS OF THE SOCIETY. 
 
 " A year or two since, the following statement ap- 
 peared in the Newspapers : — ' There has not been one 
 execution in London during the last shrievalty." 
 
 " You know not, Dear Child, how my heart beat with 
 joy, when I read this. At the time when we first met, 
 there were regular monthly executions of ten young 
 men and young women for crimes without violence. 
 Such is the effect, the certain effect, of perseverance 
 in a good cause. 
 
 " ' So have I seen,' says one of our divines ' the 
 sun, with a little ray and distant light, challenge all 
 the powers of darkness ; and, without noise, climbing 
 up the hill, hath made night so to retire, that its 
 miseries were lost in the joys and sprightliness of the 
 morning.' 
 
 " Let us pass for a moment from grave to gay. 
 You will have seen that, at this Meeting, George 
 Dyer was present. He is, at a very advanced age 
 (between 90 and 100), yet alive. He always has been, 
 and still is, one of the kindest creatures on earth. 
 He is a very absent man : he retired first from our 
 Meeting : after he had quitted us for about an hour, 
 the Meeting broke up ; when, to your father s astonish- 
 ment, his hat was gone. Your father, in great good 
 humour, said, ' Why Basil, thy friend, thy absent friend, 
 has taken my umbrella, and left this mushruom!'' hold- 
 ing up a little miserable hat which Dyer had left. 
 
 I mention this as illustrative of what, I used to say 
 
 (') Bishop Jeremy Taylor. 
 
SIMILAR INSTITUTIONS. 
 
 137 
 
 to your father, constituted much of his character — 
 thoughtfulness, with a disposition to cheerfulness — 
 light work upon a dark ground, which is said to con- 
 stitute the perfection of dress. 'Judge therefore,' 
 says Lord Bacon, ' of the pleasure of the heart by the 
 pleasure of the eye.' 
 
 " Your Friend, 
 " Nov. 8, 1840." " Basil Montagu." 
 
 I think I may safely designate the little Committee 
 Meeting, which is mentioned in the beginning of this 
 Letter, as one of those grains of mustard-seed to which 
 my father delighted in referring. How is it now 
 become a denizen of our moral forest ! How numerous 
 are its branches ; and, beneath the added culture of 
 more recent Labourers, how do they overshadow our 
 land ! I here allude particularly to the Institutions 
 connected with the improvement of Prison Discipline, 
 and the care of Discharged Prisoners. 
 
 In speaking of this branch of the subject, it is need- 
 less to advert to the unwearied efforts of that sweetly- 
 gifted one, whose bright example is still permitted to 
 edify and gladden us. Her name will rise to every 
 one's lips, as the beloved and venerated being, whom 
 England will ever delight to designate her own Female 
 Howard. 
 
 At Brighton, in 1809, where we were not infre- 
 quently residing for the benefit of our health, my father 
 
138 
 
 BRIGHTON DISPENSARY, 
 
 succeeded, after considerable exertion, in establishing 
 a Dispensary. An eminent physician, who resided a 
 good deal in the town, was desirous of deferring any 
 movement of the kind until the conclusion of peace, 
 and then he hoped to establish an Infirmary. My 
 father urged immediate activity, in that way which, 
 though less useful, was the only one then practicable ; 
 
 saying, " Does Dr. know when the war will cease? 
 
 or, that he shall then be alive ? " The physician kindly 
 gave his hearty co-operation to the minor charity, 
 which was established on the 17th of the 11th mo. 1809. 
 This Dispensary pursued its quiet course for some 
 years, cheering and relieving much distress among 
 the poor population ; while the physician has had 
 the satisfaction of seeing his benevolent wishes car- 
 ried into effect, and my father s Dispensary become 
 amalgamated with the noble County Hospital, in 
 1813. 
 
 About the year 1810, my father was zealously en- 
 gaged in the promotion of what were then termed 
 Lancasterian Schools. They were so called from the 
 peculiar mode of mutual instruction adopted in them 
 by their founder, Joseph Lancaster — a person once 
 a member of the Society of Friends. His plan received 
 active support from the philanthropists of that day, 
 who wished that a Scriptural Education should be 
 provided for the mass of the people, without the 
 introduction of any peculiar religious tenets. These 
 Schools are now designated the British and Foreign 
 
SCHOOLS. — SWANSEA. 
 
 139 
 
 Schools; while those which, about the same time, 
 originated with Dr. Bell, and are exclusively connected 
 with the Church of England, are now called National 
 Schools. 
 
 At the period I have just named, my father was 
 visiting his native town ; and, with more than usual 
 difficulty, established a School there for the education 
 of Boys. He often spoke of the discouragements which 
 were then placed before him concerning this under- 
 taking. One inhabitant of Swansea plainly told him, 
 that it was a place in which no charity could flourish. 
 He however persevered; going from house to house 
 soliciting subscriptions, from the higher class down to 
 the very smallest tradesman, not even omitting the 
 publ ic- houses ; and finding the total resources insuf- 
 ficient, he collected more money on his return to 
 London. Thus the School was established; and he 
 used to remark, that " it seemed to break up the fallow 
 ground;" for the town can now count up a goodly 
 portion of Charitable Institutions. A Letter, which 
 I recently received from a gentleman residing at 
 Swansea, mentioning this charity, says, that " upwards 
 of 5000 Boys have passed through this School since its 
 establishment." 
 
 The importance of availing ourselves of small open- 
 ings, my father thought was strikingly elucidated by 
 the apparently casual origin of another truly-valuable 
 Institution in his native town. It occurred while we 
 
140 
 
 DISPENSARY. — SCHOOLS, 
 
 were staying at the house of his sister, Esther PhilUps. 
 One morning, during breakfast, a poor sick woman 
 applied for assistance; and either my aunt or my 
 mother lamented that there was not a Dispensary in 
 the town. The idea became rivetted in my father s 
 mind : he walked out ; called upon some of his friends ; 
 and, though a wet, unfavourable day for going much 
 about, he had, before dinner-time, laid the foundation, 
 and collected a comparatively - handsome sum to- 
 wards the establishment of the desired charity. That 
 Dispensary has now merged in a good Hospital ; and 
 thus continues to diffuse the blessing of timely medical 
 aid to the suffering poor of Swansea'. 
 
 A few years after the erection of the School-house 
 for Boys at Swansea, my father was visiting his relations 
 there again. He found that Joseph Lancaster had, in 
 the mean time, got a School opened for the instruction 
 of Girls. But the situation was an extremely dele- 
 terious one, and greatly endangered the health of those 
 Ladies who visited it. The room in which the school 
 was conducted was small and close ; the window could 
 not be opened for the purpose of ventilation, because 
 a fellmonger's yard stood beside it; and bad sore- 
 throats were of frequent occurrence, from the putridity 
 of the atmosphere. My father considered, that the 
 Ladies deserved better accommodation ; and therefore, 
 with his indefatigable energy, he devoted his time and 
 
 (') See Selections from Letters and Papers. 
 
SCHOOLS AT SWANSEA. 
 
 141 
 
 strength to the work. He raised at Swansea, and 
 subsequently in London, about £900; with which a 
 good School-house, and a little Committee-room, and 
 Dwelling for the Mistress, were erected. 
 
 A departure from the fundamental plan of conduct- 
 ing the school, in what my father deemed an important 
 religious point, occasioned him to withdraw from this 
 school some years afterwards : and during another 
 sojourn in Swansea, he became, by the kind assistance 
 of some benevolent friends ^ the founder of another 
 School for Girls ; for which purpose a good house was 
 erected at the other end of the town. 
 
 The population had greatly increased since the first 
 house had been built; and thus 
 
 " Seeming evil, still educing good ; 
 And better thence again, and better still," — ^ 
 
 was beheld in that alteration which had greatly dis- 
 tressed my father at the time : but was now converted 
 into a blessing, by the further facilities which were 
 thus afforded for educating the numerous female 
 children of the lower classes. 
 
 (') Two of these, who took a sincere and untiring interest in 
 the school, were Robert and Jane Eaton; both now, I trust, 
 entered, with my precious father, " into the joy of their Lord." 
 Thomson's Hymn. 
 
142 BIUTISil AND rOKEIGX BIBLE SOCIETY. 
 
 Had I followed exact chronological order, I should 
 probably ere this have mentioned my father's be- 
 coming a Member of the British and Foreign Bible 
 Society — that noble Institution, which became his very 
 engrossing object of interest for so many years.'" 
 But, as I believe he commenced his labours for Schools 
 and Dispensaries before he was completely embarked 
 in the Bible Cause, I thought it best to finish my 
 sketch of liis exertions for the establishment of such 
 of these as I could well trace out, before I touched 
 upon the subject. Upon the day of the Public Meeting 
 which was held at Freemasons' Hall, in 1804, to form 
 the British and Foreign Bible Society, my father left 
 home, with the intention of going to it. But he hap- 
 pened to be very much depressed that day : he saw 
 many carriages assembled — a large concourse enter- 
 ing; and he thought he could not be wanted there — 
 that the proceedings would not be in his retired prac- 
 tical line of operation ; and therefore he turned away, 
 and went home. 
 
 Three or four years elapsed before he joined the 
 Society ; and then he immediately became an active 
 and truly diligent Labourer in its blessed field. At one 
 of the first Committee Meetings which he attended, his 
 name was proposed for a Sub-committee. My father 
 hesitated a little, because he had so recently become 
 a Member of the large Committee ; but John Owen, 
 
 ('") I think he used to call it his " Aaron's rod." 
 
BRITISH AND FOREIGN BIBLE SOCIETY. 143 
 
 one of the Secretaries, and for whom he afterwards 
 entertained a strong value and friendship, exclaimed, 
 " Come, come ! we have none but working-bees here ! " 
 — My father s name was entered on the Sub-committee ; 
 and a true " working-bee " he proved : and, " as he was 
 emphatically a practical man, they derived no common 
 advantage from his co-operation ; " for " it was more 
 especially to the work of the Bible Society that he 
 brought the full weight and power of his capacious 
 and intelligent mind"." My father s mind was one 
 that descended into the minutiae of most subjects : he 
 reflected much, reasoned clearly, and drew correct con- 
 clusions from sound premises. He soon turned his 
 attention to contrive the most advantageous mode of 
 internal organization for the Bible Society. About 
 the time that his mind was so occupied, he received an 
 injury on his leg, which rendered a temporary confine- 
 ment to the house necessary. This little seclusion, 
 which took place at Hampstead, he eagerly employed 
 in drawing up a set of Rules for the government of 
 that noble Society. All the Rules which guided their 
 operations for many years, and under which it attained 
 its singular prosperity, were, with two small exceptions, 
 drawn up by my precious father. He arranged the 
 gradation of Societies within the pale of the Parent 
 Society — the Auxiliary, the Branch, the Association. 
 
 (") From the British and Foreign Bible Society's Montlily 
 Extract, for February ] 836, containing a Memorial on the Death 
 of Richard Phillips. 
 
144 
 
 BIBLE ASSOCIATIONS. 
 
 I believe the plan of Bible Associations was entirely 
 my fathers ; or, if not a strictly-original idea, it cer- 
 tainly was first applied by him, on a large scale, to 
 a charitable purpose; and he introduced it into the 
 constitution of the British and Foreign Bible Society 
 with singular effect. By the term Association, I mean 
 that uniting of the small efforts of the many, whereby 
 we produce large results in the mass. 
 
 It was a very favourite scheme of my fathers, to 
 induce the poor to help themselves — to awaken their 
 sympathies — to rouse their energies — to shew them a 
 way by wliich they might enjoy the luxury of doing 
 good ; — in every point of view producing the best 
 results ; and, by the domiciliary visits of the wealthier 
 members of society, bringing into friendly contact those 
 classes which are but too far divided asunder ; — teaching 
 us all practically, that God has indeed " made of one 
 blood all nations of men " The penny of the poor 
 man, given weekly for his own Bible, or for that of 
 a still poorer neighbour, proved a mighty lever in this 
 truly-popular Society ; and the plan is now adopted 
 by many Religious Institutions. Female Associations, 
 which have proved Auxiliaries of such singular efficacy, 
 were engrafted into my father s plan by his friend 
 Charles Dudley, a truly energetic and successful La- 
 bourer in the Bible Society. 
 
 ('-) Acts xvii. 26. 
 
SMALL SHOTS. 
 
 145 
 
 The strictness of the internal Regulations of the 
 Bible Society did not permit the Committee to publish 
 any thing, either in explanation or defence of their ob- 
 jects. Such publications were nevertheless occasionally 
 needful, in consequence of the ignorance of its objects 
 which prevailed in society at large, and because of the 
 attacks which were made upon it by the pen of calum- 
 ny or bigotry. A private subscription was therefore 
 resorted to, in order to print little Addresses and 
 Speeches in single sheets. These were designated, by 
 my father's playful fancy, as " Small shot ;" and were 
 always well known, among his friends, by that title. 
 Some of them were written expressly for the purpose : 
 others were the reprint of Speeches which had been 
 delivered at Meetings of Bible Societies, and were 
 fitted to meet particular and local objections. They 
 were, many of them, beautiful specimens of pious 
 oratory ; and, even now, I can almost recall the fine 
 tones of my father's voice, as he read them aloud to 
 little evening parties whom he had assembled to interest 
 upon the subject. One of these little publications, 
 called " The Appeal to Labourers and Mechanics," was 
 produced by the pen of James Montgomery : for, during 
 a journey which we took into Yorkshire in 1812, my 
 father, having succeeded in engaging the co-operation 
 of that sweet Christian Poet, persuaded him to add 
 to the number of the " Small shot " ; and that beautiful 
 little paper was the result. Another, the "Address 
 to Servants," was written by my father s friend, Charles 
 Dudley. 
 
146 
 
 JOURNEY TO YORKSHIRE. 
 
 As I have already hinted — when we travelled, we 
 took with us a great parcel, containing Pamphlets, 
 Reports, Rules, and " Small shot,*" suited to the wants of 
 different localities and classes of objectors. On arri- 
 ving at the houses of his friends, my father immediately 
 inquired into the condition of the town respecting 
 Charitable Institutions, and then proceeded to lay the 
 foundation of such as appeared most needful or eligible. 
 
 I have just alluded to the journey into Yorkshire. It 
 was one full of interest, and of occupation to my father's 
 active and devoted spirit. We travelled through Essex, 
 Suffolk, and Norfolk, into Yorkshire ; and a truly busy, 
 fruitful time, I believe, it proved. 
 
 I find a rough copy of a Letter from my father to an 
 aged relative of my mother's — John Kendall; whom we 
 had visited, on our way, at Colchester. It furnishes so 
 good a specimen of my father's indefatigable labours, 
 and mode of proceeding on these excursions, that I will 
 transcribe part of it : — 
 I 
 
 " Springdale, near Huddersfield, 4th of 11th mo. 1812. 
 " .... At Ipswich there is a Dispensary (one of the 
 most relieving establishments for the sick poor) ; but 
 thought to be so ill managed, as not to reheve above 
 one-fourth of the number it should. This, properly, 
 with R. Alexander was a cause of regret : with him, 
 I called on several of the inhabitants of Ipswich ; who. 
 
LETTER TO JOHN KENDALL. 
 
 147 
 
 since then, by information from R. A., I hear have had 
 a meeting, and approved of reforming the Dispensary ; 
 and thereby aflFording relief to 500 or 600 of the 
 afl3icted poor, more than are relieved at present. — Does 
 not this afford real pleasure to the benevolent mind ? — 
 and this pleasure, in an extended degree, may be expe- 
 rienced at Colchester, if only a few of the leading inha- 
 bitants were properly to feel the distresses of the 
 infirm poor, and become pressingly zealous in a good 
 cause. 
 
 " For the purpose of forwarding this object (by 
 procuring the establishment of a Dispensary at Col- 
 chester), accompanied by my friend, James Barker", 
 
 I called at Ward's, a Clergyman, and on others. 
 
 Ward appeared zealous and solicitous to promote such a 
 charity ; but the absence of the President of the Bible 
 Auxiliary Society, who was expected to become a pow- 
 erful promoter of such a charity, was alleged as a rea- 
 son for their delaying any public proceeding. Lately 
 I have received a kind Letter from my friend, J. Barker, 
 intimating that the prospect of forming a Dispensary 
 seemed, for the present, to subside ; — to me a cause for 
 regret; not doubting, that, with little difficulty, and 
 without much trouble, this charity might be established 
 at Colchester; and thereby, at an expense scarcely 
 credible, many hundreds of the sick poor be relieved 
 every year. 
 
 (") The person at whose house we were kindly entertained, 
 during our stay of a few days at Colchester. 
 
 L 2 
 
148 
 
 LETTER TO JOHN KENDALL. 
 
 "James Barker is willing to afford his Professional 
 assistance, which is material. The Rules for a Country- 
 Dispensary are left with J. B. ; and any additional 
 information which I could afford, I would, with plea- 
 sure, on my return to town. 
 
 "As the bustle of the election is now over, and 
 probably the President of the Bible Society (I forget 
 his name) returned, what can prevent any, who are 
 friends to this highly-beneficial charity (which Col- 
 chester should have possessed long since) from stepping 
 forward and promoting its establishment? Probably 
 thou wilt recommend it to the serious attention of some 
 of thy friends and acquaintance, and urge them to do 
 so to others. It is a good benevolent work, and will 
 afford thee pleasure in promoting it. — Please to shew 
 this Letter to J. Barker. 
 
 " From Ipswich we went to Norwich ; and from 
 thence to Doncaster, at William Smith's. There they 
 are on the eve of forming an Auxiliary Bible Society ; 
 having procured and dispersed a number of the small 
 papers in favour of the same ; the expense to be 
 borne by the Society, when formed. — From Doncaster 
 we went to Henry Tuke's, at York : at this place, as 
 at Ipswich, they are endeavouring to form Bible Asso- 
 ciations." 
 
 At Springdale, the hospitable residence of John and 
 Phoebe Fisher, whence this Letter is dated, we were 
 detained six weeks, by the severe illness of my beloved 
 
 (") Earlham, the seat of John Giirney. 
 
A <; K W ( ) li TU . — SC I! I I'l' U H K 1 N S'lU i; CTU) N . 1 -1 ! ) 
 
 mother. The leisure time was, as usual, fully occupied 
 by luy father ; and lie got a Dis})ensary formed there. 
 
 We were a week, during this journey, at Ackworth ; 
 and the time so spent in the school and family was 
 a truly interesting one to my parents. The mention 
 of Ackworth recalls to my memory the desire which 
 my father then felt to introduce a more thorough 
 knowledge of the Holy Scriptures, by reading them 
 aloud, and judiciously questioning the children upon 
 the parts selected. This mode of christian instruction 
 has since, I believe, by the labour of one pious indivi- 
 dual in particular, been much followed out : but before 
 the time of my father s visit, it had not been practised ; 
 and this little sojourn in the school was, in this respect, 
 one of deep interest to the inmates, and, I trust, of 
 permanent utility to the Institution. 
 
 At that period, far less religious instruction was given 
 to childi'en than in the present day ; and my father 
 often regretted that so very little information was 
 afforded them on the subject of the religious tenets of 
 their own body. All other Denominations had their 
 Catechisms, in which their youth were carefully in- 
 structed; while ours were left in much ignorance of 
 the doctrinal views which their fathers professed ; and 
 which they were themselves expected to understand, 
 love, and practise. 
 
 There was a work of this description, of which my 
 
150 
 
 RICHARD Phillips's office 
 
 father had a high opinion ; and I remember his recom- 
 mending it frequently and widely. It was published 
 by John Bevans ; but whether it be still in print, I do 
 not know 
 
 In the summer of 1813, my dear father was called to 
 bear a trial which was indeed a heavy one ; — though, at 
 first sight, to those unconnected with the legal profes- 
 sion, it will not appear in its real magnitude. His 
 office, which happily stood apart from the dwelling- 
 house, was burned to the ground, and many deeds and 
 papers greatly injured or consumed. My mother con- 
 sidered it a very providential circumstance that we 
 were absent at the time of the accident ; for had my 
 father been on the spot during the conflagration, we 
 could hardly have hoped that he would have escaped 
 severe illness, or some terrible injury, from the expo- 
 sure and exertion which he would have undergone. He 
 was not of a nature to shrink in the moment of danger ; 
 and would unquestionably have compromised his safety 
 by his endeavours to preserve some of his valuable 
 papers. 
 
 The kind friend"^ who came out to Hampstead to 
 tell him the tidings as cautiously as possible, took 
 him up to the scene of destruction. He subsequently 
 
 ('^) I cannot find the book, to mention its precise title ; but 
 I think it was similar to " A Brief View of the Doctrines of 
 Friends." 
 
 (") Abraham Beaumont. 
 
' DESTROYED BY FIRE. 
 
 151 
 
 remarked how edified he was by the striking resignation 
 and calmness which mingled with my dear fathers 
 evident feelings of great distress at this calamity. It 
 is difficult to conceive a more afflictive one, short of 
 the loss of near and dear friends, than this fire was. 
 Many papers of importance are entrusted to the care 
 of gentlemen in the Law ; and to a highly-sensitive 
 mind, like that of my fathers, it was deeply grievous to 
 cause inconvenience, and, it might be even loss, to 
 others. By his friends, who were capable of appre- 
 ciating the keenness of the stroke, he was most affec- 
 tionately soothed ; and many sweet letters of condolence 
 came from them, expressive of their sympathy, and ear- 
 nest christian desires for his support and consolation. 
 
 Among these, I must not omit to mention one beau- 
 tiful token of a sister s love, which he received. One of 
 my aunts wrote up to him ; and offered to place the 
 whole of her property at his disposal, should the event 
 have rendered such an assistance needful. Notliing- of 
 the kind was required ; but it was a sweet instance of 
 the value of those tender ties wherewith a kind Provi- 
 dence unites His creatures. How desirable it is that 
 we should cherish them, and keep the delicate links of 
 the chain of family connexion whole and bright ! 
 
 In 1818, the deplorable condition of the poor inha- 
 bitants of the Scilly Islands was brought under my 
 
 (") Esther Phillips. 
 
152 
 
 EFFORTS ON UliHALF OF 
 
 father s notice. A bold and active sea-nursed race, 
 they had few resources, but upon the ocean. They had 
 carried on a traffic, I suppose, irregular enough, with 
 homeward-bound vessels; and stricter coast regula- 
 tions, I believe, rendered them at that period unable to 
 obtain a subsistence at all. There were many widows 
 and orphans totally destitute ; and, altogether, their cry 
 seemed to rise up with resistless appeal to the heart of 
 every one who possessed the power to aid them. 
 
 Very soon after their case came to my father's know- 
 ledge, we went to Brighton. There my father gained 
 access to Sir Benjamin (now Lord) Bloomfield, the Re- 
 gent's Privy Purse ; — for the Prince Regent being Duke 
 of Cornwall, it appeared peculiarly fitting to solicit 
 assistance from him, for the poor people of Scilly. And 
 so pressingly did my father feel the actually starving 
 condition of these islanders, that he carried the Letter 
 and Statements to the Pavilion, as soon as they were 
 ready — though it happened to be during the time of 
 holding our Meeting for worship on the week-day : 
 considering, I doubt not, that, in so doing, he was acting 
 in the spirit of the law of christian liberty and love — 
 in the spirit of Him who told the Pharisees, that even 
 " the Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the 
 Sabbath." The Regent, of course, made inquiry con- 
 cerning my fathers respectability: and having asked 
 of his physician, who also attended our family, he was 
 
 («) Mark ii. 27. 
 
THE SCILLY ISLANDERS. 
 
 153 
 
 told that my father might " be safely trusted ; though he 
 was the greatest beggar in the kingdom.'''' One hundred 
 pounds, through Sir Benjamin Bloomfield, was the result 
 of this appeal to the kind feelings of the Prince. Some 
 of the household were also applied to; and responded 
 liberally to the call on behalf of the suffering islanders. 
 
 A Lady'" who resided on the Marine Parade became 
 so greatly interested in the cause, that, though she had 
 contributed twenty pounds to the subscription which 
 my father was raising, she sent for him one day, and 
 told him that she felt unable to partake with comfort 
 of her own dinners, when they came upon her table, 
 without doing something more for the poor of Scilly. 
 She therefore gave him one hundred pounds; fifty 
 pounds of which she directed to be applied towards 
 the assistance of a surgeon, who lived among the poor 
 people, and was in grievous need of a boat to convey 
 liim about among the group of islands. He was at that 
 time nearly starving with his patients ; and more than 
 one hundred and seventy pounds was collected for his 
 use, and for medicines which were sent down to him for 
 the use of the poor. At first, some vessels of potatoes 
 and oatmeal were despatched without delay ; and then 
 the money, which was thus raised, was carefully applied 
 from time to time, in small sums, as occasion required : 
 for a large Public Committee coming into operation soon 
 after that most pressing period, rendered the immediate 
 
 ('■') Lavinia Luther. 
 
154 
 
 SCILLY ISLANDERS. 
 
 total expenditure of this private fund unnecessary. My 
 father watched very carefully over it : for his dispo- 
 sition, though generous, was not lavish : he thoroughly 
 understood and practised economy in every thing : he 
 considered all money as a sacred trust committed to 
 his keeping, and did not deem himself permitted to 
 fling it about with heedless recklessness or improvident 
 profuseness. Unlike some unsteady minds, who seize 
 every possible opportunity of visiting persons of 
 exalted rank, my father, with the good feeling which 
 prompts some of our most choice philanthropists, who 
 are now among us, used his incidental power of 
 approach near them as a simple means of doing good, 
 not as a gratification of vanity or curiosity. With this 
 feeling, he declined an interview with the Prince Regent, 
 which appeared accessible to him, after the donation of 
 the hundred pounds for the Scilly Islanders ; and also 
 one with the Duke of York, on another occasion, 
 through the means of Sir Herbert Taylor. 
 
 . My father had solicited Sir Herbert, at Brighton, on 
 behalf of a child, whose father, a sergeant, had been 
 shot by a soldier. The application was for its admis- 
 sion into the Duke's School at Chelsea; and it was 
 successful : for I remember, after we returned to Lon- 
 don, that the widow called, with her fine little boy, to 
 thank my father for his assistance to her in her hour 
 of afiliction. 
 
rUBLICATIONS. 
 
 155 
 
 CHAP. VI. 
 
 I HAVE spoken of some little Works which my dear 
 father published : they were three : and I will men- 
 tion them now; though their dates do not properly 
 arrange them all together. In 1802, he brought out 
 an " English Harmony of the Evangelists, after the 
 manner of the Greek of William Newcome, Arch- 
 bishop of Armagh." ' This is a very useful work ; 
 and shews, with clearness and simplicity, the different 
 Aanner in which the same events are recorded by the 
 Sacred Historians, when they all tell the same incidents ; 
 which, as any New-Testament reader knows, does by 
 no means always happen. 
 
 Two small Tracts succeeded this work ; but I cannot 
 ascertain the precise year in which they came out. 
 The earliest edition which I can hear of — and I believe 
 it was the first — was in 1810. They were entitled, 
 
 ( ' ) A new edition of this work was published by T. Bagster, 
 in 1827. 
 
156 TRACTS. PERIODICAL. 
 
 " Hints, chiefly Scriptural, on Regeneration " ; and 
 " Concise Remarks on Watchfulness and Silence." 
 Both these little works have very copious notes, from 
 the writings of pious and learned Christians of various 
 Denominations : for my father delighted to recognise 
 true spirituality in those whose sentiments, on some 
 points, difiered from his own; and the names of 
 Cudworth, Monro, Law, Bishop Wilson, Bishop Taylor, 
 Fenelon, and Smallbridge, Bishop of Bristol, are found 
 in his quotations ; with those of his own Religious 
 Society, Barclay and Pennington." 
 
 In 1810 or 1811, my father made an effort to 
 procure the publication of a little periodical, to be 
 called " Traits of Instinct." He delighted to trace 
 the impress of the Finger of Almighty Wisdom and 
 Goodness, in His works ; and he considered that this 
 subject afforded many beautiful illustrations of those 
 which were peculiarly adapted to instruct the youthful 
 mind, and lead it from the contemplation of " Nature, 
 up to Nature's God." Pursuing his favourite method 
 of engaging talented and popular authors to execute 
 his projects, he applied to some gifted Female Writers, 
 and endeavoured to gain their co-operation. But the 
 plan of a periodical work was ultimately abandoned; 
 chiefly from the difficulty of collecting anecdotes suffi- 
 ciently novel to keep alive the interest requisite for 
 
 ( - ) A new edition of these little Tracts has just been printed ; 
 and is sold at Harvey and Darton's, Gracechurch Street, London. 
 
INSTINCT DISPLAYF.n. 
 
 157 
 
 ensuring the success of a periodical. A very pleasant 
 little volume was, however, produced in 1811, from 
 the pen of Priscilla Wakefield, and entitled " Instinct 
 Displayed." — Of the other books which I may claim 
 as having emanated from the suggestions of Richard 
 Phillips, I believe I must speak, as they arose inciden- 
 tally, from peculiar circumstances. 
 
 Through the critical state of my beloved mother's 
 health, we were at Brighton from the latter part 
 of 1818 till the summer of 1819 was far advanced: 
 and at that time came upon us an overwhelming 
 weight of sorrow, in her death, which happened in the 
 8 th month 1819. To my father, it was a cup, the 
 bitterness of which we can perhaps best, though faintly, 
 estimate, by remembering the degree of singular fond- 
 ness with which his affections had been entwined 
 about one who was, in every respect, worthy to re- 
 ceive them. 
 
 As the marriage tie, when wisely and happily formed, 
 is, of all bonds, the sweetest and the dearest ; so the 
 dissolution of it is, of all human calamities, the most 
 intensely desolating. It is formed after we have been 
 able to ascertain our own tastes, and principles and 
 habits ; and though other links of connection may pro- 
 duce much support to a clinging disposition, yet the 
 companionship which the matured energies of the 
 human mind require, is to be found chiefly in this 
 condition. My father s affectionate disposition reposed 
 
158 
 
 SARAH Phillips's illness: 
 
 exceedingly on companionship; and the stroke was 
 therefore far more overwhelming than it would have 
 been to one differently constituted. 
 
 But in this fiery trial, he was not found wanting; 
 and his christian virtues shone with resplendent lustre. 
 His assiduous attentions to our darling sufferer, night 
 and day, never slackened, while she remained with us 
 to require them. Calm, gentle, and alive to every 
 duty which devolved upon him at that trying moment, 
 he evinced, in every action, the firm possession of that 
 faith which is, indeed, an anchor of the soul ; and, by 
 his perfectly unrepining resignation, he proved that 
 he experienced the fulfilment of the promise — " My 
 grace is sufficient for thee." 
 
 I have often thought how great a privilege it is 
 to be able to command our feelings at such moments 
 of bereavement : it is a blessed thing, to retain, when 
 all is over, the consciousness of having done what we 
 could — to have remained in quietness beside our be- 
 loved ones, assisting their departing spirits with our 
 aspirations to the Throne of Grace — receiving, it may 
 be, some little portion of that heavenly succour where- 
 with the lovinsr-kindness of their and our Redeemer 
 visits their souls, at the moments of their last conflict. 
 
 Contrast this with the painful scene which some, 
 even pious, death-beds present ! — friends, and relatives, 
 flying from the sight of sufferings which ought to chain 
 
HER DEATH. 159 
 
 them to the couch of the dying ; and leaving them to 
 the consolations of mere attendants; which, however 
 faithfully and tenderly bestowed, cannot descend with 
 so sweet a balm upon the parting spirit, as those which 
 are bestowed by the hands of the nearest and dearest 
 friends ! 
 
 When this hour of sorrow came upon me, I had 
 never looked on death in the human form : but I shrunk 
 not; and, reclining upon the bed, beside my mother, 
 I remained as long as my father wished ; which was 
 a great while after she had left us: — and the satisfaction 
 which the retrospect has ever given me, has made me 
 indeed grateful to those who thus trained me*. 
 
 My precious fathers own words will best describe 
 the frame of mind in which he was favoured to meet 
 this bereavement ; — and I transcribe the following 
 Memoranda, from among the very few which he left 
 beliind him : — 
 
 "1818. 11th mo. 23d.— Benjamin White, a friend from 
 America, in a family visit to my dear wife, myself, 
 and daughter, said his mind had been occupied with 
 part of the Seventh Cliapter of the Revelation, which 
 referred to those who had washed their robes white in 
 the blood of the Lamb, as he thought applicable to 
 
 (') On this subject, see a very interesting and recent little 
 work, from the pen of Basil Montagu, entitled, " Funerals of the 
 Quakers." 
 
0 
 
 160 SARAH Phillips's death. 
 
 the heads of the family ; and signified his mind being 
 comforted under the impression. 
 
 " The 25th — we left East Street for Brighton, where 
 we arrived the 26th ; — where, during the winter and 
 spring &c., my deai'ly beloved had several severe 
 bilious attacks. 
 
 " 1819. 8th mo. 21st. — This day, at or very near half- 
 past five in the afternoon, my greatest earthly treasure, 
 my dear invaluable wife, leaning on my arm, and our 
 dear daughter on the other side, was removed from 
 works to (no doubt) everlasting rewards. 
 
 " Oh ! may our Merciful Father sanctify fully unto 
 my beloved daughter and myself this severe affliction ; 
 and thereby restore our spirits into an union with her, 
 in the realms of never-ceasing bliss ! A few minutes 
 previous to my dearly beloved ceasing to breathe, a 
 calming, peaceable influence, like a gentle current, was 
 felt to prevail ; which lasted for some time after her 
 purified spirit had taken its departure : — at the same 
 time, there seemed to be something heard, like a rush 
 or rushing wind through the chamber-door, which 
 attracted our attention, and struck me as if it had been 
 guardian angels coming to convey her purified spirit 
 to the realms of perpetual bliss. ' Mark the perfect 
 man, and behold the upright ! for the end of that man 
 is peace.' " 
 
 " The 22d early, my sister E. Lloyd, and niece 
 E. Lloyd, arrived. 
 " 22. Read the Seventh Chapter of the Revelation. 
 " 23. On opening the Bible to read, the Thirty-ninth 
 
SARAH Phillips's death. 
 
 IGI 
 
 Psalm presented itself, and was read ; which appeared 
 strikingly descriptive, and peculiarly to belong to my 
 very dear Sarah. 
 
 " 24. The cxxxixth Psalm was read. May exhaust- 
 less Biercy realise it unto us, poor afflicted, frail sinners 
 and worms ! 
 
 " 25. Read the xixth Psalm. — How peculiarly de- 
 serving of attention is the latter part ! 
 
 " 26. This day, about one, the remains of my dearly- 
 beloved were interred in Friends' Burial-ground at 
 Brighton. At the previous Meeting, and in the ground, 
 it may not be too much to say, a realising, consoling 
 influence was felt to prevail ; and an undoubting faith, 
 that the spirit of my precious Dear was centred in 
 never-ending peace and bliss. Oh ! may exhaustless 
 goodness and mercy grant that the mourning spirits 
 of my dear daughter and myself may ultimately be 
 united with hers, in hymns of gratitude and praise, 
 throughout the endless ages of eternity ! 
 
 " Eliz. Jos. Fry, both in the Meeting and at the 
 grave, alluded to my Dear, as one who had washed her 
 robe white in the blood of the Lamb. A striking 
 similarity to the allusion of B. White (of which she 
 was ignorant), in his sitting in the family, previous 
 to our leaving London. 
 
 " 27. This morning read, as having occurred on 
 opening the Psalms, the cxliiid. — May the petition 
 therein be realised to us ! 
 
 " 28. Left Brighton about ten ; visiting, on our way, 
 
 M 
 
102 SARAH Phillips's death. 
 
 the grave of my much-beloved ; and there supplicating, 
 on behalf of my dear daughter and self, that the 
 present heavy affliction may be sanctified unto us, and 
 our spirits ultimately united with hers in the realms 
 of ceaseless praise. My sister-in-law, Elizabeth Lloyd, 
 and D. P. Hack, were present. 
 
 " 28. About half after six, arrived in East Street — 
 a comparatively-desolate habitation, having been de- 
 prived of, to us, its chief earthly comfort. — But the 
 dear Redeemer still lives. 
 
 " 29. Read (as what occurred on opening the Psalms) 
 the xcth and xcist Psalms. — Who can avoid an earnest 
 solicitude, that the petitions and promises which they 
 contain may be realized, as to us ; which Infinite 
 Mercy can alone effect." 
 
 I have so fully sketched the outline of this dear 
 parent's character, when I first introduced her name 
 upon my pages, that little more remains for me to 
 say. Her last illness was marked, as all hers were, by 
 patient, unrepining submission to every thing which 
 came upon her. She was unable to express any thing, 
 for many hours before she died ; and her remarkable 
 diffidence on holy subjects would probably have pre- 
 vented it, had the power of speech remained with her : 
 but she evidently knew she was leaving us ; and 
 I think the few tears she shed were on that account, 
 not because of pain; for I do not think she suffered 
 much, at the last. Through great mercy, it was a 
 
SA'IiA'lL mUXXIPa 
 l)h\ of 8*^ Mo. 
 1819. 
 
SARAH Phillips's death. 
 
 163 
 
 singularly-quiet dismission, exemplifying the words of 
 
 the Poet : — 
 
 " One gentle sigh theii- fetters breaks, 
 We scarce can say they 're gone, 
 Before the willing spirit takes 
 Her station near the throne." 
 
 And though it would have been very consoling to us 
 to have heard from her lips the last farewell, and to 
 have received the assurance of the peace she evidently 
 experienced, yet we felt no need of words to convince 
 us of her safety. Her life had been a practical com- 
 mentary upon her faith ; and knowing that faith to 
 have been a pure and holy one — that her every-day 
 conduct was regulated by a constant reliance upon the 
 only source of life and peace — we felt that words were 
 not required to set the seal to her profession. As she 
 had loved and followed her Redeemer through the 
 varying and often very trying scenes of her life, so 
 His everlasting arms were underneath her, and His 
 angels encamped round about her, at the moment of 
 her death ; — if " death" we must call that passing out 
 of the body, which permits the purified spirit to enter 
 into the unseen world of light and glory — which 
 liberates it from its fetters of clay, and introduces it 
 into the free, the boundless area of heaven. Very 
 tenderly sweet is her memory to me; and long, long 
 years of yearning loneliness were my portion after 
 this dear one, who seemed to occupy in my heart the 
 position of both mother and sister, was thus taken 
 from me. 
 
 M 2 
 
164 
 
 STATE OF R. PHILLIPS's FEELINGS 
 
 One of the most striking proofs of my beloved 
 fathers resignation to the affliction whicli was thus 
 allotted to him, was the immediate clinging attach- 
 ment which he then shewed for me — and he appeared 
 to bow himself with unrepining submission to the will 
 of his Heavenly Father ; and, instead of closing his 
 heart against all earthly comfort, he simply reposed 
 upon what remained to him, and took thankfully as 
 much of enjoyment as was still within his reach. He 
 appeared to wish for, and he received, my assurance 
 never to leave him ; and there existed, from that 
 moment, far more of companionship between us than 
 usually obtains between parents and children. His 
 views were those of an enlarged mind and an enlight- 
 ened piety, and his society was peculiarly lively and 
 cheering : he did not circumscribe my pursuits by any 
 narrow bigotry. He took an interest in my little 
 works of fancy, and most particularly in my drawings ; 
 and he interfered with no study or reading with which 
 I felt disposed to occupy myself. 
 
 My father s general information rendered him a 
 delightful companion, and the keenness of his intellect 
 kept that of every other person in full exercise. When 
 not suffering under illness or unusual depression, his 
 playful sparkling wit was the sunshine of our dwelling ; 
 while " his fervent love for Christ, and remarkable 
 reliance on the Saviour's redeeming love " — to quote the 
 expressions respecting him by one who knew him well — 
 gave a sweetness, a humility — and a happy tone, I had 
 
ON THE LOSS OF HIS WIX'K. 
 
 1G5 
 
 almost said — to the very atmosphere around him. He 
 was an assiduous and general reader ; and, after passing 
 great part of his mornings in some kind or benevolent 
 engagement, he usually read to himself all the evening ; 
 while I worked, read, or drew. 
 
 My dear father disliked regular visiting, and we 
 seldom gave or went to any thing resembling a party : 
 but when residing in London, he encouraged and 
 delighted in the calls of men of talent and beneficence, 
 who came to our house at all hours of the day. As 
 long as his strength permitted him to enjoy this most 
 free and pleasant kind of social intercourse, he clung 
 to the metropolis, as being the centre of so much intel- 
 ligence, philanthropy, and piety ; which, of course, he 
 could not obtain in any other locality. 
 
 His cheerful acquiescence in the necessity which 
 my health, even more than his own, at first imposed 
 upon liim, of removing from the scene of such hallowed 
 gratification, was truly instructive ; and added another 
 to the many proofs which he constantly gave, of the 
 happy turn of his disposition, which so readily accom- 
 modated itself to circumstances. I have mentioned 
 how, in the earlier part of his life, his mind was often 
 deeply exercised in divine things ; and I felt it right to 
 give, unaltered, a striking visitation which he then 
 received, believing that in so doing I should fulfil his 
 own wishes. Another extraordinary exercise of mind 
 which he had, is also left in his own hand-writing ; and 
 
166 
 
 INCIDENT IN BRECKNOCKSHIRE. 
 
 was, as well as the former, sometimes related to me, in 
 a manner which makes me imagine I ought not to 
 hesitate in simply recording it here\ Whether this 
 incident occurred in 1820, or ten or twelve years 
 previously, he was unable to tell me ; and his memo- 
 randum does not fix the date. I am inclined to think 
 it was in the summer of 1820; just a year after his 
 irreparable loss, and when his mind was likely to be 
 more inclined to solemn impressions. It was at Llan- 
 gattock, in Brecknockshire, the residence of his widowed 
 sister, Elizabeth Kendall. As he mentions it to have 
 occurred after perusing what he designated " Cowpers 
 Creed," I will copy that, before I give my dear father's 
 memorandum. A year or two before his death, he 
 borrowed the work which contained this article ; and 
 I copied it for him ; — so much did the whole transaction 
 continue to dwell upon his feelings. 
 
 LETTER TO MRS. COWPER. 
 
 " March 11, 1707. 
 " My dear Cousin — To find those whom I love, clearly 
 and strongly persuaded of Evangelical Truth, gives me 
 a pleasure superior to any this world can afford ine. 
 Judge, then, whether your Letter, in which the body 
 
 (*) I am more inclined to do this, from recollecting his fre- 
 quently-expressed regi'et at the expulsion of some remarkable 
 experience of a similar nature, whicli had been made fi-om an 
 account of Job Thomas ; drawn up by his cousin, J. G. Bevan. He 
 thought it looked like limiting the Holy One of Israel, to fear to 
 mention sudi amazing proofs of condescension. 
 
COWPEU'S LETTER. 
 
 167 
 
 and substance of a saving faith is so evidently set forth, 
 could meet with a lukewarm reception at my hands, or 
 be entertained with indifference ! — Would you know 
 the true reason of my long silence ? Conscious that 
 my religious principles are generally excepted against, 
 and that the conduct they produce, wherever they are 
 heartily maintained, is still more the object of disappro- 
 bation than those principles themselves — and remem- 
 bering that I had made both the one and the other known 
 to you, without having any clear assurance that our 
 faith in Jesus was of the same stamp and character — 
 I could not help thinking it possible that you might 
 disapprove both my sentiments and practice — that you 
 might think one unsupported by Scripture, and the 
 other whimsical, and unnecessarily strict and rigorous ; 
 and, consequently, would be rather pleased with the 
 suspension of a correspondence, which a different way 
 of thinking, upon so momentous a subject as that we 
 wrote upon, was likely to render tedious and irk- 
 some to you. I have told you the truth from ray 
 heart : forgive me these injurious suspicions, and never 
 imagine that I shall hear from you upon this delightful 
 theme without a real joy, or without prayer to God to 
 prosper you in the way of His truth — His sanctifying 
 and saving truth. The book you mention lies now 
 upon my table. Marshall is an old acquaintance of 
 mine : I have both read him, and read with pleasure 
 and edification. The doctrines he maintains are, 
 under the influence of the Spirit of Christ, the very life 
 of my soul, and the soul of all my happiness. That 
 
168 
 
 cowper's letter. 
 
 Jesus is a present Saviour from the guilt of sin, by His 
 most precious blood ; and from the power of it, by His 
 Spirit — that, corrupt and wretched in ourselves, in Him, 
 and in Him only, we are complete — that, being united 
 to Jesus by a lively faith, we have a solid and eternal 
 interest in His obedience and sufferings, to justify us 
 before the face of our Heavenly Father — and that all 
 this inestimable treasure, the earnest of which is in 
 grace, and its consummation in glory, is given, freely 
 given, to us of God — in short, that he hath opened the 
 Kingdom of Heaven to all believers. These are the 
 truths, which, by the grace of God, shall be ever dearer 
 to me than life itself — shall ever be placed next my 
 heart, as the throne whereon the Saviour himself shall 
 sit, to sway all its motions, and reduce that world of 
 iniquity and rebellion to a state of filial and affectionate 
 obedience to the will of the Most Holy. 
 
 " These, my dear Cousin, are the truths to which, by 
 nature, we are enemies : — they debase the sinner, and 
 exalt the Saviour, to a degree which the pride of our 
 hearts (till Almighty Grace subdues them) is deter- 
 mined never to allow. 
 
 " May the Almighty reveal His Son in our hearts, 
 continually more and more ; and teach us to increase 
 in love towards him continually, for having given us 
 the unspeakable riches of Christ ! 
 
 " Yours faithfully, 
 
 " W. C." ' 
 
 {') Haylcy's Life of Cowper, Vol. I. p. 1(53. Letter 22. 
 
REMARKABLE VISITATION, 
 
 COPY OF MY father's MEMORANDUM, ABOVE ALLUDED 
 TO : 
 
 " While musing one morning in my chamber, after 
 having read the Creed of W. Cowper in one of his 
 Letters, my mind was very unexpectedly exercised in 
 an unusual manner ; which seemed speedily to occupy 
 the whole mind, to the exclusion of all other thoughts, 
 and to possess it under a feeling of solemn, humble 
 silence, when suddenly there appeared seated before 
 me, at a short distance on my left, my unutterable 
 Merciful Heavenly Father ; and a little farther off, on 
 my right, my very precious beloved Saviour. I then 
 felt urged in my mind to go towards them ; and also 
 a pressure, as if pushed forward. On approaching to, 
 and when near my merciful beneficent Father, I felt a 
 reluctance and fear to go forward : but when near to 
 my dear Father, I felt such an increased degree of 
 strength and animation, as encouraged and enabled me 
 to look towards him ; and, at the same time, pointing 
 with my right hand (which seemed peculiarly strength- 
 ened) towards my dear Saviour, I exclaimed, "There's 
 my Advocate !" — upon which all fear ceased; and the 
 vision immediately vanished ; but was very soon suc- 
 ceeded by such a sweet, pure, unmixed feeling of peace 
 (except the consciousness that in this state of being 
 such a feeling could not continue long), that not any 
 language is competent fully to describe. 
 
 " To the best of my recollection, this state of mind 
 remained for about three-quarters of an hour. 
 
170 
 
 REMARKS. 
 
 " N. B. — The foregoing occurred at my sister s, Eli- 
 zabeth Kendall, Llangattock, Brecknockshire. — I have 
 forgotten in what year. 
 
 " lOth mo. 1884." 
 
 The circumstance of this being written out so short 
 a time before my precious fathers death, and when he 
 was in very feeble health, proves the indelible impres- 
 sion it had made upon him, and which the course of 
 long years had not been able to sweep away. He must 
 have known he was then hastening towards the pre- 
 sence of that Majesty, a glimpse of which it had thus 
 been permitted him to behold : and, it appears to me, 
 as if feeling the consolation and support which such 
 a clear view of our Redeemer, in the exercise of His 
 office of Intercessor for man, was calculated to produce 
 in the minds of others, he desired — himself deriving 
 comfort, while his flesh and his heart failed^ — to leave 
 it among us, in order that it might strengthen the 
 faith of such as would receive it. 
 
 "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have 
 entered into the heart of man, the things which God 
 hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath 
 revealed them unto us by His Spirit : for the Spirit 
 • searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God ^" — 
 
 " He that hath ears to hear, let him hear !" 
 
 («) Ps, Ixxiii. 26. (') ] Cor. ii. 9, 10. 
 
 Matt. xi. 1.5. 
 
MUTUAL RECOGNITION IN HEAVEN. 
 
 171 
 
 CHAP. VII. 
 
 It was natural that my dear fathers bereavement 
 should powerfully affect his thoughts upon the subject 
 of meeting our departed christian friends in heaven. 
 Possessed of warm feelings and a fine imagination, it 
 was not to be expected that Richard Phillips could 
 witness the departure of long-loved and valued friends 
 and relatives without suffering his thoughts to accom- 
 pany their emancipated spirits into the regions of never- 
 ending bliss, with the consoling assurance that the sepa- 
 ration was but for a " little while." It was not for his 
 affectionate heart to bid them an eternal farewell, and 
 to sit down contented with the chilling idea that they 
 should never again hold communion on the themes 
 of highest interest to the christian soul. He also 
 beheld the subject fraught with considerations of vital 
 importance, and was convinced that it was capable of 
 becoming a powerful incentive to devotion. 
 
 Living as we do, with so many attractions to earth — 
 so much that is calculated to deaden our spiritual per- 
 ceptions, and keep our affections grovelling here below — 
 
172 MUTUAL RECOGNITION OF 
 
 how great is the power of such a hope to quicken our 
 aspirations after the things which belong to our peace ! 
 Can we call to mind the love and delightful society of 
 those who have been taken from us, as we humbly yet 
 firmly believe, to dwell in unspeakable happiness, and 
 be indifferent whether or not we ever take sweet 
 counsel with them again? Is it of no consequence 
 to our present comfort, whether we can indulge the 
 hope that we shall be re-united to them in the society 
 of Heaven — that with them we shall join in the ever- 
 lasting song of praise to their and our Redeemer? 
 Surely, surely not ! It is one of the greatest means 
 of support, under bereavements which require all the 
 balm we can pour into the wounded spirit. " We 
 shall meet again !" is often among the last fond words 
 of parting. " We shall meet again !" are among the 
 first expressions wherewith we console ourselves, when 
 the silence of death compels us to believe we are 
 alone. 
 
 And though we then feel, that, undoubtedly, the first 
 and most important consideration is, can we entertain 
 the belief that our friend is happy ? yet that does not 
 satisfy us: — and then we turn to strive and pray that 
 we may so follow him as he followed Christ, and so 
 as to allow us to cherish a well-grounded hope of a 
 speedy and eternal re-union. 
 
 That this sweet belief is mercifully natural to us, 
 seems proved by the general opinion in its favour 
 
FRIENDS IN HEAVEN. 
 
 173 
 
 which prevails among the uneducated : they almost 
 invariably derive the greatest consolation from this 
 hope, which I imagine will usually be found in every 
 unsophisticated mind. It is possible that I might have 
 unconsciously imbibed it from by-conversations ; but it 
 certainly grew up in my heart from earliest childhood, 
 so that I never remember thinking otherwise ; and it 
 became, when suffering overwhelming losses, a most 
 powerful incentive to diligence, in seeking to tread a 
 heavenward path, and a means of sweet support and 
 holy consolation. 
 
 Our all-merciful Father graciously permits us to use 
 all the helps we can procure, to aid us on our way. 
 It would almost seem that such afflictions would lose 
 one of their most cogent means of usefulness, were 
 this idea abandoned. I doubt not that there have 
 been many to whom this secondary motive was the 
 blessed means ,of leading them into a persevering 
 christian preparation for their own solemn change ; — to 
 many more, a strong prompter to a holier diligence 
 in that path in which they were already walking ; — and 
 last, not least, a sweet consolation to those who could 
 humbly solace themselves with the hope of, ere long, 
 joining their " treasures in heaven." 
 
 My father used to converse much on this subject, 
 during the last fifteen or twenty years of his life. He 
 considered, that our not recognising the redeemed 
 spirits of our christian friends would go far to involve 
 
174 LETTER OF R. PHILLIPS ON THE 
 
 an oblivion of past events in our own lives, which were 
 closely interwoven with the agency of our fellow- 
 beings ; — and if the retrospect of them was lost, one of 
 the most fruitful sources of adoring gratitude would be 
 also removed. 
 
 Surely, when we see face to face — when we know, 
 even as we are known' — when the veil, which now 
 conceals the footsteps of Providence, is withdrawn — 
 and we behold something of the unfathomable wisdom 
 of the Divine appointments, we shall be furnished with 
 endless themes of adoration; as, retaining the per- 
 ception of our own identity and that of others, we 
 trace the links of the mighty chain, which, bright and 
 unbroken, will then be revealed to our wondering 
 spirits. And we shall indeed be able to say — 
 
 " When all thy mercies, O my God ! 
 My rising soul surveys, 
 Transported with the view, I 'm lost 
 In wonder, love, and praise ! " ^ 
 
 In a Letter to a dear friend of his, dated 1st month, 
 2d, 1835, my father remarks: "I much fear that the 
 animating, exciting, and encouraging christian doctrine 
 of christian friendship and recognition is but little 
 known, and less duly considered, by us, poor mortals, 
 
 in this our day, than its importance merits. 
 
 If recognition did not exist, or, in other words, the 
 
 (') 1 Cor xiii. 12. 
 
 (-) Addison. 
 
SUBJECT OF MUTUAL RECOGNITION. 175 
 
 remembrance of actions on earth ceased in heaven, 
 then all the transactions of this life, and even this state 
 of existence, will be buried in total oblivion, as if it 
 never had been; and a great source of everlasting 
 gi'atitude and love and praise would be obliterated or 
 dried up, which necessarily flows from, or is produced 
 by, the view of our multiplied transgressions forgiven 
 — of the forbearance, long-suffering, and innumerable 
 other mercies of our dear Saviour to us ; and of His 
 excruciating, unparalleled sufferings endured for us, his 
 rebellious creatures, that He might secure our salvation, 
 and preserve us from endless misery or perdition; 
 manifesting, that in Him, even towards his frail, re- 
 bellious, repentant creatures, there existed ' Love with- 
 out end, and, without measure, grace/ Such would 
 be the consequence, to the spirits of the redeemed, of 
 the loss of recollection of what has taken place on 
 earth ; who would thereby become ignorant of the asto- 
 nishing wonders of Redeeming Love, and its glorious 
 effect, in frustrating the malicious design of Satan, 
 depriving him of his usurped dominion, and gaining 
 an everlasting victory ; which, as prophecy declares, 
 will be celebrated by the heavenly host, with the voice 
 of triumph, in the sublime hymn of ' Alleluia ! for the 
 Lord God Omnipotent reigneth ! ' ' Also, by such 
 obliteration of recollection, a state of infancy is made 
 to possess (in this very important respect) superior 
 knowledge to a state far more advanced towards 
 
 (') Rev. xix. 0. 
 
170 DISPENSARY AT TUNBRIDGE WELLS. 
 
 maturity ; and where we are authorised, by Scripture, 
 in believing, knowledge will be greatly increased ^ 
 Does not tliis render the supposition of the cessation 
 of recollection in heaven very improbable ? " 
 
 Leaving the consideration of this subject for a while 
 — for I must slightly touch on it again, when I notice 
 the period of my father's seclusion from active life — 
 I must turn to a very little more public work which 
 he accomplished ; and relate the commencement of the 
 gradual decline of his energies — that decline, which 
 slowly but surely proceeded, till his body rested in the 
 quiet grave. 
 
 In 1828, my father made some stay at Tunbridge 
 Wells; and there formed a Dispensary. Tlie local 
 obstacles to the establishment of this Institution were 
 so great, that one who subsequently became a liberal 
 supporter of it deemed them almost insurmountable; 
 though he concealed that opinion from my father, until 
 this, which was almost the last of his philanthropic 
 efforts, had been crowned with success. I believe it 
 has now grown into an Infirmary. 
 
 The last labour of love, requiring active exertion, 
 in which my dear father co-operated, was that of 
 employing precautionary measures on the appearance 
 of the cholera in England. In 1831, both at Tunbridge 
 
 (^) 1 Cor. xiii. 12. &c. 
 
DECLINE OF R. PHILLIPs's HEAl/I H. 177 
 
 Wells, and ou his return home, at Wandsworth, he 
 exerted himself considerably ; and never appeared to 
 rally entirely from the effects of the fatigue and ex- 
 citement which he then underwent. My dear father 
 had been declining for some time previously ; and had 
 a very serious attack of indisposition at Tunbridge 
 Wells, that autumn. His nervous system, always very 
 susceptible, gave way before his bodily strength de- 
 cayed; for his mode of life had involved great use 
 of the mental powers. The Legal profession demands 
 intense application to a dry study : and his other 
 duties and pursuits were of a nature which drew 
 largely on the vital energies of the brain. 
 
 N 
 
178 
 
 WITHDRAWAL OF RICHARD PHILLIPS 
 
 CHAP. VIII. 
 
 I AM now entering upon the consideration of my third 
 division of this Memoir — that of my precious father s 
 withdrawal from active life, and the season of deep 
 provings and " searchings of heart " ; which, I believe, 
 is often purposely assigned to those who have been 
 blest to labour extensively and usefully in the busy 
 world. This has been the path in which our gracious 
 Master has led many of his devoted servants. I par- 
 ticularly remember Legh Richmond, and the Bible 
 Commentator, Thomas Scott; who appeared to have, 
 as it were, a most marked time of purification allotted 
 to them, before they were called from works to 
 rewards. 
 
 As it is needful that we be thoroughly emptied of 
 our own works, to enable us to ascribe the glory and 
 honour to Him who alone merits it ; so we must be 
 given to see our own utter unworthiness ; that we may 
 fully say, " Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but 
 unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy, and for thy 
 
FROM ACTIVE LIFE. 
 
 179 
 
 truth's sake':" therefore He occasionally, and parti- 
 cularly towards the close of life, draws aside more fully 
 the veil which self-love has woven before our eyes; 
 and shews us more of that fearful sight, " a naked 
 human heart." But at the time He shews His dear 
 children the disease, He also enables us to behold, with 
 the anointed eye of faith, the remedy : then we under- 
 stand what it is to covet a shelter beneath the robe 
 of Christ's righteousness ; for in proportion as His 
 spirit exhibits us to ourselves as we really are, He 
 takes of Messiah's, and shews it unto us. Then comes 
 the deep self-abasement which peculiarly marked my 
 father's latter years — the full and abounding views of 
 the love of God, which provided and gave the pro- 
 pitiatory sacrifice of the spotless victim, even Christ 
 Jesus, " who hath once suffered for sins, the just for 
 the unjust, that He might bring us unto God I" 
 
 It became needful, in the early part of 1832, I think, 
 to keep my dear father entirely secluded from society, 
 in order to prevent the recurrence of attacks which 
 always came on after mental excitement : tliey were 
 not faintings, nor were they regular fits ; but he some- 
 times fell down in them ; and, as they were evidently 
 the effect of a feeble condition of the brain, he might 
 never have awakened from them ; or, awaking, never 
 have regained his consciousness. §uch was the opinion 
 of his medical attendant', a gentleman whose talents 
 
 (') Psalm cxv. 1. (*) 1 Pet. iii. 18. 
 
 (^) James Howell, of Wandsworth, Surgeon. 
 
 N 2 
 
ISO H. Phillips's occupations 
 
 and kind attention to my father rendered him as 
 much the valued friend, as he was the skilful adviser 
 of his patient, in a case which required great watchful- 
 ness, during a deeply-anxious period of four or five 
 years. 
 
 After some months, the system of total seclusion, 
 which he himself had found truly acceptable, was 
 gradually relaxed ; and he was again able, under 
 prudent management, to receive and enjoy the visits 
 of his intimate friends. 
 
 During this whole period, as well as subsequently, 
 he was capable of conversation; and derived pleasure 
 from listening to reading. His devotional reading, 
 when possible, he performed himself. The Bible, 
 Bishop Lowth's Translation of Isaiah, and Bishop 
 Home's Commentary on the Psalms, were favourite 
 companions of those morning hours. Other kinds of 
 books were read to him; and newspapers, biography, 
 and travels, were resorted to, in order to interest his 
 mind ; which retained its original thirst for infor- 
 mation, and its acute powers of investigation, if 
 slightly deadened, yet still in much vigour. 
 
 It is impossible for those not similarly situated, to 
 conceive the arduous nature of amusing such an in- 
 valid : no trifles could be resorted to ; no light reading 
 interested him. Yet, while this unquestionably in- 
 creased the onerous nature of my deeply-interesting 
 
IN RETIREMENT. 
 
 181 
 
 task, it now, on retrospection, affords a cause of deep 
 thankfulness, that it was so ; rather than that he should 
 have been called to bear, and I to witness, the affecting 
 decay of intellect which is permitted to overtake so 
 many aged persons. He was not unfrequently in a 
 painful state of depression ; arising, as I have said, 
 from the final mental conflicts through which he was 
 called to pass, as well as from the decaying condition 
 of his constitutional energies. He, of course, felt the 
 absence of the pleasant excitement and variety of the 
 active mode of life to which he had been so long 
 devoted. It was indeed a heavy trial for him " to 
 learn to vegetate* " ; and to relinquish an activity, 
 which had its matter as well as its manner to recom- 
 mend it to his warmest affections. But, with his 
 characteristic contentment, he maintained a sweet 
 patience ; and was generally, in appearance, negatively 
 cheerful ; — perfectly willing, even desirous, for his own 
 sake and mine, to avail himself of every lawful means 
 of improvement to his health, or stimulus to his spirits ; 
 — practically evincing his belief in the truth of those 
 lines which he sometimes quoted, as referring to the 
 loving-kindness of onr Heavenly Father, — 
 
 " Who is good, when He gives, 
 
 Supremely good ; nor less, when He denies 
 And crosses, from His sovereign hand, 
 Are blessings in disguise." 
 
 (^) Zimmermann on Solitude. 
 
182 
 
 LETTER Ol' K. PHILLIPS ON THE 
 
 As long as my dear father could bear the exercise 
 of a carriage, he took a short drive daily : but about 
 six or seven months before he was taken from me, the 
 brain became so feeble, that the motion made him feel 
 very sick, and he vpas compelled to relinquish the 
 pleasant change which it had given him. 
 
 As my precious father approached " the land that 
 is very far off" — the "Father-land" of love and har- 
 mony, in the full meaning of the term — he seemed to 
 overflow with the antepast of it; as the following 
 extract, from what he wrote to one who could fully 
 appreciate those feelings, will evince more clearly 
 than any words of mine. It is dated 18th of 12th 
 month, 1834: — 
 
 " The song or hymn of the morning stars, and the 
 shout for joy of the sons of God^ manifest the general, 
 perfect, and ecstatic harmony which prevailed at the 
 Creation ; and it is, I believe, the first instance which 
 is given of this kind of heavenly harmony. 
 
 " From harmony, from heavenly harmony, 
 Tliis universal frame began ; 
 From hannony to harmony, 
 Through all the compass of the notes it ran, — 
 The diapason closing full in Man ^. 
 
 (*) See Job xxxviii. 7. 
 
 (*) Dryden. — See Johnson's Dictionary, under "Diapason:" — 
 "Harmony and love are nearly united." 
 
SUBJECT OF HARMONY. 
 
 183 
 
 " At the Incarnation of our Blessed Saviour, was 
 there not a song or chorus by a multitude of the 
 heavenly host — praise to the Great I AM — of ' Glory 
 to God in the highest ; and on earth peace, good-will 
 towards men ' ! ' ? Well, indeed, might such a hymn, 
 such praise, be given amongst men, of their Blessed 
 Redeemer — of Him, in whose face 
 
 " Divine compassion visibly appear'd ; 
 Love without end ; and witliout measure, grace " ! ' 
 
 " The quotation in my last, from Cowper's Winter 
 Walk at Noon — as follows — 
 
 " One song employs all nations ; and all cry, 
 ' Worthy the Lamb, for He was slain for us ! ' 
 The dwellers in the vales, and on the rocks, 
 Shout to each other ; and the mountain-tops. 
 From distant mountains, catch the flying joy ; 
 Till nation after nation, taught the strain, 
 Earth rolls the rapturous Hosanna round ! — 
 
 gives a beautiful description of the increased preva- 
 lence of divine love and piety, particularly during the 
 prevalence of the blessed and glorious Millennium. 
 
 " The extension of this divine song or hymn must 
 occupy the attention, and animate the desire of the 
 pious ; and, at the conclusion of time, the glorious 
 celestial hymn of " Alleluia 1 for the Lord God Omni- 
 potent reigneth !" will be sung by a great multi- 
 tude of the heavenly host Thus it appears, by the 
 
 (') Lukeii. 13, 14. 
 
 (**) Paradise Lost, Book III. 135.— See also Joyce on Love to 
 God, Third edition, p. 202. {^) Rev.xix. 6. 
 
184 
 
 SACRED MUSIC. 
 
 Scriptures, that celestial rejoicing prevailed at the 
 commencement of time, was heard at the Incarnation, 
 and will be repeated at the conclusion of time — 
 a strong testimony to divine love ! " 
 
 The remarks contained in this extract were written 
 upon the subject of divine love ; — one, which I shall 
 presently mention, as having occupied much of my 
 beloved father's attention, particularly towards the close 
 of his life. 
 
 In the course of his gradual decay, my father s mind 
 recurred, with yearning thoughts, to sacred music, as 
 a sweet and soothing means of diminishing his suf- 
 ferings, and calming his spirits. He did not, however, 
 permit himself to yield to the wish, until, after diligent 
 examination of the subject, he felt thoroughly persuaded 
 in his own mind that he was permitted, without offend- 
 ing his conscience, to do so. 
 
 When my dear father's decision was formed, he 
 procured a large barrel-organ, with only sacred tunes 
 upon it : and very greatly did he enjoy it, during the 
 last eight months of his precious life. He frequently 
 expressed his thankfulness, that, having made a sacri- 
 fice of this gratification in early life, he was now 
 permitted to resume it, in a guarded form, in old age : 
 he did indeed often experience it to be, 
 
 " Like David's harp of solemn sound," 
 of real service to his spirit. At times he liked that 
 
SACRED MUSIC. 
 
 185 
 
 those of his little household, who were able, should 
 unite their voices to its swelling notes, in singing a 
 hymn ; but not unfrequently he appeared to use the 
 tones of it merely to wing his thoughts to those regions 
 whither his soul stood waiting to depart " in the ready 
 dress of a long preceding preparation"." 
 
 One day, soon after he had given an order for the 
 instrument to be built he shewed me the following 
 version, by Dr. Doddridge, of the Hundred and forty- 
 sixth Psalm ; saying, it was as if it had been written 
 for him on that occasion ; requesting that I would 
 read it all, and, I thought, directing my attention par- 
 ticularly towards the three last stanzas : — 
 
 God of my life ! through all its days, 
 My grateful powers shall sound thy praise ; 
 The song shall wake with opening light, 
 And warble to the silent night. 
 
 When anxious cares would break my rest, 
 And grief would tear my troubled bi-east. 
 Thy tuneful praise I'll raise on high, 
 And check the murmur and tiie sigh. 
 
 When deatli o'er nature shall prevail. 
 And all its powers of language fail, 
 Joy through my swimming eyes shall break. 
 And mean the thanks I cannot speak, 
 
 ('") It was on 3d mo. 1st. 1835. 
 
 (") Bishop Jeremy Taylor. — Ante, p. 8. 
 
 ('-) See Selections from Letters and Papers (K). 
 
186 
 
 SACRED MUSIC. 
 
 But, oh ! when that last conflict's o'er, 
 And I am chain'd to flesh no more. 
 With what glad accents shall I rise. 
 To join the music of the skies ! 
 
 Soon shall I learn the exalted strains 
 ^V^liich echo through the heavenly plains, 
 And emulate, with joy unknown, 
 The glowing Seraphs round thy Throne ! 
 
 This sweet hymn is indeed a perfect transcript of the 
 peculiar cast of my precious fathers piety, which was 
 so glowingly tinctured with joyous thanksgiving and 
 adoring praise. 
 
 I feel that I owe it to my father s precious memory, 
 and to myself, to say that I have not thoughtlessly or 
 perversely brought forward this subject of sacred 
 music. I do not wish to enter into the full conside- 
 ration of it, but only as far as it was connected with 
 tliis Memoir : it was an important event in the evening 
 of my beloved parent's life, which I seemed almost 
 bound, as a faitliful biographer, to relate : and I believe 
 I ought not to shrink from recording the testimony of 
 his opinion respecting its guarded use ; nor, for the 
 sake of other invalids, omit to state the fact of the 
 sweet and heavenly effect which its beautiful harmony 
 produced upon the mind of Richard Phillips, when suf- 
 fering under disease and depression. I ought to say, 
 further, that he used to express himself much satisfied 
 with the circumstance that his instrument, being a 
 
 ( ") See Selections from Letters and Papers (E). 
 
SACKED MUSIC. 
 
 187 
 
 barrel-organ, nothing " light " would ever be played 
 upon it, nor any precious time consumed upon learn- 
 ing to perform. Nor would he have permitted an 
 instrument of another description to have entered his 
 dwelling, upon any consideration whatever ; nor did the 
 most vague idea enter his thoughts of the propriety of 
 introducing music into our Meetings for Religious 
 Worship. 
 
 Many of his friends did regard with indulgence this 
 soothing expedient ; which proved to him a salutary 
 medicine, and greatly tended to allay the sufferings 
 consequent on that condition of the nervous system 
 which accompanies the decay of vital energy in those 
 whose temperaments have been distinguished by some 
 of the striking characteristics of genius, and those pecu- 
 liar qualities of mind which have been pourtrayed in 
 this Memoir. 
 
188 
 
 CHRISTIAN FRIENDSHIP. — HABIT. 
 
 CHAP. IX. 
 
 While my dear father was thus declining, three sub- 
 jects occupied his mind with intense interest ; which 
 were at once a setting of his seal to the sincerity of his 
 past life and labours, and a means and evidence of his 
 ripening for glory. 
 
 They were — A still more earnest consideration of the 
 perpetuation of christian friendship in the heavenly 
 state — The importance of the nature of those habits 
 which we form on earth, and to the controul of which 
 we surrender ourselves — and, Divine Love, as exem- 
 plified in the dealings of our Creator, Redeemer, and 
 Sanctifier, towards mankind. 
 
 The first, branched into a few minor points ; such as, 
 christian intercourse ; brotherly love ; communion and 
 sympathy between the spirits of the saints, both while 
 in this state of probation, and after the veil of flesh is 
 withdrawn ; — the latter comino- under the head of the 
 ministry of angels, and the work of departed blessed 
 spirits. 
 
CHRISTIAN rinENDSIIIl'. 
 
 189 
 
 The subject of christian friendship, in all its different 
 positions, demands a few more lines, before I mention 
 that of habit. 
 
 Long interested upon the topic, my father persuaded 
 Thomas Gisborne, a.m., to write a little work: it was 
 published in 1822 (bound up with some other Essays), 
 entitled " Essays on the Recollections which are to 
 subsist between Earthly Friends re-united in the World 
 to come'." 
 
 On the 23th of the 3d mo. 1835, my father thus 
 writes to a friend : — 
 
 "My beloved will not be surprised to hear 
 
 from me on the interesting and important subject 
 
 alluded to in my Letters of and ^ : I mean, 
 
 the importance, or advantage and duration, of christian 
 friendship ; shewing the genuine gospel spirit of love 
 from whence it originates, by which it is regulated, 
 and will be continued through everlasting ages ; having 
 its place or station in the celestial regions, amongst 
 
 (') A little volume by C. R. Muston, a.m., contains much that is 
 deeply interesting. It is called " Recognition in the ^Vorld to 
 come ; or, Christian Friendsliip on Earth perpetuated in Heaven :" 
 1830. And another by Robert Meek, of St. John's College, Cam- 
 bridge, entitled, " The mutual Recognition, and exalted Felicity of 
 glorified Saints," came out in 1830. — There is also a Tract called 
 " A Dialogue between a Widow and her Friend ;" published by 
 Mason, 66 Paternoster Row. 
 
 (-) Of these Letters, I select this, from which to give extracts, as 
 being the most suitable for the purpose. 
 
190 BENEFITS OF CHRISTIAN SYMPATHY. 
 
 the purified spirits of the redeemed, and there mani- 
 festing itself, by ' for ever blessing, and being for ever 
 blest.' On earth, how little understood, and less 
 thought of, are the great advantages and encourage- 
 ments which proceed from the mutual sympathy and 
 kindness .(both in affliction and joy) which flow from 
 such friendship, and excite to increased zeal and dili- 
 gence for its preservation ; and, consequently, its con- 
 tinuation (without termination) in another state ; — a 
 solicitude much increased on the decease of pious near 
 relations and friends. Such mourners, even when thus 
 afflicted, may rejoice in hope, as David did : ' I shall go 
 to him, but he shall not return to me How encou- 
 raging is such a hope, and exciting to the being found 
 engaged in the lovely endearing bonds of christian 
 friendship ! — and how pleasing must it be, on the re- 
 moval of pious friends, to be made in any degree 
 instrumental in administering such excitement and 
 encouragement to the surviving mourning friends ! . . . 
 As to christian friends, who can limit or set bounds to 
 the beneficial effect of their mutually feeling for, or 
 sympathizing with, each other, in this trying state of 
 conflict — and of the increase of strength and encou- 
 ragement of wliich such a similarity and union of 
 feeling would be productive — crowned, as at times it 
 doubtless would be, with authorised petitions to the 
 Throne of Grace for each others continued preservation 
 and progress in the way to everlasting peace ; so that 
 
 (3) 2 Sam. xii. 23. 
 
COMMUNION OF SAINTS. 
 
 191 
 
 the termination of their earthly conflict and pilgrimage 
 may prove a glorious crown to the whole. The advan- 
 tage of christian spiritual sympathy being not limited 
 to their being present with each other, but also ope- 
 rating when they are remotely situated, or separated 
 from each other, they experience, though separated, 
 a mutual rejoicing in their gracious Lord — from a 
 sensible feeling of His merciful operations in their 
 seeking, wrestling minds — to their no small encourage- 
 ment and strengthening. Thus, in degree, do they 
 fulfil the royal law of charity — of rejoicing with them 
 that rejoice, and of weeping with them that weep^ and 
 of loving their neighbour as themselves ^ Who can 
 refrain from being ardently solicitous that such a 
 christian friendship may extend to great multitudes, 
 carrying with it many striking features of the blessed 
 Millennium." 
 
 In another point of view, my father considered that 
 the subject of the "communion of saints" might be 
 made conducive to the consolation and encouragement 
 of mourners. I believe I have not any thing more of 
 his writing which bears immediately on this subject to 
 transcribe ; though there was a Letter of his, written 
 only a few months before his own departure, in which 
 he mentioned it as a source of sweet consolation to a 
 bereaved mourner ; asserting his opinion, that the spirit 
 of the departed one was probably even then permitted 
 
 {*) Rom. xii. 1.^. 
 
 C") James ii. 7. 
 
192 
 
 POWER OF HABIT. 
 
 to minister to the sorrowing friend, who remained 
 " yet a little while " lonofer on earth. Those who have 
 bent beneath the pressure of affliction can well appre- 
 ciate the value of every aid which we are mercifully 
 permitted to call in, on those occasions ; and truly some 
 there are who can bear testimony to the sweetness of 
 this belief^! 
 
 The important consideration of attending to the 
 nature of these habits, into the bonds of which we con- 
 sign ourselves, I think began to dwell most on my 
 fathers mind about 1831 : he conversed much with his 
 friends upon it, collected opinions from various authors, 
 and corresponded, as I have said, with an intimate and 
 beloved friend'. 
 
 The astonishing power wliich habit exercises over 
 us is scarcely credible to those who are unaccustomed 
 to analyse the deep workings of the human mind, and 
 who have never been called upon to change the every- 
 day routine of their proceedings. But a little obser- 
 vation will convince us, that the chains in wliich habit 
 binds every faculty of the soul are most powerful 
 
 (*) See Selections from Letters and Papers (D). 
 
 (' ) A Paper on Bad Habit appeared in the " Amethyst " for 
 18.34, from the pen of J. J. Gumey. I believe it sprung from my 
 father's solicitude on the matter : and I hope that the earnest desire 
 of his departed friend will be remembered ; and produce, from the 
 same source, that benefit to society which the completion of the 
 subject by him could not fail of conferring. 
 
POWEH OF HAFilT. 
 
 193 
 
 engines of good or evil. And while we take heed not 
 to confound cause and effect ; while we remember, that 
 habit is not itself the holy principle of grace within us, 
 which, when I'eally formed in the soul, seems as a well, 
 springing up to eternal life ; we shall yet find that habit 
 becomes a singularly useful hedge about the spiritual 
 vineyard; strengthening the feeble aspirations of the 
 soul after good things, encouraging the growth of 
 divine grace in the heart, and retaining in the service 
 of piety all the nobler faculties of the intellectual part 
 of our natures. 
 
 When the soul has learned to seek and receive grace 
 from her Reedeemer ; when she has learned to medi- 
 tate much upon the abounding mercy, the unfathomable 
 love, the spotless purity, the majestic grandeur of His 
 character, as exhibited to us in the Holy Scriptures ; 
 she will have formed habits of contemplation, which 
 will bring into action, gratitude, love, and a pure ex- 
 alted taste, capable of appreciating conceptions the 
 most perfect and sublime. 
 
 To a soul thus trained, we shall perceive that cause 
 and effect will act and re-act on each other ; — the senti- 
 ment of grateful love will lead to actions of obedience 
 and devotion on the one hand ; the habit of performing 
 those actions will, on the other, deepen the love by 
 which they were originally prompted. Many of us 
 know how the habit of rendering thanks, which spring 
 from love to our Heavenly Father, for His never- 
 
 0 
 
194 
 
 POWER OF HABIT. 
 
 failing mercies, strengthens that love towards Him ; — 
 how the habit of tracing the footsteps of Providence, 
 amid the intricate paths of life, strengthens our faith 
 and hope, from which the habit arose ; — how the habit 
 of referring all events to His choice and direction 
 strengthens the resignation, which gave birth to the 
 habit. — And thus might we proceed, through the whole 
 catalogue of christian graces. 
 
 Such being the use and the power of habit, how 
 greatly does the cultivation of good ones, prompted 
 and assisted, as it doubtless is, by the Holy Spirit, 
 prepare us for the employments and happiness of glo- 
 rified spirits — for the society of Heaven ! 
 
 It is an awful assertion — but, I believe, an incon- 
 trovertible one — that if God wei'e to grant us only the 
 pardon of our sins, even that pardon which has been 
 purchased for us by the precious blood of His Son, 
 it would not, of itself, fit the soul for enjoying the 
 happiness of Heaven. And why ? Because it would 
 not implant in us the tastes, the tempers, the habits, 
 which must be ours, if we would expect to enjoy the 
 society of that innumerable and holy company. 
 
 When we love a dear friend, are we not imper- 
 ceptibly led to follow his example, and to practise his 
 virtues ; either because we are attracted by a similarity 
 of disposition and tastes, or because affection leads us 
 to form ourselves after the model which we perceive 
 
MEETNESS FOR HEAVEN. 
 
 195 
 
 to be one so delightful to us — so full of moral beauty ? 
 At all events, his habits become ours. We cannot be 
 happy in the society of those whose habits are dia- 
 metrically opposed to our own : the lover of peace 
 and harmony would not bear the companionship of 
 him who delighted in contention and discord ; — much 
 less the lover of this world's evanescent trifles can 
 accord with the disciple of Jesus. 
 
 My dear father, in reference to this subject, often 
 recurred to a sermon, entitled " Meetness for Heaven," 
 by John Venn, late Rector of Clapham. He places 
 the matter before us in a light which cannot be too 
 deeply laid to our hearts. He regards the term, 
 " felicity of heaven " — a phrase too often on our lips, 
 with but little definite meaning attached to it — as 
 describing a state, rather than a locality ; and considers 
 that we must indeed be made " meet" for the inhe- 
 ritance of the saints in light. 
 
 With what an unerring test do our habits furnish 
 us, with regard to our meetness for heaven. For 
 whose companionship are we fitted ? — Our habits will 
 tell us the simple truth. The Holy Scriptures, which 
 " are able to make us wise unto salvation, through 
 faith which is in Christ Jesus," reveal sufficient of the 
 employments and characters of the inhabitants of that 
 " land that is very far off," where we " shall behold 
 the King in His beauty." Would He have any beauty 
 
 o 2 
 
196 
 
 POWER OF HABIT. 
 
 in our eyes ? — " any form or comeliness, that we should 
 desire Him ? " 
 
 Let us contemplate the votary of this world's 
 customs and pursuits. Where are the fine aspiring 
 qualities of that soul, which makes him to differ from 
 the beast? They are chained down to the little 
 frivolities of earth, if not engrossed by sinful objects, 
 till his spiritual perceptions are so dimmed, and his 
 affections towards heavenly things so deadened, that 
 he neither knows nor desires them. His senses are 
 not exercised to discern good and evil. Is he fit for 
 spiritual enjoyments ? Could he appreciate and love 
 them ? Would the kind of happiness which we are taught 
 to expect in heaven, be such as his habits have pre- 
 pared him for? — or, must he change them, think you? 
 
 Far, far be it from us to limit the tender mercies 
 of the Most High : yet, generally speaking, it is safer 
 for us to believe — and my father often referred to the 
 passage, which implies that a miraculous change of 
 heart is not effected at the moment of dissolution : — 
 " He that is unjust, let him be unjust still : he that is 
 filthy, let him be filthy still : and he that is righteous, 
 let him be righteous still : and he that is holy, let him 
 be holy still. And behold, I come quickly : and my 
 reward is with me, to give to every man according 
 as his work shall be." ® 
 
 (") Rev. xxii. 11. 12. 
 
MEETNESS FOR HEAVEN. 
 
 197 
 
 Let us imagine a man of the world, properly so 
 designated, without one holy temper, or one aspiration 
 of love and gratitude to God having been formed in 
 his soul, admitted into the innumerable company of 
 angels — to the general assembly and church of the 
 first-born, which are written in heaven ; and to God, 
 the Judge of all ; and to the spirits of just' men 
 made perfect ; and to Jesus, the Mediator of the New 
 Covenant ^ Can we conceive the possibility of his 
 enjoying the society in which he thus found himself? 
 Does not the idea strike us as bordering on the 
 absurd ? — if, indeed, such a term may be used, on such 
 a subject. Let us pause, apd be wise ere it be too 
 late : let us learn, that this life is but a passing pre- 
 paration for another, not a distinct state of existence ; 
 — time, is eternity begun. 
 
 Religion is not merely a sentiment ; it is not a set 
 of abstract theories, apart from our every-day occu- 
 pations. Like an atmosphere, it must surround, per- 
 vade, and mingle with every motive and every action. 
 Some appear to believe that Religion consists in wor- 
 shipping the Supreme Being; and, by consequence, 
 deem all time mis-spent which is devoted to secular 
 objects : even the Creator s beautiful handiworks, the 
 earth, which is full of His riches, and teeming with 
 beauty, life, and joyousness, are all quite beneath the 
 
 (') Justified in Jesus, and purified. 
 (') Heb. xii. 22, 23, 24. 
 
108 
 
 POWER OF HABIT. 
 
 contemplation of such as imbibe this narrow view 
 of man's duty, and his destiny. 
 
 I would rather define that mind as a religious one, 
 which has acquired the habit of conducting every thing 
 witli reference to its Creator and eternity. While 
 such a soul forgets not to worship publicly, as well 
 as in the closet; and, in the secret of the heart, to 
 commune with its God, under an abiding sense of His 
 Omnipresence; it will also take a far wider range 
 than the one to which I have alluded. While he 
 traces the guiding finger of the Deity in all the minor 
 events of life, he remembers that we are placed in this 
 world to be trained for Heaven — that we must practise 
 the tempers and the graces of Heaven in our every- 
 day employments — that the man of business, who, 
 from motives which arise in a conscience enlightened 
 and guided by the Holy Spirit of Christ, preserves 
 an unsullied integrity amidst the contamination of the 
 world's traffic, does exhibit the beauty of a religious 
 character as truly as another who sits in his closet 
 and writes a devotional treatise. They are parts of 
 a whole; and it is dangerous to separate the idea 
 of them. " Whether, therefore, ye eat or drink, or 
 whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God We 
 weave snares for our consciences, when we allow our- 
 selves to believe that the lawful pursuits, the intel- 
 lectual or the simple pleasures of life, necessarily carry 
 
 C) I Cor. X. 
 
MEETNESS FOR HEAVEN. 
 
 199 
 
 US out of the atmosphere of Religion. They may be 
 the very best means of bracing our minds for the 
 highest department of Religion — devotional exercises, 
 either on behalf of ourselves or others. " Whoso 
 offereth praise, glorifieth me." I believe we do offer 
 no unacceptable praise to the Father of mercies, when, 
 with hearts peacefully reposing on His love, we enjoy 
 the beautiful world in which He has placed us ; and 
 when we expand with glowing benevolence towards 
 all around us, or receive, with adoring thankfulness, 
 the sweet love with which, as in silver chains, some of 
 us are bound to each other. 
 
 To return to the test with which our habits furnish 
 us. — What are they P Love to God and to our neigh- 
 bour, we are told by the sacred lip of Truth, is the 
 sum and substance of the diWne law ; and it appears 
 impossible to enumerate a grace which is not em- 
 ployed in carrying out these two principles. Are we 
 then watcliing, as at the feet of Jesus, for the precious 
 opportunities which are presented by the swiftly- 
 changing events of each day, to do His work ? For, 
 whether it be in public or in private life, each day 
 brings with it the Christian's proper business, both 
 towards his God and his neighbour ; and, by patiently 
 persevering in its performance, we call into exercise 
 almost every christian grace which we shall need in 
 Heaven : and we shall, ere long, be surprised to find 
 how firmly these graces are engrafted on our natures, 
 and bound about our souls with the bands of habit. 
 
200 
 
 POWER OF HABIT. 
 
 The commencement of great works is generally 
 small and insignificant : the seed is minute, though 
 the tree be of great magnitude ; but the seed must be 
 planted in the earth, or the tree will not spring up. 
 So must we take heed that we form good habits; 
 which, though they may at first be feeble and of slow 
 growth, will surely strengthen and expand by degrees. 
 
 As the tender plant is nourished by the oft-descend- 
 ing rain and the constant dew of heaven, so is the 
 vital principle of divine grace within us cherished 
 by the persevering, rather than the great, efforts 
 of daily practice ; — and these efforts constitute our 
 habits'". 
 
 From the subject of good and bad habit, my father 
 was led into that of divine love. A long corre- 
 spondence was carried on by him to his beloved friend, 
 J. J. Gurney, during the preparation, by the latter, 
 of the little volume entitled " Essay on Love to God." 
 This work was written at the earnest desire of my 
 father; and the communications which were sent to 
 Earlham, during the progress of its composition, fur- 
 nished the dear invalid with much interesting em- 
 ployment: indeed, it seemed to be a labour of love, 
 which rested on his spirit, so that he could scarcely 
 " depart in peace" until he saw it accomplished. 
 And, " according to the good hand of his God upon 
 
 ('") See Selections from Letters and Papers (G). 
 
MEETNESS FOR HEAVEN. 
 
 201 
 
 him"," and through the kindness of his highly-gifted 
 friend, he lived to read, greatly delight in, and widely 
 circulate, the much-desired little book. 
 
 In a Letter, dated 20th of the first month, 1834, 
 speaking to his friend of the consideration of it, he 
 remarks — 
 
 " With respect to good habit, how^ highly important, 
 interesting, and animating must it be, as necessarily 
 including a reference to the love of the Great Supreme, 
 and the wonderful operations of His spirit of love in 
 fallen sinful man, in sowing what has been compared 
 to a grain of mustard-seed, on account of its sraallness 
 and subsequent great increase ; and in carrying on 
 and completing the great work of preparing fallen 
 sinful man for an everlasting inheritance in the realms 
 of light, happiness, and glory." 
 
 Again, in a Letter dated 9th month 1834, he says — 
 
 " To whom is frail, feeble, erring, sinning man in- 
 debted for the all-important and increased effusion 
 of that great and mighty principle and power of 
 regeneration, or of purification and sanctification, 
 whereby the immortal soul is prepared for the pos- 
 session and enjoyment of endless felicity. The reply 
 is evident — the declaration of Scripture being clear'*. 
 It is, to the Blessed Saviour. 
 
 (") Ezia vii. 9. 
 
 ('-) John XVI. 7—16. 
 
202 
 
 LETTERS RESPECTING THE 
 
 So again, in the Letter dated 1st mo. 20. 1834, he 
 says : " It is all Divine Love, however diversified or 
 varied in its operations in sinful man, preparing and 
 qualifying him to ascend and be for ever with his Hea- 
 venly Father and his beloved Redeemer, and uniting 
 with the great multitude in the ecstatic exclamations of 
 'Alleluia! for the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth p " 
 
 " From whence sprang the Creation ? What produced 
 the Incarnation of our Blessed Saviour — induced the 
 dear Redeemer to expose himself to the malignant and 
 cruel treatment of sinful man ? Why did the King of 
 Glory become a man of sorrows and acquainted with 
 grief — being tormented and wounded for our trans- 
 gressions, and smitten for our iniquities — but that we 
 (diseased and wretched man), by His chastisement, 
 bruises, and sufferings, might be healed, and our peace 
 established, according to the wonderful appointment 
 of His Almighty beloved Father respecting His well- 
 beloved and only-begotten Son^^ who, even when thus 
 tormented, being crushed by affliction pouring out 
 His soul unto death"', employed His omniscience and 
 omnipotence in performing miracles of mercy for the 
 relief of sinning, rebellious man ? 
 
 " What induced him to endure the agonizing death 
 of the cross, and the yet more trying dispensation of 
 the withdrawing of His Almighty Father s presence P 
 What induced our Merciful and Blessed Saviour thus 
 to suffer (sufferings heightened by the perfect purity of 
 
 ('^) Rev.xix. 6. (") Isa. liii.3. 
 
 Lowth's Isa. liii. 10. Isa. liii. 12. 
 
INFLUENCE OF HABIT. 
 
 203 
 
 His nature), and so wonderfully to act, as to give Him 
 the victory over death, hell, and the grave ; and place 
 Him on the right hand of the Majesty on high, there to 
 
 intercede for fallen, miserable man'^ ? Was it not 
 
 Love ? — for ' God is love 
 
 " How wonderful, how astonishing, have been the 
 operations of Divine Love, for saving rebellious, mise- 
 rable man from the dreadful consequences of the Fall, 
 and restoring him to purity and peace ! An Almighty, 
 beloved, merciful, and beneficent Father surrenders His 
 Fellow His companion in eternity. His well-beloved 
 and only-begotten Son, to a cruel, agonizing death ; 
 raises Him from the dead ; and places him on His right 
 hand, there eflFectually to intercede for the pardon and 
 redemption of rebellious man ! 
 
 ^" " On such a subject, how soon do all created beings, 
 with their limited capacities, find themselves unequal to 
 deep or much investigation ! — and, with a small vari- 
 ation, may they not adopt the language of one for- 
 merly — 
 
 " 1 lose 
 
 Myself in Him — in Love ineffable 
 
 Come then, expressive Silence, muse 
 \ His ever-glorious praise ! ' ^' 
 
 Thus did my precious fathers mind overflow with 
 the love of God; and thus was he prepared, by the 
 
 CO Mark xvi. 19. Rom. viii. 34. (") 1 John iv. 7. 8, &c. 
 
 Zechariah xiii.7. Q°) 12 mo. 18. 1834. 
 
 (-') The words in italics are altered in this quotation from the 
 conclusion of Thomson's " Hymn on the Seasons." My father 
 
 was 
 
204 
 
 THE CLOSING SCENE OF 
 
 settled bent of his soul, and fitted, by his tastes and 
 affections, to enter into the society of Heaven ■ — the 
 company of the redeemed ones : for his habits were of 
 the same nature as theirs. 
 
 There now remains little more for me to do, besides 
 tracing the few events of his last suffering days. To 
 strangers, it will appear extraordinary that I made no 
 memorandums, until a few weeks afterwards : but 
 those who are aware of my circumstances, know, that 
 the task of watching over the precious invalid was one 
 which so completely exhausted my powers, that no 
 energy remained to be applied to writing. I trust 
 I may say, that no inattention caused the omission, but 
 simple and positive inability to perform the otherwise 
 imperative duty. To liim I was enabled to pay con- 
 stant personal attention; which has ever since been 
 to me a source of the sweetest retrospect and true 
 thankfulness. 
 
 I have said that my father became unable to walk 
 down stairs, for some months pre\-ious to his death ; 
 
 was fond of these lines, beginning at — 
 
 " 1 cannot go 
 
 Where Universal Love smiles not around. 
 
 Sustaining all yon orbs, and all their sons ; 
 
 From seeming evil still educing good ; 
 
 And better thence again, and better still. 
 
 In infinite progression. — But I lose 
 
 Myself in Him — in Light ineffable. — 
 
 Come then, expressive Silence, muse His praise !" 
 
 See Selections from Letters and Papers (G). 
 
RICHARD Phillips's life. 
 
 205 
 
 because, from the feeble state of his brain, it produced 
 most distressing retching : this symptom occasionally 
 attacked him in the night : and, long before he required 
 sitting up with, we were often roused fi"om our sleep, 
 to give him a remedy for it. 
 
 For some time after he relinquished going down 
 stairs, he occasionally removed into a room on the 
 same floor with his own, and passed some hours there ; 
 rather enjoying the change of scene and prospect 
 which it afforded him ; for, in degree, he continued 
 alive to the beauties of nature till very near his de- 
 parture. He loved those lines of our great poet; — 
 though, perhaps, his enjoyment of them was rather 
 previous to the time I am describing : — 
 
 " These are thy glorious works, Parent of Good, 
 Almighty, thine ! — This universal frame 
 Thus wond'rous fair, Thyself how wondrous then, 
 Unspeakable, who sitt'st above the heavens, 
 To us invisible, or dimly seen 
 In these thy lowest works!— yet these declare 
 Thy goodness, beyond thought and power divine." 
 
 By degrees, this movement from room to room 
 became too great an exertion for him ; and he remained 
 entirely in his own apartment. From the total absence 
 of exercise, which it thus became impossible to give 
 him, while his appetite (which we could not, from the 
 presence of other symptoms, place much restraint upon) 
 continued very craving, there at last appeared signs of 
 
 (^•) Paradise Lost. 
 
206 
 
 THE CLOSING SCENE OF 
 
 fulness in the vessels of the head ; and a very severe 
 fit, one morning, rendered it necessary to take blood 
 from his arm. 
 
 I was summoned early ; and hastily took my place, 
 a little on one side behind him, on the bed; and a 
 faithful female attendant supported him on the other 
 side. Here we remained, while he was bled, and for 
 some hours afterwards. Mercifully, the violence of the 
 attack subsided in a few hours ; and those terrible hours 
 were the worst through which we were called to pass. 
 He had a great repugnance to seeing fresli persons 
 around him — a feeling very natural to invalids; and 
 my earnest desire seemed to be granted, that I might 
 be still permitted to minister to his necessities, in the 
 same way which I had had the privilege of doing, 
 through his long and gradual decline. 
 
 From this attack my father rallied considerably; 
 but with returning strength, we saw our fond hopes 
 blasted ; for there appeared, also, strong indications of 
 a return of the former seizure, and bleeding was again 
 resorted to. After that operation, my precious father 
 remained sitting up in his bed for some little time, 
 in a very peculiar, calm silence ; as if, relieved from 
 the pressure of disease, his mind was taking a tho- 
 rough, quiet survey of his situation. It was very 
 striking to me, as I watched beside him. After a 
 time, he said, " Well, my dear Mary, we are in good 
 hands !" — and then took leave of me for a while. 
 
RICHARD Phillips's life. 
 
 207 
 
 Throug:hout the whole of this last illness, he evinced 
 a sweet, childlike, and passive submission ; but the 
 tendency to delirium was great, and precluded much 
 conversation. His whole deportment, however, clearly 
 shewed a daily increasing " meetness for Heaven." 
 
 During his illness, he did not relinquish his usual 
 custom of rendering thanks before he took refresh- 
 ment or medicine : it was nearly in silence ; though his 
 uplifted hands and some half-uttered ejaculation gene- 
 rally told of his deep and humble gratitude. The 
 last time he dined out of bed, he was seized with 
 illness so severe, that for some time his immediate 
 departure seemed probable. At this never-to-be- 
 forgotten meal, though he was in such a fearfully- 
 exhausted state, and in urgent need of the refreshment, 
 he stayed, and raised his trembling hands over the 
 plate in a manner so affecting, that myself and his 
 attendant scarcely restrained a flood of tears. 
 
 Before my precious father became very ill, the 
 sublime description of Death, by Dr. Watts, ranked 
 among his favourite poetical pieces ; and he often dwelt 
 upon the last few lines with peculiar interest : — 
 
 "It was a brave attempt ! — advent'roiis he, 
 Who in the first ship broke the unknown sea, 
 And, leaving his dear native land bcliiiid, 
 Trusted his life to the licentious wind ! 
 I see the surging brine — the tempest raves — 
 He on the pine- plank rides aci'oss tlie waves, 
 Exulting, on the edge of thousand gaping graves : 
 
 He 
 
208 
 
 u. Phillips's views of death. 
 
 He steers the winged boat, and shifts the sails ; 
 Conquers the flood, and manages the gales ! — 
 
 " Such is the soul that leaves this mortal land, 
 Fearless, when the Great Master gives command. 
 Death is the storm she smiles to hear it roar, 
 And bids the tempest waft her from the shore : 
 Then, with a skilful helm, she sweeps the seas, 
 And manages the raging storm with ease : 
 Her faith can govern death : she spreads her wings 
 Wide to the wind ; and, as she sails, she sings, 
 And loses, by degrees, the sight of mortal things. 
 As the shores lessen, so her joj^s arise ; 
 The waves roll gentler, and the tempest dies. 
 Now vast eternity fills all her sight, 
 She floats on the broad deep with infinite delight. 
 The seas for ever calm, the skies for ever bright." 
 
 But all through life, my beloved father had enter- 
 tained that dread of the last change which a deeply- 
 conscientious mind, not accustomed to shrink from 
 investigation, vs^as likely to feel, at the realizing con- 
 templation of so unutterably awful an event. Accus- 
 tomed to meditate upon the infinite purity of the Great 
 Supreme, and keenly alive to a sense of his own 
 infirmities, he beheld the moment which should fix 
 his eternal condition, as one fraught with inexpressible 
 solemnity. 
 
 Those who knew this rather prominent feature in 
 my dear father's character, will best know how to 
 appreciate the mercy which enabled him to behold 
 quietly, and calmly, the slow but certain ^approach 
 of deatJi. 
 
R. Phillips's state of mind. 
 
 209 
 
 The delirium had almost wholly subsided for some 
 days before he died ; but he had great difficulty in 
 articulating. Yet, though he did not converse, he 
 evidently knew he was going. He occasionally ex- 
 claimed, "My Father!" — and once said, "My dear 
 Saviour ! sustain me ! " About three-and-thirty hours 
 before he departed, he desired me, as I sat upon the 
 bed supporting him, to raise him up myself; and told 
 me to kiss him. 
 
 I think it was two nights before his death, that 
 I asked him if I should send for any friend, to 
 talk to him ; but he refused, and said, " Thou must 
 talk to me." I reminded him of the remarkable 
 impression made upon his mind by the incident 
 which I related at page 169 ; and which he had 
 been accustomed to mention, with much comfort, 
 during the last three or four years. To my surprise, 
 it was all swept away from his memory; nor could 
 I recall it. 
 
 Simple reliance upon the mercy of God in Christ 
 Jesus seemed to be all that sustained him. No refe- 
 rence to past experience availed him any thing. 
 Most strikingly did he thus illustrate the words of 
 his favourite hymn — 
 
 " Rock of Ages, cleft for me, 
 Let me hide myself in Thee ! 
 
 " Nothing 
 
 P 
 
210 
 
 R. Phillips's state of mind. 
 
 " Nothing in my hand I bring ; 
 Simply to Thy cross I cling ; 
 Naked, come to Thee for dress ; 
 Helpless, look to Thee for grace — 
 To the cleansing Foimtain fly ! 
 Wash me, Saviour, or I die ! 
 
 " WTiile I draw this fleeting breath. 
 When my eye-strings break in death. 
 When I soar to worlds unknown, 
 See Thee on thy Judgment-throne — 
 Rock of Ages, cleft for me. 
 Let me hide myself in Thee ! " 
 
 In the full spirit of this most beautiful hymn, he 
 continued occasionally to raise his clasped hands, utter- 
 ing, in a gentle supplicating tone, the word " Mercy !" 
 And thus, leaning on my arm, and holding one of 
 my hands, as I sat behind him, myself supported by 
 pillows, he became quieter and quieter, and his breath- 
 ing gradually shorter ; till he passed away, and " was 
 not," and " his place knew him no more." 
 
 But " we know, that if our earthly house of this 
 tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, 
 an house not made with hands, eternal in the hea- 
 vens " For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor 
 life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things 
 present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor 
 any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the 
 love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord^*." 
 
 (") 2 Cor. V. 1. 
 
 (-^) Rom. viii. 38, 39. 
 
HIS DEATH. 
 
 211 
 
 Richard Phillips died on the 16th of the 1st month, 
 1836, aged eighty years and a few days. His dear 
 remains repose in the burial-ground of the Friends, 
 at Croydon, in Surrey. 
 
 In detailing the various incidents of my fathers 
 life, I have endeavoured, too diffusely perhaps, to frame, 
 as it were, every sketch which I drew : there now, 
 therefore, remains less for me to do, in the way of 
 summing up, and condensing into one view, the most 
 marked traits of his character. Something - of this 
 nature I must, however, attempt : for there are several 
 points still untouched upon ; which, though I could not 
 easily weave them into the Memoir as I proceeded, 
 without being too discursive, are yet too important 
 features to be omitted, in my endeavour to draw a 
 faithful portrait of Richard Phillips. 
 
 Society, at the present day, presents so very different 
 an aspect with respect to Charitable Institutions, that 
 much which I have told of my dear fathers exertions 
 in that line will not appear to possess nearly the 
 interest they did at the time, or convey an adequate 
 idea of the labour and perseverance necessary for the 
 accomplishment of his plans, or of their value when 
 carried out : neither will the details be so useful, in 
 the light of examples, as they were when individual 
 activity was far more rarely met with, because less 
 frequently practised. Still, the pattern, which the life 
 of Richard Phillips exhibits, possesses much which can 
 
 p 2 
 
212 SECRET OF K. I'HlLLlPs's USEFULNESS. 
 
 be imitated; for the principles upon which he acted 
 remain immutable. He was but an uninflueutial 
 individual, be it remembered — not particularly distin- 
 guished for rank or station, wealth or learning ; yet we 
 have seen much which he effected, by piously watching, 
 and faithfully following out, the openings of Divine 
 Providence, by steady, untiring, and undaunted perse- 
 verance, in whatsoever his " hand found to do." 
 
 The grand secret of my fathers usefulness is un- 
 questionably to be found in his habits of simple 
 obedience to his Divine Teacher and Leader Thus 
 was he enabled to shew his faith by his works 
 An abiding sense of the omnipresence of the Deity 
 was a prominent feature of his christian character. 
 He literally lived in the spirit of prayer, and the habit 
 of communion with his God. When alone with us, 
 the moment that conversation paused, we so often 
 heard him ejaculate " My Father ! " that it was evident 
 he returned to His presence, with a constancy which 
 had become indeed a " habit": and well did he know 
 the strength which the Christian derives from such 
 internal recollection ; whether it be in moments of 
 perplexity, such as the Prophet alludes to, when he 
 says, " Who is among you that feareth the Lord, 
 that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh 
 in darkness, and hath no light? let him trust in the 
 
 ('") Isaiah liii. 10. 
 (2'^) James ii. 18. 
 
PRACTICE OF rlllVATi: PRAYKR, 
 
 213 
 
 name of the Lord, and stay upon his God^;" or whether 
 it be in tranquil seasons, when the promise is fulfilled 
 to the humble believer, " Thou wilt keep him in perfect 
 peace, whose mind is stayed on thee^^." 
 
 It is difficult — I had almost said impossible — to con- 
 ceive a Christian living without the practice of private 
 prayer : even the habitual internal recollection which 
 is almost constantly maintained, as an under-current 
 in his soul, does not suffice to satisfy him, or keep in 
 vigorous exercise his filial affisctions towards his Hea- 
 venly Father. Those who have not yet been literally 
 and frequently bowed upon their knees before their 
 God in private prayer, would scarcely believe the firm 
 position which the practice would enable them to 
 maintain in heavenly things ; nor how, when thus 
 permitted to draw near with a true heart in full 
 assurance of faith, they would find ability to " hold 
 fast the profession of their faith without waver- 
 mg . 
 
 All ! would that I could lead some of those weary 
 and heavy-laden ones, who may peruse these pages, to 
 a knowledge of the importance of private prayer ! It 
 is truly like a hand, whereby we lay hold of that " hope 
 which we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and 
 stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil 
 
 (-') Isaiah 1. 10. ( ") Isaiali Kxvi. 
 
 (^^) Heb. X. 22, 23. ( '») Heb. vi. 19. 
 
214 
 
 PRACTICE OF PRIVATE PRAYER. 
 
 Well did the Poet understand its value, when he 
 said — 
 
 " That were a grief I could not bear, 
 Did not God hear and answer prayer ; 
 But a prayer-hearing answering God 
 Supports me under every load." " 
 
 And, surely, 
 
 " Satan trembles, when he sees 
 The weakest saint upon his knees." 
 
 Those who have known the billows of affliction to 
 overwhelm them, refuge fail them, and no one appear 
 to care for their souls^^ when friends were put far 
 from them ^ — those can tell of the value and sweetness 
 of prayer. Some there are, who have felt that they 
 were alone in the wide and busy world ; — they can tell 
 of the hallowed privilege which they have found, in the 
 permission to kneel as at the feet of their Redeemer, 
 and, in every little accident of life, to commend them- 
 selves to the high and holy keeping of Israel's Shep- 
 herd — to that " Friend who sticketh closer than a 
 brother^;" who has said, " Lo, I am with you alway, 
 even unto the end of the world 
 
 It will be expected that I should be able to say that 
 the practice of this delightful duty was the daily habit 
 of Richard Phillips. Morning and evening he did 
 
 (^0 Cowper. ('■-) See Ps. cxlii. 
 
 (") Ps.lxxxviii.18. See Prov. xviii. 24. 
 
 («) Matt.xxviii 20. 
 
n. PHILLU'S'S PUBLIC MINISTRY. 
 
 215 
 
 direct his prayer unto the Lord, and looked up^. For 
 this purpose, he retired twice a day to his apartment ; 
 and " while he was thus secluded, his melodious voice 
 was sometimes overheard by the other inmates of his 
 dwelling, breaking forth in the expression of earnest 
 aspirations after the Fountain of light and life^^f and 
 when he rose from his knees, refreshed and cheered, he 
 often sang parts of hymns while walking about his 
 room. 
 
 Of the character of my father's public ministry I am, 
 unhappily, not able to say much from personal recol- 
 lection ; owing to the circumstance of my health not 
 permitting me to attend the Meetings, for about fifteen 
 years before I lost him. I remember that his voice was 
 a very fine and melodious one ; and sometimes, when 
 he was engaged in declaring the praises of his God 
 and Saviour, it seemed to swell into a chant : his deli- 
 very, after the first few sentences, was easy and rapid ; 
 his language, flowing, and partaking of the style of the 
 
 O Ps. V. 3. 
 
 From a Sketch kindly drawn up by his beloved friend, 
 J. J. Gumey, preparatory to the testimony furnished by the Monthly 
 Meeting. It is a custom among the Friends to draw up a short 
 Memorial of their departed Minister, which is read and signed in 
 the Monthly Meeting to which the deceased Minister belonged. 
 It is subsequently read at his own Quarterly Meeting and the Yearly 
 Meeting, and, if judged expedient, is afterwards printed. — Tlie 
 relations, or most intimate friends, are expected to prepare a sketch, 
 by way of material for drawing up the " Testimony," as it is 
 termed. 
 
21(5 
 
 u, Phillips's public ministry. 
 
 more poetic part of the Bible ; his manner, animated 
 and impassioned; his matter, persuasive, not denun- 
 ciatory — deeply imbued with the spirit of Redeeming 
 Love, and abounding with joyous thanksgiving. He 
 would paint in glowing colours the blessed condition of 
 those who submit themselves to the guidance and 
 government of the Redeemer. I once heard him thus 
 quote the words — 
 
 " How are thy servants blest, O Lord, 
 How sure is their defence ! 
 Eternal wisdom is their guide ; 
 Their help, Omnipotence." 
 
 Often was he engaged in earnestly entreating those 
 who listened to him to follow the "God of Jeshurun,'" 
 whose banner over them would be love : and he would 
 exclaim, " Why will ye die, O House of Israel 
 
 " Animated by a living sense of the love of God in 
 Christ Jesus, and very careful not to engage at any 
 time in Public Service without the constraining and 
 qualifying influence of the Holy Ghost, lie was very 
 acceptable to his friends in this important capacity : 
 and although lie was very seldom engaged in public 
 supplication, the songs of praise which he often uttered, 
 in the course of his preaching, will long be remembered 
 by those whose hearts were accustomed to respond to 
 them^l" 
 
 (^'') Sketch, above referred to. 
 
\ 
 
 HIS FAR-SIGHTEDNESS. 
 
 217 
 
 " Richard Phillips was a highly useful member of our 
 Society; and the acceptable part which he took in our 
 Meetings for discipline, and especially in the Yearly 
 Meeting itself, cannot be soon forgotten. There are 
 many who still remember the noble stand, which, with 
 other valiants for the Truth, he made against the in- 
 roads upon us of heresy and unbelief, at the time of the 
 late 's '^ visit to this country 
 
 My father was gifted with much far-sightedness — 
 a faculty which sometimes caused him a little opposi- 
 tion and moi'tification. In the Meetings for the trans- 
 action of business in his own Society, as well as in 
 Charitable Institutions, he not unfrequently proposed 
 measures to which the majority of his friends were by 
 no means prepared to accede : they were not rash 
 and visionary schemes, but plans of which his sound 
 judgment perceived the utility, though they stretched 
 so far into the horizon of the future as to be beyond 
 the ken of the many*'. 
 
 He used to return home on such occasions, and say 
 to us, that his friends were not yet ready for such 
 
 An Amcric.m Minister, whose principles were strongly 
 tinctured by infidelity : towards whom, however, my father forgot 
 not to practise the Christian charity which mourns over those wlio 
 are out of the way ; compassionating the sinner, while it hates 
 the sin. 
 
 ( ") Sketch, as before. 
 
 ('■') Sec Selections from Inciters and Papers (H). 
 
218 R. Phillips's manner of reading, 
 
 measures ; though they would probably be adopted, 
 after he had ceased to be amongst them. 
 
 I have spoken of far-sightedness as a natural qua- 
 lity in my father s mind. I would not confound it with 
 the spiritual gift of prophetic vision, which is unques- 
 tionably bestowed upon some Christians. However 
 useful the quality may be — and I believe it is one which 
 is capable of being made an instrument of much good — 
 its possessor certainly requires no small strength of 
 mind, and, above all, that wisdom which comes from 
 above, to conduct him safely through the paths into 
 which it often leads : and I think that both the quality 
 and the gift do especially call for patient submission 
 to the openings of Divine Providence, in order that 
 we may avoid an over-hasty reaching forward to the 
 end, which has been clearly indicated to us, while the 
 intermediate steps have been veiled from our mental 
 gaze. We may indeed find exercises of strong faith, in 
 resigning ourselves wholly into our Saviours hands, 
 while He leads us, by ways which we have not known, 
 to those positions which we have seen before, without 
 comprehending how we should arrive at them. 
 
 In the domestic circle, my father's manner of 
 reading aloud, either the Holy Scriptures or devotional 
 books, was singularly beautiful — perfectly free from 
 affectation. It was evidently the result of deep feeling, 
 acting through refined taste ; and producing those 
 delightfully modulated tones, which render the subject 
 
AND STYLE OF CONVERSATION. 
 
 219 
 
 so much more impressive, that we can hardly overrate 
 the importance of thus remembering to do every thing 
 " to the glory of God." 
 
 My fathers reverence for divine things was very 
 remarkable ; and he seldom expressed the sacred name 
 of the Great Supreme ; — never without that reverential 
 tone and manner, the absence of wnich is so revolting 
 to a mind which is at all imbued with a just sense 
 of the awful majesty which invests the Highest — He 
 who dwells " in the light which no man can approach 
 unto*^." 
 
 In all kinds of society, and among all classes, my 
 father was apparently at ease ; conversing with those 
 who came within his reach, and endeavouring to gain 
 information from them on any subject with which 
 they were most familiar. His disposition was so 
 social, and his thirst for knowledge so ardent, that he 
 never remained long beside any person without com- 
 munication : and when we were spending any time in 
 the environs of London, the little journeys backwards 
 and forwards, in the stage-coaches, were seasons of 
 considerable interest to his fellow-passengers*'. 
 
 In all these scenes, I feel convinced that he kept 
 his attention much fixed upon benefittiug those with 
 
 («) 1 Tim. vi. 16. 
 
 i*^) The drivers of the coaches used to tell liim, that their con- 
 veyances always filled well when he went by them. 
 
220 H. Phillips's style op conversation. 
 
 whom he mingled ; though he often appeared as if he 
 were but interesting and amusing those around him. 
 — I may mention one instance, as corroborative of this 
 assertion ; though it belongs to a later period than the 
 little journeys which I have been alluding to. A little 
 party** were sitting with him in his chamber of 
 languishing ; to whom, among other pious conversation 
 to which they well knew how to respond, he drew their 
 attention to the rapid flight of time, by repeating these 
 lines, in his own beautiful manner : — 
 
 " Time, in advance, behind him hides his wings, 
 And seems to creep decrepit with his age — 
 Behold him, when past by ! — What then is seen. 
 But his broad pinions, swifter than the wind ? 
 And all mankind, in contradiction strong — 
 Rueful, aghast cry out at his career ! " 
 
 In this kind of conversation, he delighted to dwell 
 upon the theme of never-failing universal charity; 
 and a paraphrase of the Thirteenth Chapter of the 
 First Epistle to the Corinthians, by Pryor, was a great 
 favourite of his ; particularly this part — 
 
 " Then constant Faith and holy Hope shall die — 
 One lost in certainty, and one in joy; 
 Whilst thou, more happy power, fair Charity, 
 Triumphant sister, greatest of the three ! 
 
 Thy 
 
 (") The friend of his early youth, the late Sir Digby Mack- 
 worth, and one of his excellent daughters. 
 C'^) Young's Night Thoughts. 
 
HIS WIT. 
 
 221 
 
 Thy office and thy nature still the same, 
 Lasting thy lamp, and unconsum'd thy flame, 
 
 Shalt still survive 
 
 Shalt stand before the host of Heaven confest, 
 For ever blessing, and for ever blest." 
 
 Those who knew my dear father will also recollect 
 the wit which rendered his company so acceptable to 
 young people ; and to whose kindly feelings it proved 
 so winning an attraction, often opening a door of use- 
 fulness for him to labour with them in the best things. 
 Though I believe it was frequently the spontaneous 
 eflFusion of his own happy temper, it was also not 
 at all unusually resorted to as a means of pleasing 
 those whom he was desirous of persuading to assist 
 him in his charitable schemes ; and I believe his tact 
 in the use of the pleasant gift became one great means 
 of that success which attended his labours. He never 
 suflFered this talent to descend into levity or folly : it 
 was a bright, sparkling wit; not degenerating into 
 what is called punning, but consisting much in re- 
 partee, and that indescribable and odd opposition of 
 ideas, which produces irresistibly ludicrous effects at 
 the moment, witliout one's being able to repeat or 
 define it. 
 
 Few will deny, that there are times 'when the per- 
 fect unbending of the care-worn mind is, in itself, 
 a laudable motive for the exercise of wit and humour. 
 It is well to relax our energies for a season, that we 
 
222 
 
 R. Phillips's wit 
 
 may return with renewed vigour to serious duties 
 and engagements. The dark and cheerless gloom of 
 the cloister does not tell of a soul acquiescing in the 
 appointments of divine wisdom, and happy in the 
 pardoning love of the Redeemer : nor does it attract, 
 by its sweetness, those who seek a rest for their weary 
 spirits, and an anchor for their souls, when tossed on 
 the world's tempestuous billows. 
 
 It may, at first sight, appear difficult to define the 
 limits of innocent cheerfulness, and the overflowings 
 of that bounding gladness which sometimes passes over 
 our spirits. But I think we shall seldom err, if we 
 endeavour to keep our mental eye fixed upon a rule 
 which does seem to me one that cannot safely be lost 
 sight of — never to suffer our cheerfulness to be other, 
 in matter or in manner, than such as will permit us 
 instantly to return, in the secret of the soul, to the 
 presence of our Redeemer; — as the playful child leaves 
 the side of its parent, to crop some bright flower 
 by the way-side, and returns with open countenance 
 and confiding step to the shelter and sweet companion- 
 ship where it finds the repose of safety and of peace. 
 The cheerfulness of a pious spirit composes while it 
 cheers, and seems to tune the soul for praise and 
 adoration. 
 
 The following beautiful passage, which was a fa- 
 vourite with my precious father, well bespeaks his 
 
AND CHEERFULNESS. 
 
 223 
 
 feelings in some of his more seriously sweet and over- 
 flowing moments : — 
 
 " Speak ye, who best can tell, ye sons of light — 
 Angels ! for ye behold Him, and with songs 
 And choral symphonies, day without night. 
 Circle His throne, rejoicing —ye in heaven ! 
 On earth, join all ye creatures, to extol 
 Him first. Him last. Him midst, and ^vithout end." 
 
 I have already alluded to my father's unrepining 
 disposition, and the ease with which he reconciled 
 himself to circumstances which were unquestionably 
 distasteful to him. In this, he found his feelings well 
 expressed by the sweet hymn of that poet, who is so 
 justly called the Christian Poet : — 
 
 " God moves in a mysterious way. 
 His wonders to perform ; 
 He plants His footsteps on the sea, 
 And rides upon the storm. 
 
 Deep in unfathomable mines 
 
 Of never-failing skUl, 
 He treasures up His bright designs. 
 
 And works His sovereign will. 
 
 " Ye fearful saints ! fresh courage take ; 
 The clouds, ye so much dread, 
 Are big with mercy, and shall break 
 In blessings on your head. 
 
 " Judge 
 
 ('•') Morning Hymn, Paradise Lost, 
 
224 
 
 R. PHILL1PS"S CHARACTER. 
 
 '• Judge not the Lord by feeble sense, 
 But trust Him for His grace ; 
 Behind a frowning providence 
 He hides a s milin g face. 
 
 " His purposes will ripen fast, 
 Unfolding everj' hour ; 
 The bud may have a bitter taste. 
 But sweet will be the flower. 
 
 " Blind unbelief is sure to err, 
 And scan His work in vain ; 
 God is His own Interpreter, 
 And He will make it plain." ^' 
 
 Surely there is no antidote to the corroding cares 
 of life, so efficacious, or so sweet, as the gift of being 
 able to lie passive in the hands of our Saviour ; whereby 
 we experience the fulfilment of the promise — " Thou 
 wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed 
 on Thee, because he trusteth in Thee 
 
 In private life, I can indeed bear testimony that my 
 fathers was one of tliose christian characters which 
 shone with attractive loveliness, when followed from 
 public life to domestic retirement, and beheld in the 
 endearing light of the indulgent husband — the tender, 
 yet judicious father — the faithful, active friend — and 
 the kind, considerate master. 
 
 Cowper. 
 
 Isaiah xxvi. 3. 
 
IN PRIVATE LIFK. 
 
 225 
 
 " Those, perhaps, who witnessed his return to his 
 quiet liome, with exiiausted spirits and wearied body, yet 
 with persevering ardour in the cause of christian 
 philanthropy, can most fully comprehend the extent 
 of his labours, as proportioned to his strength ; and 
 best appreciate the value of that innate principle of 
 love to God and man which supplied the motive and 
 the energy for exertions which laid the foundation of 
 protracted sufferings in old age." 
 
 This quotation is made from my Letter to the Com- 
 mittee of the British and Foreign Bible Society; 
 which had most kindly forwarded to me a copy, from 
 their Minute Book, of their Memorial on the death 
 of my precious father, and which subsequently appeared 
 in the Monthly Extracts for February 1836.*^ 
 
 This leads me again to the subject of my revered 
 father s connection with that noble Institution. I have 
 related his entrance into it, and some of his labours in 
 its sacred cause ; and though the infirm state of his 
 health, for a few years prior to his entering into his 
 eternal rest, was such as to compel him to abstain from 
 all fatiguing exertion, either bodily or mental, yet the 
 cause of the Bible Society, as well as the other impor- 
 tant charities to which he had devoted his meridian 
 energies, were, through the evening of life, tenderly 
 cherished in his ardently-philanthropic heart. He 
 
 (■'■') See Selections from Letters and Papers (I). 
 Q 
 
226 
 
 MEMORIAL ON THE 
 
 continued his attendance at the Earl-Street Committee 
 Meetings as long as he could bear the fatigue : and ever 
 after delighted to hear of their proceedings ; and to 
 unite with them in the feelings of sorrow or of thankful 
 joy, for which their more chequered course at that time 
 presented occasion. 
 
 Penned, as the Memorial was, by those, some of 
 whom, from long co-operation, were well qualified to 
 judge of my fathers character and the value of his 
 labours, I venture to transcribe it in these pages. It 
 was truly a sweet balm to tlie heart of his mourning 
 child ; making her abundantly feel that the memory of 
 a pious parent is a precious bequest. 
 
 "MEMORIAL ON OCCASION OF THE DEATH OF THE 
 LATE RICHARD PHILLIPS, ESQ. 
 
 "The Committee, in putting on their Records the 
 death of Richard Phillips, Esq., one of their oldest 
 friends, and for many years one of their most active 
 Members, w^sh, at the same time, to express the sense 
 they entertain of his personal worth, and of the impor- 
 tant services which he rendered to this Society. In 
 social life, his temper, always cheerful and animated, 
 his affectionate disposition, and the depth and variety 
 of his information on almost every subject, rendered 
 him a peculiarly interesting companion, and gave him 
 an influence which he seldom failed to make conducive 
 to the benefit of all around him. In all those plans of 
 
DEATH OF RICHARD PHILLIPS. 
 
 227 
 
 christian benevolence which have occupied the public 
 attention during the last forty years, where he could 
 conscientiously unite, the personal and pecuniary ser- 
 vices of Richard Phillips were conspicuous ; and, as he 
 was, emphatically, a practical man, they derived no 
 common advantage from his co-operation. He was a 
 philanthropist, in the best sense of the expression. 
 
 " But it was more especially to the work of the Bible 
 Society that he brought the full weight and power of 
 his capacious and intelligent mind. He loved the 
 Society, because he loved the Bible. He admired the 
 grandeur of its object, and the simplicity of its prin- 
 ciple ; and to his pen, among others, we are indebted 
 for the plain, intelligible exposition of that principle. 
 To see the foundation laid, was to him only the incen- 
 tive to increased activity. A private suggestion from 
 his lips led to the establishment of the Southwark 
 Auxiliary Society*^ ; which was speedily followed by the 
 formation of other similar Institutions, which extended, 
 with unprecedented rapidity, throughout the kingdom. 
 Still, the mind of Mr. Phillips was not satisfied : he 
 rejoiced, indeed, in witnessing the progress of the So- 
 ciety, and the increasing recognition of its claims by 
 the more educated and influential classes of the com- 
 munity ; but he had long cherished a persuasion that it 
 was possible to interest the poor also, and to devise 
 a plan by which, through their own instrumentality, 
 they might not only supply themselves with the Holy 
 
 (^-) In the parlour of those devoted christian females, whom 
 I am privileged to call " my friends," the sisters of Charles Dudley. 
 
 Q 2 
 
228 
 
 MEMORIAL. 
 
 Scriptures, but assist in extending the same blessing to 
 the whole world. With characteristic energy, he en- 
 deavoured to carry out the happy idea. At his sug- 
 gestion, the masterly Paper by Dr. Dealtry, entitled 
 ' The Advantages of Distributing the Holy Scriptures 
 among the Lower Orders of Society, chiefly by their 
 own agency,'' was drawn up ; and its publication was 
 promptly followed by that of ' The Bible,' ' The Appeal,' 
 ' Address to Servants,' and other short Papers, which 
 prepared the way for the practical application of the 
 principles enforced ; and, through the gracious exten- 
 sion of that blessing which alone ' giveth the increase,' 
 his most sanguine expectations were more than realized. 
 The establishment and extraordinary success of the 
 twelve Bible Associations of Southwark demonstrated 
 the correctness of his views, dispelled every doubt 
 on the subject, and set an example to the nation, 
 the beneficial effects of which eternity alone can fully 
 reveal. He was, in an important sense, the father of 
 BIBLE associations ; and, under this title, his memory 
 has a claim on the gratitude, admiration, and love of 
 every friend of the British and Foreign Bible Society. 
 
 " For many years, it was the privilege of the Com- 
 mittee to rank among the most zealous and efficient of 
 their members, their late excellent friend. They well 
 remember his unvarying good humour, his patience, 
 his perseverance ; but, above all, his piety and prac- 
 tical wisdom, which gave such weight to his counsels : 
 and they cannot but cherish the earnest desire, that 
 others, ' like minded ' with him, may be raised up, to 
 
H. I'HILLII'S'S HUMILITY. 
 
 229 
 
 assist them in their work: and that, when the part 
 allotted to each is accomplished, they may, in the 
 better land, meet again with those who have gone 
 before, and join them in giving ' glory to Him that 
 sitteth on the throne, and to the Lamb for ever.' " 
 
 My precious father's humility was genuine, and 
 therefore simple. It was not humble conduct arising 
 from a constant effort to avoid exaltation of spirit, 
 whereby some very excellent Christians are obliged to 
 guard themselves ; but it arose from the true light " 
 upon his soul. This is the effectual antidote to pride ; 
 and, through the teaching of this " light," Richard 
 Phillips knew that he had nothing whereof to boast. 
 Thus resting simply in the conviction that he might, 
 even ought to be, a " cheerful giver " of his talents and 
 his strength, his money and his time, he could safely 
 permit himself to enjoy his own philanthropic labours 
 with happy and childlike simplicity. 
 
 It thus seemed permitted him to labour, as in the 
 sunshine; — a temper of mind which, I am persuaded, 
 does produce much more fruit, to the praise and glory 
 
 (•") " In Thy light we shall see light." Ps. xxxvi. 9. " That was 
 the true light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the 
 world." John i. 9. 
 
230 
 
 R. Phillips's reliance 
 
 of our great Master, than that desponding and fearful 
 spirit which casts the gloom of a certain fearful, though 
 half undefined, " looking for of Judgment," over all we 
 think, say, and do. If we strive to mortify ourselves 
 when we are not called so to suffer, we cramp our 
 usefulness ; and cherish a murmuring spirit, instead of 
 that disposition which " rejoices in God our Saviour," " 
 and in His works of " good-will toward men." " 
 
 God will give us crosses, when we need them ; for in 
 His hands, we are safe in all things: and I think we 
 dim our brightness, and diminish our energy in His 
 service, when we help ourselves, or others, unneces- 
 sarily to them. From the hand of our Redeemer, even 
 the cup of bitterness contains a healing balm for our 
 soul's health: not so the benumbing potion which 
 man's wisdom would mix, and offer to our lips, to keep 
 us humble, when perchance our drooping spirit needed 
 a cordial. 
 
 My father's good works were indeed those ft'uits by 
 which the lip of Truth has declared we may form a 
 judgment of our fellow-men : — " By their fruits ye shall 
 know them 'I" 
 
 " The love which our late friend exercised towai-ds 
 his neighbour, flowed, as we believe, from his love to 
 
 See Luke i. 47. (") Luke ii. 14. 
 
 C") Matt.viL20. 
 
ON THE LOVE OF GOD. 
 
 God. His many good works were but the evidences of 
 his faith ; and were, in the strongest manner, disclaimed 
 by him as the ground, either of glorying on his own 
 part, or of his acceptance with God. His hope of an 
 entrance into the heavenly kingdom was founded ex- 
 clusively on the pardoning mercy of God in Christ 
 Jesus ; and it was only to the grace of the Holy Spirit 
 that he looked for the formation in his soul of those 
 habits and affections which would fit liim for the en- 
 gagements and enjoyments of Heaven. He had a 
 strong sense of the value and importance of that per- 
 ceptible guidance of the Holy Spirit in the conscience by 
 which the Lord's Children are enabled to apply the 
 great principles of the Law of God to all the circum- 
 stances and occasions of life ; and thus to become con- 
 formed, by degrees, to the image of their Creator." " 
 
 A Minister'*, who was in the habit of friendly inter- 
 course with my beloved father during our residence 
 at Wandsworth, thus spoke of him, in a sermon which 
 he preached on the occasion of his decease : — 
 
 " The great object which seemed to occupy his 
 mind, as he drew near the close of his life, was the 
 love of God. This he delighted to contemplate, in 
 
 Sketch for the Testimony, by J. J. Gurney, before quoted. — 
 See Selections from Letters and Papers (K). 
 
 (^') J. E. Richards, Minister of the Independent Chapel at 
 Wandsworth. 
 
232 
 
 CONCLUSION. 
 
 Creation, Providence, and Redemption ; speaking of 
 it as a subject too vast for the finite mind of man to 
 comprehend ; and anticipating its continued develop- 
 ment in another world, where its manifestations 
 would be 
 
 ' Ever rising with the rising mind.' " 
 
 These anticipations he has now realized : he now 
 experiences the joy, and more than the joy, so beauti- 
 fully described in the following lines of his favourite 
 author : — 
 
 There, while the golden ages roll, 
 
 And speed their ceaseless course ; 
 And pleasure spreads from soul to soul, 
 
 From an unfathom'd source ; 
 
 And Contemplation's eye suiveys, 
 
 From heights before untrod, 
 AV'ith silent, fix'd, enraptur' d gaze, 
 
 The glories of our God ; 
 
 And sweet communion draws the tie 
 
 That binds us to the Lord ; 
 And thrill the chords of sympathy, 
 
 Responsive to His Word ; 
 
 And swift to do His high behest, 
 
 Each speeds his rapid fliglit ; 
 And virtue glows on every breast, 
 
 A gem of purest light ; 
 
 (■''') This is a passage from Thomson's Seasons — "Summer:" 
 and was frequently used by my father, as expressing his favourite 
 idea of the constant progression in knowledge, happiness, and love, 
 which he believed would be experienced by blessed spirits in 
 heaven. 
 
CONCLUSION. 
 
 233 
 
 And Friendship lends her generous fires 
 
 To all that glorious throng, 
 Who join, with zeal that never tires. 
 
 In one harmonious song. 
 
 Love is an ever-flovying tide 
 
 O'er all the plains above. 
 Spreads like a sea immensely wide, — 
 
 For God Himself is Love ! 
 
 And now, before I lay down my pen, I would say 
 a few words for myself. I have written tliis Memoir 
 while emerging from an invalid state of mind and 
 body, which long pressed heavily upon me. I have 
 earnestly sought the guidance of Him, whose " strength 
 is made perfect in weakness": and if there be any 
 " good thing " in my book, I would humbly ascribe 
 it to that assistance which is never denied to the sin- 
 cere seeker. If there be aught erroneous in its pages, 
 I wish it to be distinctly understood, that on myself 
 alone must the odium fall. The Religious Society 
 to which I belong is not answerable for the sentiments 
 which it contains. And, while I take this opportunity 
 of recording my grateful sense of the affectionate 
 kindness which has prompted some, whom I am 
 prixdleged in calling " my friends," to revise it, I must 
 assert that it is really the work of the individual 
 
234 
 
 CONCLUSION. 
 
 whose name it bears. It has been to me an arduous, 
 but a sweet, a teaching, and, I trust, a blessed task: 
 and I earnestly desire to send it forth " in tlie con- 
 fidence of faith" ; while I crave that the fertilizing 
 blessing of my Redeemer may rest upon this " work 
 of my hands." May He grant, that, by thus embalm- 
 ing the memory of the " pious dead," I may be the 
 means of persuading some to follow Richard Phillips, 
 as he also endeavoured to follow Jesus Christ ; consi- 
 dering the " end of his conversation, Jesus Christ, the 
 same yesterday, and to-day, and for ever." '^^ 
 
 0 See 1 Cor.xi.]. 
 C O Heb. xiii. 7. 
 
 See Selections from Letters and Papers (L). 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 SELECTIONS FROM LETTERS AND PAPERS. 
 
RELIGIOUS PRINCIPLES.' 
 
 CHILDREN SHOULD KNOW THE HOLY SCRIPTURES;— 
 AND WHY. 
 
 2 Tim. iii. 15, 16, H. 
 
 15 And that from a child thou hast known the Holy Scrip- 
 tures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation, through 
 faith which is in Christ Jesus. 
 
 16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God; and is 
 profitable, for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction 
 in righteousness : 
 
 17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly fur- 
 nished unto all good works. 
 
 John v. 39. 
 
 39 Search the Scriptures : for in them ye think ye have 
 eternal life : and they are they which testify of Me. 
 
 Acts xvii. 11. 
 
 11 These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in 
 that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and 
 searched the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so. 
 
 (') See p. 14. 
 
238 
 
 RELIGIOUS PRINCIPLES. 
 
 THE NATURE AND IMPORTANCE OF RELIGION IN 
 GENERAL. 
 
 EccLEs. xii. 13, 14. 
 
 13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear 
 God, and keep His commandments ; for this is the whole duty 
 of man. 
 
 14 For God shall bring every work into judgment, with 
 every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil. 
 
 Job xxviii. 28. 
 
 28 And unto man he said. Behold, the fear of the Lord, 
 that is wisdom ; and to depart from evil is understanding. 
 
 THE END TO BE OBTAINED BY RELIGION MAN'S 
 
 CHIEF GOOD— THE FAVOUR OF GOD. 
 
 Psalm iv. 6. 
 
 6 There be many that say. Who will shew us any good? 
 Lord, lift Thou up the light of Thy countenance upon us ! 
 Psalm Ixxiii. 25, 26. 
 
 25 Whom have I in heaven but Thee ? and there is none 
 upon earth that I desire beside Thee. 
 
 26 My flesh and my heart faileth : but God is the strength 
 of my heart, and my portion for ever. 
 
 THAT GOD IS, MUST BE BELIEVED, AS THE FIRST 
 PRINCIPLE OF RELIGION. 
 
 Heb. xi. 6. 
 
 6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him : for he 
 that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a 
 rewarder of them that diligently seek Him. 
 
RKLTGIOUS PRINCIPLKS. 
 
 239 
 
 THE BEING AND PERFECTIONS OF GOD 
 PROVED BY THE WORKS OF CREATION AND THE 
 COURSE OF NATURE. 
 
 Rom. i. 20. 
 
 20 For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the 
 world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are 
 made, even His eternal power and Godhead ; so that they are 
 without excuse. 
 
 Psalm xix. 1 — 6. 
 
 1 The heavens declare the glory of God ; and the firmament 
 sheweth His handy-work. 
 
 2 Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night 
 sheweth knowledge. 
 
 3 There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not 
 heard. 
 
 4 Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their 
 words to the end of the world. In them hath He set a taber- 
 nacle for the sun, 
 
 5 Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber 
 and rejoicetli as a strong man to run a race. 
 
 6 His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and His 
 circuit unto the ends of it : and there is nothing hid from the 
 heat thereof. 
 
 Gen. viii. 22. 
 
 22 While the earth remaineth, seed-time and harvest, and 
 cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night, 
 shall not cease. 
 
 PROVED ALSO BY MAN'S BODY. 
 
 Psalm cxxxix. 13 — 16. 
 13 For Thou hast possessed my reins : Thou hast covered 
 me in my mother's womb. 
 
240 
 
 RELIGIOUS PRINCIPLES. 
 
 14 I will praise Thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully 
 made : marvellous are Thy works ; and that my soul knoweth 
 rii;rht well. 
 
 1.5 My substance was not hid from Thee, when I was made 
 in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the 
 earth. 
 
 16 Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; 
 and in Thy Book all my members were written ; which in 
 continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of 
 them. 
 
 Job X. 1 1. 
 
 11 Thou hast clothed me with skin and flesh, and hast 
 fenced me with bones and sinews. 
 
 Psalm xciv. 9. 
 
 9 He that planted the ear, shall He not hear? He that 
 formed the eye, shall He not see ? 
 
 1 CoR. xii. 15—21. 
 
 lb If the foot shall say. Because I am not the hand, I am 
 not of the body ; is it therefore not of the body ? 
 
 16 And if the ear shall say. Because I am not the eye, I am 
 not of the body ; is it therefore not of the body ? 
 
 17 If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? 
 If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling ? 
 
 18 But now hath God set the members, every one of them 
 in the body, as it hath pleased Him. 
 
 19 And if they were all one member, where were the body? 
 
 20 But now are they many members, yet but one body. 
 
 21 And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need 
 of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need 
 of you. 
 
RF.LIfilOUS PRINCIPLES. 
 
 241 
 
 AND BY THE MIND. 
 Job XXXV. 10, 11. 
 
 10 But none saith, Where is God my Maker, who giveth 
 songs in the night; 
 
 1 1 Who teacheth us more than the beasts of the earth, and 
 maketh us wiser than the fowls of heaven ? 
 
 A GENERAL VIEW OF THE PERFECTIONS AND 
 PROVIDENCE OF GOD. 
 Acts xvii. 23 — 31. 
 
 23 For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found 
 an altar with this inscription. To the Unknown God. Whom 
 therefore ye ignorantly worship, Him declare I unto you. 
 
 24 God that made the world and all things therein, seeing 
 that He is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples 
 made with hands ; 
 
 25 Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though He 
 needed any thing ; seeing He giveth to all life, and breath, and 
 all things ; 
 
 26 And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to 
 dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the 
 times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation ; 
 
 27 That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel 
 after Him, and find Him, though He be not far from every 
 one of us : 
 
 28 For in Him we live, and move, and have our being; as 
 certain also of your own Poets have said. For we are also 
 His offspring. 
 
 29 Forasmuch, then, as we are the offspring of God, we 
 ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or 
 silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device. 
 
 R 
 
242 
 
 RELIGIOUS PRINCIPLES. 
 
 30 And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but 
 now commandeth all men everywhere to repent : 
 
 31 Because He hath appointed a day, in the which He will 
 judge the world in righteousness by that Man whom He hath 
 ordained ; whereof He hath given assurance unto all men, in 
 that He hath raised Him from the dead. 
 
 THE ETERNITY OF GOD. 
 Psalm xc. I, 2. 
 
 1 Lord, Thou hast been our dwelling-place in all gene- 
 rations. 
 
 2 Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever Thou 
 hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting 
 to everlasting. Thou art God. 
 
 Psalm cii. 25—27. 
 
 25 Of old hast Thou laid the foundation of the earth : and 
 the heavens are the work of Thy hands. 
 
 26 They shall perish, but Thou shalt endure : yea, all of 
 them shall wax old like a garment ; as a vesture shalt Thou 
 change them, and they shall be changed. 
 
 27 But Thou art the same, and Thy years shall have no 
 end. 
 
 THE PRESENCE OF GOD. 
 
 Psalm cxxxix. 1 — 12. 
 
 1 O Lord, Thou hast searched me, and known me. 
 
 2 Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising ; Thou 
 understandest my thought afar off. 
 
RELIGIOUS PRINCIPLES. 
 
 243 
 
 3 Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art 
 acquainted with all my ways. 
 
 4 For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O Lord, 
 Thou knowest it altogether. 
 
 5 Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid Thine 
 hand upon me. 
 
 6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me : it is high ; 
 I cannot attain unto it. 
 
 7 Whither shall I go from Thy spirit? or whither shall 
 I flee from Thy presence ? 
 
 8 If I ascend up into heaven, Thou art there : if I make 
 my bed in hell, behold. Thou art there. 
 
 9 If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the 
 uttermost parts of the sea ; 
 
 10 Even there shall Thy hand lead me, and Thy right hand 
 shall hold me. 
 
 11 If I say. Surely the darkness shall cover me ; even the 
 night shall be light about me. 
 
 12 Yea, the darkness hideth not from Thee; but the night 
 shineth as the day : the darkness and the light are both alike 
 to Thee. 
 
 THE POWER OF GOD. 
 Job ix. 4 — 12. 
 
 4 He is wise in heart, and mighty in strength : who hath 
 hardened himself against him, and hath prospered ? 
 
 5 Which removeth the mountains, and they know not : 
 which overturneth them in his anger. 
 
 6 Which shaketh the earth out of her place, and the pillars 
 thereof tremble. 
 
 R 2 
 
244 
 
 RELIGIOUS PRINCIPLES. 
 
 7 Which commandeth the sun, and it riseth not ; and 
 sealeth up the stars. 
 
 8 Which alone spreadeth out the heavens, and treadeth 
 upon the waves of the sea. 
 
 9 Which maketh Arcturus, Orion, and Pleiades, and the 
 chambers of the south. 
 
 10 Which doeth great things past finding out; yea, and 
 wonders without number. 
 
 1 1 Lo, He goeth by me, and I see him not : he passeth 
 on also, but I perceive him not. 
 
 12 Behold, He taketh away, who can hinder him? Who 
 will say unto him. What doest thou ? 
 
 THE WISDOM OF GOD. 
 Isaiah xl. 12, 13, 14, 26. 
 
 12 Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his 
 hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended 
 the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the moun- 
 tains in scales, and the hills in a balance ? 
 
 13 Who hath directed the Spirit of the Lord, or, being His 
 counsellor, hath taught Him ? 
 
 14 With whom took He counsel, and who instructed Him, 
 and taught Him in the path of judgment, and taught Him 
 knowledge, and shewed to Him the way of understanding ? 
 
 26 Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created 
 these things, that bringeth out their host by number. He 
 calleth them all by names, by the greatness of his might ; for 
 that He is strong in power ; not one faileth. 
 
 Psalm civ. 24. 
 
 24 O Lord, how manifold are Thy works ! in wisdom hast 
 thou made them all ; the earth is full of Thy riches. 
 
RELIGIOUS PRINCIPLES. 
 
 245 
 
 THE HOLINESS OF GOD. 
 Isaiah vi. 3. 
 
 3 And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, 
 is the Lord of Hosts : the whole earth is full of His glory. 
 
 Hab. i. 12, 13. 
 
 1 2 Art Thou not from everlasting, O Lord my God, mine 
 Holy One ? — We shall not die. O Lord, Thou hast ordained 
 them for judgment ! and, O Mighty God ! Thou hast esta- 
 blished them for correction. 
 
 13 Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not 
 look on iniquity : vrherefore lookest Thou upon them that deal 
 treacherously, and boldest Thy tongue when the wicked de- 
 voureth the man that is more righteous than he ? 
 
 Psalm cxlv. 17. 
 17 The Lord is righteous in all His ways, and holy in all 
 His works. 
 
 1 Peter i. 15, 16. 
 
 15 But as He which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy 
 in all manner of conversation ; 
 
 16 Because it is written. Be ye holy; for I am holy. 
 
 THE GOODNESS OF GOD. 
 
 Psalm xxxvi. 5 — 10. 
 
 5 Thy mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens ; and thy faith- 
 fulness reacheth unto the clouds. 
 
 6 Thy righteousness is like the great mountains ; thy judg- 
 ments are a great deep : O Lord, thou preserves! man and 
 beast. 
 
 7 How excellent is Thy loving-kindness, O God ! therefore 
 
246 
 
 RELIGIOUS PRINCIPLES. 
 
 the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Thy 
 wings. 
 
 8 They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of Thy 
 house ; and Thou shalt make them drink of the river of Thy 
 pleasures. 
 
 9 For with Thee is the fountain of life : in Thy light shall 
 we see light. 
 
 10 O continue Thy loving-kindness unto them that know 
 thee ; and Thy righteousness to the upright in heart ! 
 
 Psalm ciii. 1—13, 17, 18. 
 
 1 Bless the Lord, O my soul ! and all that is within me, 
 bless His holy name. 
 
 2 Bless the Lord, O my soul ! and forget not all His be- 
 nefits ; 
 
 3 Who forgiveth all thine iniquities ; who healeth all thy 
 diseases ; 
 
 4 Who redeemeth thy life from destruction ; who crowneth 
 thee with loving-kindness and tender mercies ; 
 
 5 Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things ; so that thy 
 youth is renewed like the eagle's. 
 
 6 The Lord executeth righteousness and judgment for all 
 that are oppressed. 
 
 7 He made known His ways unto Moses, His acts unto the 
 Children of Israel. 
 
 8 The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and 
 plenteous in mercy. 
 
 9 He will not always chide ; neither will he keep His anger 
 for ever. 
 
 10 He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded 
 us according to our iniquities. 
 
 1 1 For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is 
 His mercy toward them that fear Him. 
 
RELIGIOUS PRFNCIPLES. 
 
 247 
 
 12 As far as the east is from the west, so far hath He re- 
 moved our transgressions from us. 
 
 13 Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth 
 them that fear Him. 
 
 17 But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to ever- 
 lasting upon them that fear Him, and His righteousness unto 
 children's children ; 
 
 18 To such as keep His covenant, and to those that remem- 
 ber His commandments to do them. 
 
 GOD'S RELATION TO HIS CREATURES. 
 Nehemiah ix. 6. 
 6 Thou, even Thou, art Lord alone ! Thou hast made hea- 
 ven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host ; the earth, and 
 all things that are therein ; the seas, and all that is therein ; and 
 thou preservest them all : and the host of heaven worshippeth 
 thee. 
 
 Daniel iv. 34, 35. 
 
 34 And at the end of the days, I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted up 
 mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto 
 me ; and I blessed the Most High, and I praised and honoured 
 Him that liveth for ever, whose dominion is an everlasting 
 dominion, and His kingdom is from generation to generation. 
 
 35 And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as 
 nothing: and He doeth according to His will in the army of 
 heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth : and none can 
 stay His hand, or say unto Him, What doest thou ? 
 
 Malachi i. 6. 
 
 6 A son honoureth his father, and a servant his master. If 
 then I be a father, where is mine honour ? and if I be a master. 
 
248 
 
 RULIGIOUS PKINCU'LliS. 
 
 where is my fear ? saith the Lord of Hosts unto you, O priests, 
 that despise my name. And ye say. Wherein have we despised 
 Thy name ? 
 
 OUR DUTIES AS MEN, WHAT GOD REQUIRED. 
 
 MiCAH vi. 6, 7, 8. 
 
 6 Wherewith shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself 
 before the High God? Shall J come before Him with bumt- 
 ofTerinj^s, with calves of a year old ? 
 
 7 Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, or with 
 ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn 
 for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my 
 soul ? 
 
 8 He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good : and what 
 doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love 
 mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God ? 
 
 Matt, xxiii. 23. 
 23 Woe unto you. Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites ! for ye 
 pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin ; and have omitted the 
 weightier matters of the Law — judgment, mercy, and faith: 
 these ought ye to have done, a.nd not to leave the other undone. 
 Matt. xxii. 37—40. 
 
 37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God 
 with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 
 
 38 This is the first and great commandment. 
 
 39 And the second is like unto it: Thou shalt love thy 
 neighbour as thyself. 
 
 40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and tlie 
 Prophets. 
 
KELECilOUS PRINCIPLES. 
 
 241) 
 
 THE DEGENERACY OF MANKIND. 
 
 Row. i. 21—23. 
 
 21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified Him 
 not as God, neither were thankful ; but became vain in their 
 imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 
 
 22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, 
 
 23 And changed the glory of the incorruptible God into 
 an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and 
 four-footed beasts, and creeping things. 
 
 RoM. iii. 9, 19, 20. 
 9 What then ? are we better than they ? No, in no wise ; 
 for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they 
 are all under sin. 
 
 19 Now we know, that what things soever the Law saith, 
 it saith to them who are under the Law ; that every mouth 
 may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before 
 God. 
 
 20 Therefore by the deeds of the Law there shall no flesh 
 be justified in His sight : for by the Law is the knowledge of 
 sin. 
 
 Eph. ii. 1—3. 
 
 1 And you hath He quickened, who were dead in trespasses 
 and sins ; 
 
 2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course 
 of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, 
 the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience : 
 
 3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times 
 past, in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh 
 and of the mind ; and were by nature the children of wrath, 
 even as others. 
 
250 
 
 RELIGIOUS PRINCIPLES. 
 
 IN CONSEQUENCE OF THIS THEIR DUTY AS SINNEES, 
 WHAT THE GOSPEL KEQUIRES, IN ORDER TO THEIR 
 RECOVERY AND SALVATION— viz. REPENTANCE. 
 
 Luke xiii. 3. 
 
 3 I tell you, nay : but, except ye repent, ye shall all like- 
 wise perish. 
 
 Matt. iii. 8. 
 
 8 Bring forth, therefore, fruits meet for repentance. 
 Described Isaiah i. 16, 17. 
 
 16 Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your 
 doings from before mine eyes ; cease to do evil ; 
 
 17 Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, 
 judge the fatherless, plead for the widow. 
 
 FAITH IN CHRIST. 
 1 John iii. 23. 
 
 23 And this is His commandment. That we should believe 
 on the Name of His Son, Jesus Christ ; and love one another, 
 as he gave us commandment. 
 
 John iii. 16. 
 
 16 For God so loved the world, that He gave His only- 
 begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not 
 perish, but have everlasting life. 
 
 John xx. 31. 
 
 31 But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus 
 is the Christ, the Son of God ; and that, believing, ye might 
 have life through His name. 
 
RELIGIOUS PRINCIPLES. 
 
 251 
 
 THE PRINCIPAL THINGS WHICH THE GOSPEL TEACHES 
 CONCERNING CHRIST. 
 
 John i. 1 — 3. 
 
 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with 
 God, and the Word was God. 
 
 2 The same was in the bescinninff with God. 
 
 3 All things were made by Him ; and without Him was not 
 any thing made that was made. 
 
 Heb. i. 1—3. 
 
 1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake 
 in time past unto the Fathers by the Prophets, 
 
 2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by His Son, whom 
 He hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also He made 
 the worlds ; 
 
 3 Who being the brightness of His glory, and the express 
 image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of 
 His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down 
 on the right hand of the Majesty on high. 
 
 1 Tim. ii. 5, 6. 
 
 .5 For there is one God, and one Mediator between God 
 and man, the man Christ Jesus ; 
 
 6 Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due 
 time. 
 
 Acts x. 38—43. 
 
 38 How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy 
 Ghost and with power : who went about doing good, and 
 healing all that were oppressed of the devil ; for God was 
 with him. 
 
 39 And we are witnesses of all things which He did, both 
 in the land of the Jews, and in Jerusalem ; whom they slew, 
 and hanged on a tree : 
 
252 
 
 RELIGIOUS PRINCIPLES. 
 
 40 Him God raised up the third day, and shewed him 
 openly ; 
 
 4 1 Not to all the people, but unto witnesses chosen before 
 of God, even to us, who did eat and drink with Him after he 
 rose from the dead. 
 
 42 And He commanded us to preach unto the people, and 
 to testify that it is He which was ordained of God to be the 
 Judge of quick and dead. 
 
 43 To Him give all the Prophets witness, that through His 
 Name whosoever believeth in Him shall receive remission of 
 sins. 
 
 Phil. ii. 5—11. 
 
 5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus. 
 
 6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to 
 be equal with God ; 
 
 7 But made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him 
 the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men : 
 
 8 And being found in fashion as a man. He humbled him- 
 self, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. 
 
 9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and given 
 Him a name which is above every name : 
 
 10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of 
 things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the 
 earth ; 
 
 1 1 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ 
 is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. 
 
 EVANGELICAL OBEDIENCE DESCRIBED. 
 Titus ii. 11—14. 
 1 1 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath ap- 
 peared to all men. 
 
RKLIGIOUS PltlN( lPLi:s. 
 
 253 
 
 12 Teaching; us, that, denying un<rodliness and worldly lusts, 
 we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present 
 world ; 
 
 13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appear- 
 ing of the Great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; 
 
 14 Who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us 
 from all iniquity, and purify unto Himself a peculiar people, 
 zealous of good works. 
 
 A MOST ESSENTIAL PART OF WHICH IS CHARITY. 
 1 Cor. xiii. 
 
 1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, 
 and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a 
 tinkling cymbal. 
 
 2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand 
 all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith 
 so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am 
 nothing. 
 
 3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and 
 though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it 
 profiteth me nothing. 
 
 4 Charity suifereth long, and is kind ; charity envieth not ; 
 charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, 
 
 5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is 
 not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; 
 
 6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; 
 
 7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, 
 endureth all things. 
 
 8 Charity never faileth : but whether there be prophecies, 
 they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; 
 whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. 
 
254 
 
 RELIGIOUS PRINCIPLES. 
 
 9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. 
 
 10 But when that which is perfect is come, then that which 
 is in part shall be done away. 
 
 11 When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as 
 a child, I thought as a child : but when I became a man, 
 I put away childish things. 
 
 12 For now we see through a glass, darkly ; but then face 
 to face : now I know in part ; but then shall I know even as 
 also I am known. 
 
 13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three ; but 
 the greatest of these is charity. 
 
 DUTIES OF YOUNG PERSONS TOWARDS GOD. 
 EccLES. xii. 1. 
 
 1 Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, 
 while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when 
 thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them. 
 
 1 Chron. xxviii. 9. 
 
 9 And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy 
 father ; and serve Him with a perfect heart and with a willing 
 mind : for the Lord searcheth all hearts, and understandeth 
 all the imaginations of the thoughts. If thou seek Him, He 
 will be found of thee ; but if thou forsake Him, He will cast 
 thee off for ever. 
 
 Psalm cxix. 9. 
 
 9 Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? By 
 taking heed thereto according to Thy word. 
 
RELIGIOUS PRINCIPLES. 
 
 255 
 
 DUTIES OF YOUNG PERSONS TO THEIR PARENTS. 
 Ephes. vi. I — 3. 
 
 1 Childrea, obey your parents in the Lord : for this is 
 right. 
 
 2 Honour thy father and mother ; which is the first com- 
 mandment with promise ; 
 
 3 That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long 
 on the earth. 
 
 TOWARDS THEMSELVES. 
 Prov. viii. 32—36. 
 
 32 Now therefore hearken unto me, O ye children : for 
 blessed are they that keep my ways. 
 
 33 Hear instruction, and be wise, and refiise it not. 
 
 34 Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at 
 my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors. 
 
 35 For whoso findeth me, findeth life, and shall obtain 
 favour of the Lord. 
 
 36 But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul : 
 all they that hate me love death. 
 
 MOTIVES. 
 
 GOD PLEASED WITH THE SALVATION, NOT WITH THE 
 DEATH OF SINNERS. 
 
 EzEK. xxxiii. 11. 
 11 Say unto them. As I live, saith the Lord God, I have 
 no pleasure in the death of the wicked ; but that the wicked 
 turn from his way, and live : turn ye, turn ye from your evil 
 ways : for why will ye die, O House of Israel ? 
 
256 
 
 RELIGIOUS PRINCIPLES. 
 
 2 Peter iii. 9. 
 
 9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some 
 men count slackness; but is long-sutfering to us-ward, not 
 willing that any should perish, but that all should come to 
 repentance. 
 
 Rom. ii. 4—11. 
 
 4 Or despisest thou the riches of His goodness and for- 
 bearance and long-suffering; not knowing that the goodness 
 of God leadeth thee to repentance ? 
 
 5 But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up 
 unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of 
 the righteous judgment of God ; 
 
 6 Who will render to every man according to his deeds : 
 
 7 To them who by patient continuance in well-doing seek 
 for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life : 
 
 8 But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the 
 truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, 
 
 9 Tribulation and anguish, upon every sotil of man that 
 doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile ; 
 
 10 But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh 
 good ; to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile : 
 
 1 1 For there is no respect of persons with God. 
 
SELKCTrONS FROM LETTERS AND PAPERS. 
 
 257 
 
 (B.) 
 
 THE NEGRO'S COMPLAINT. 
 
 Forc'd from home and all its pleasures, 
 
 Afric's coast I left forlorn ; 
 To increase a stranger's treasures, 
 
 O'er the raging billows borne. 
 Men from England bought and sold me. 
 
 Paid my price in paltry gold ; 
 But, though " Slave " they have enroll'd me. 
 
 Minds are never to be sold. 
 
 Still in thought as free as ever. 
 
 What are England's rights, I ask. 
 Me from my delights to sever. 
 
 Me to torture, me to task ? 
 Fleecy locks and black complexion 
 
 Cannot forfeit Nature's claim ; 
 Skins may differ, but affection 
 
 Dwells in White and Black the same. 
 
 Why did all-creating Nature 
 
 Make the plant for which we toil ? 
 Sighs must fan it, tears must water. 
 
 Sweat of ours must dress the soil. 
 Think ye. Masters, iron-hearted. 
 
 Lolling at your jovial boards. 
 Think how many backs have smarted. 
 
 For the sweets your cane affords ! 
 
 s 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 Is there, as ye sometimes tell us, 
 
 Is there one who reigns on high ? 
 Has He bid you buy and sell us. 
 
 Speaking from His throne, the sky ? 
 Ask Him, if your knotted scourges. 
 
 Matches, blood-extorting screws. 
 Are the means that duty urges. 
 
 Agents of His will to use ? 
 
 Hark ! he answers ! — wild tornadoes. 
 
 Strewing yonder sea with wrecks, 
 Wasting towns, plantations, meadows. 
 
 Are the voice with which He speaks 
 He, foreseeing what vexations 
 
 Afric's sons should undergo, 
 Fix'd their tyrants' habitations 
 
 Where His whirlwinds answer — No 
 
 By our blood in Afric wasted. 
 
 Ere our necks received the chain ; 
 By the mis'ries we have tasted, 
 
 Crossing, in your barks, the main ; 
 By our sufferings, since ye brought us 
 
 To the man-degrading mart ; 
 All, sustain'd by patience, taught us 
 
 Only by a broken heart. 
 
 Deem our nation brutes no longer. 
 
 Till some reason ye shall find 
 Worthier of regard, and stronger 
 
 Than the colour of our kind. 
 Slaves of gold, whose sordid dealings 
 
 Tarnish all your boasted powers. 
 Prove that you have human feelings. 
 
 Ere you proudly question ours ! 
 
SELECTIONS FROM LETTERS AND PAPERS. 
 
 259 
 
 PITY FOR POOR AFRICANS. 
 
 Video meliora proboque, 
 Deteriora sequor. 
 
 I OWN I am shock'd at the purchase of Slaves, 
 And fear those who buy them and sell them are knaves ; 
 What I hear of their hardships, their tortures, and groans, 
 Is almost enough to draw pity from stones. 
 
 I pity them greatly ; but I must be mum, 
 
 For how could we do without sugar and rum — 
 
 Especially sugar, so needful we see ? — 
 
 What ! give up our desserts, our coffee, and tea ? 
 
 Besides, if we do, the French, Dutch, and Danes, 
 Will heartily thank us, no doubt, for our pains : 
 If we do not buy the poor creatures, they will. 
 And tortures and groans will be multiplied still. 
 
 If Foreigners, likewise, would give up the trade. 
 Much more in behalf of your wish might be said ; 
 But while they get riches by purchasing Blacks, 
 Pray tell me why we may not also go snacks ? 
 
 Your scruples and arguments bring to my mind 
 A story so pat, you may think it is coin'd. 
 On purpose to answer you, out of my mint ; 
 But I can assure you I saw it in print. 
 
 A Youngster at school, more sedate than the rest. 
 Had once his integrity put to the test : 
 His comrades had plotted an orchard to rob. 
 And ask'd him to go and assist in the job. 
 
 s 2 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 He was shock'd, Sir, like you; and answer 'd — "Oh no! 
 What ! rob our good neighbour ! I pray you don't go : 
 Besides, the man 's poor — his orchard 's his bread : 
 Then think of his children, for they must be fed." 
 
 " You speak very fine, and you look very grave ; 
 But apples we want, and apples we '11 have : 
 If you will go with us, you shall have a share ; 
 If not, you shall neither have apple nor pear." 
 
 They spoke, and Tom ponder'd : — " I see they will go : 
 Poor man ! what a pity to injure him so! 
 Poor man ! I would save him his fruit if I could, 
 But staying behind will do him no good. 
 
 " If the matter depended alone upon me, 
 His apples might hang till they dropp'd from the tree ; 
 But since they will take them, I think I'll go too ; 
 He will not lose by me, though I get a few." 
 
 His scruples thus silenc'd, Tom felt more at ease. 
 And went, with his comrades, the apples to seize : 
 He blam'd and protested, but join'd in the plan; 
 He shar'd in the plunder, but pitied the man. 
 
SELECTIONS I'ROM LETTEKS AM) PAPERS. 
 
 THE MORNING DREAM. 
 
 'TwAS in the glad season of Spring, 
 
 Asleep at the dawn of the day, 
 I dream'd what I cannot but sins", 
 
 So pleasant it seem'd as I lay. 
 I dream'd — that, on ocean afloat, 
 
 Far hence to the westward I sail'd ; 
 While the billows high-lifted the boat. 
 
 And the fresh-blowing breeze never fail'd. 
 
 In the steerage a woman I saw — 
 
 Such at least was the form that she wore — 
 Whose beauty impress'd me with awe 
 
 Ne'er taught me by woman before. 
 She sat, and a shield at her side 
 
 Shed light, like a sun, on the waves ; 
 And, smiling divinely, she cried, 
 
 " I go to make freemen of Slaves ! " 
 
 Then, raising her voice to a strain, 
 
 The sweetest that ear ever heard. 
 She sang of the Slave's broken chain. 
 
 Wherever her glory appear'd. 
 Some clouds, which had over us hung, 
 
 Fled, chas'd by her melody clear; 
 And methought, while she liberty sung, 
 
 'Twas liberty only to hear. 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 Thus swiftly dividing the flood, 
 
 To a slave-cultur'd island we came, 
 Where a demon, her enemy, stood — 
 
 " Oppression," his terrible name. 
 In his hand, as the sign of his sway, 
 
 A scourge hung with lashes he bore ; 
 And stood looking out for his prey 
 
 From Africa's sorrowful shore. 
 
 But soon as approaching the land. 
 
 That goddess-like woman he view'd. 
 The scourge he let fall from his hand, 
 
 With blood of his subjects imbued. 
 I saw him both sicken and die ; 
 
 And the moment the monster expir'd. 
 Heard shouts, that ascended the sky. 
 
 From thousands with rapture inspir'd. 
 
 Awaking, how could I but muse 
 
 At what such a dream should betide ? 
 But soon my ear caught the glad news. 
 
 Which serv'd my weak thought for a guide- 
 That Britannia, renown'd o^er the waves 
 
 For the hatred she ever has shewn 
 To the black-sceptred rulers of slaves. 
 
 Resolves to have none of her own ! 
 
SELECTIONS FROM LETTERS AND PAPERS. 
 
 263 
 
 (C.)' (D.)^ 
 
 EXTRACT OF A LETTER FROM RICHARD PHILLIPS, 
 TO J. J. GURNEY. 
 
 Dated 5th of 9th month, 1835. 
 
 In reference to friends calling on me, I may be said to be 
 much alone ; yet it is possible that may not be the case. 
 How little does poor man know of the visible — how much 
 less of the invisible world ! Although apparently dwelling in 
 solitude, yet it is not impossible, if it is not probable, that 
 numerous or many celestial spirits may be commissioned, by 
 divine love, to communicate with our feeble minds, and be- 
 come, under divine direction, the means of turning erring 
 man from the paths of vice and folly, to those of virtue and 
 peace. We do not know but that some of the purified spirits 
 of our pious predecessors may, by divine command, be engaged 
 in this work of love. What millions of purified spirits may 
 be thus engaged, under the direction of divine love, in these 
 missions of mercy ! Who can set bounds to the extension 
 of divine love, [of Him] whose tender mercies are over all His 
 works? "The angel of the Lord encampeth round about 
 them that fear Him, and delivereth them." ^ 
 
 (') See p. 128. f ) See p. 192. 
 
 (*) Psalm xxxiv. 7: and see Zech. vi. Gen. xxii. 1, 2. Psalm Iv. 18 
 Psalm cxviii. 6. 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 SWANSEA INFIRMARY. 
 
 Another department was added to the Infirmary at Swansea, 
 for the promotion of an object which, both there and in other 
 places, caused my father considerable interest and labour; 
 namely, for the purpose of providing, at a very low price, 
 mechanical assistance for those who labour under Herniary 
 complaints. 
 
 My father found these afflictions common among the la- 
 bouring population ; and he was earnestly engaged to provide 
 the sufferers with that relief which often enables them to 
 continue active employment with comparative ease and safety 
 — a boon, which those who remember how frequently the 
 support of poor families depends upon the daily exertions of 
 their parents, will perceive to be of no small value. 
 
 My dear father established a little depot of this nature in 
 Wandsworth: one of the Medical Gentlemen of the town 
 (J. Chapman) kindly undertaking its superintendence. 
 
 (') See page 140. 
 
SELECTIONS FROM LKlTERft AND PAPKIIH. 
 
 2(55 
 
 (E.)' 
 
 EXTRACT OF A LETTER FROM RICHARD PHILLIPS, 
 TO A FRIEND. 
 
 Dated 5th of 9th month, 1835. 
 
 " The barrel-organ answers our expectations; and I hope, at 
 times, proves a means of withdrawing the mind from thinking- 
 on the vanities of time, and meditating on the permanent 
 riches of eternity." 
 
 In a sheet of Memorandums in my father's hand-writing, 
 about the 3d month 1 835, I find the following Extracts : — 
 
 " At Perth, in Scotland, George Fox, Alexander Parker, 
 Robert Midders, James Lancaster, were forced out of the 
 town, by a company of foot-soldiers procured for that purpose. 
 As they passed through the town, guarded by the soldiers, 
 ' James Lancaster was moved to sing with a melodious 
 sound, in the power of God ' : and George Fox preached the 
 everlasting Gospel to the people ; who generally came out of 
 their houses, so that the streets were filled with them -. 
 
 " How well might these supported, privileged Friends sing 
 for joy, when thus persecuted for righteousness' sake. 
 
 (') See pp. 185, 186. 
 
 (■) Henry Tuke's Biographical Notices, Vol. I. p. 135. printed at 
 York, 1813. 
 
266 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 " The Mayor of Cork, in Ireland, and some Magistrates, 
 manifested a persecuting spirit respecting Friends ; and 
 George Fox says — 
 
 " ' Friends were greatly refreshed and comforted, in feeling 
 the love of God. Oh the brokenness that was amongst them, 
 in the flowings of life ! so that, in the power and spirit of 
 the Lord, many broke out into singing with audible voices, 
 making melody in their hearts.' " 
 
 " Thus the flowings of eternal life made way for or led to 
 singing, making melody in their hearts ; no doubt similar to 
 what prevails (as proceeding from the same divine life or 
 power), though in a higher or far more powerful degree, in 
 the celestial regions, amongst its glorified inhabitants. Has 
 there ever been, or can there ever be, a justifiable prohibition, 
 or even discouragement, of singing unto the Lord, as a tribute 
 of thanksgiving and praise, the Songs of Zion, for blessings 
 great, innumerable, and invaluable ? " 
 
 (') H. Tuke's Biographical Notices, Vol. I. p. 215. 
 
SELECTIONS FROM LETTERS AND PAPERS. 
 
 267 
 
 (G.)' 
 
 I FIND, in a rough copy of a Letter from my Father, addressed 
 to a person connected with the Religious-Tract Society, some 
 remarks, which I subjoin. I do not know what was the title 
 of the little Pamphlet alluded to in it. It is dated 26th of 
 1st month 1831. 
 
 " As I promised, I enclose the small Pamphlet, which con- 
 tains, in pages 29 and 30, the note I mentioned to thee, 
 relating to the effect or consequence of habit or custom in 
 the world to come. 
 
 " The paper on this subject, in the Spectator, is No. 447, 
 page 190 of the 6th Volume, lOth edition; and I think well 
 worthy attention. By the note in the Pamphlet, thou wilt 
 perceive the opinion of Monro and Scott; and in Addison's 
 paper, that of himself, Tillotson, Sherlock ; and also of Dr. 
 Scott, in the First Book of his Christian Life, on this highly- 
 important subject; — names that, I trust, will encourage your 
 procuring a Tract that I believe will be productive of con- 
 siderable advantage to some, into whose hands it may come." 
 
 The opinion of Dr. Scott, above referred to by my father, is, 
 I believe, as follows : — 
 
 ' It is to be considered, that all these lesser goods, 
 
 ' which are the objects of our extravagant affections, are things 
 ' whicli we must, ere long, be for ever deprived of : for the lesser 
 
 (') See pp. 200—204. 
 
268 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 ' groods are those which are only c^ood for the worser part of iis ; 
 ' that is, for our body and animal life ; the proper goods whereof 
 ' are the outward sensitive enjoyments of this world ; all which, 
 ' when we leave this world, we must leave for ever; and go 
 ' away into eternity, with nothing about us, but only the good 
 ' and bad dispositions of our souls : — so that if our soul be 
 ' carnalized, through our immoderate affection to the things of 
 ' this world, we shall carry that atfection w ith us ; but leave the 
 * things, which we thus reluctantly affect, behind us for ever : 
 ' for that which is the prevailing temper of souls in this life 
 ' will doubtless be so in the other also. For though the coming 
 ' into the other world will, questionless, improve those souls 
 ' which are really good before, yet it is not to be imagined how 
 ' it should create those good who are habitually bad : and if we 
 ' retain in the other world that prevailing affection to these 
 ' sensitive goods which we contracted in this, it must neces- 
 ' sarily render us unspeakably miserable there. For every lust 
 ' the soul carries into the other world, will, by being eternally 
 ' separated from its pleasures, convert into an hopeless desire ; 
 ' and, upon that account, grow more furious and impatient. For 
 ' of all the torments of the mind, I know of none that is com- 
 ' parable to that of an outrageous desire, joined with the despair 
 ' of satisfaction ; which is just the case of sensual and worldly- 
 ' minded soiils in the other life, where they are full of sharp and 
 'unabated desires, and, like starving men that are shut up 
 ' between two dead walls, are tormented with a fierce but hope- 
 ' less hunger, which, having nothing else to feed on, preys and 
 ' quarries on themselves ; and in this desolate condition they are 
 ' forced to wander to and fro, tormented \vith a restless rage, an 
 ' hungry and unsatisfied desire, craving food, but neither finding 
 ' nor expecting any ; and so, in inexpressible anguish, they pine 
 ' away in long eternity. And though they might find content 
 
SKLKCTIONS PROM LETTERS ANO PAPERS. 2(){) 
 
 ' and satisfaction could they but divert their affections another 
 ' way, and reconcile them to the heavenly enjoyments, yet, 
 ' being irrecoverably pre-engaged to sensual goods, they have no 
 ' savour or relish of any thing else ; but are like feverish 
 ' tongues, that disgust and nauseate the most grateful liquors, 
 ' by reason of their own overflowing gall. So impossible is it 
 ' for man to be happy, either here or hereafter, so long as their 
 ' affections to the lesser goods of this world do so immoderately 
 ' exceed the worth and value of them !' ^ 
 
 Again, in a Letter to a Friend, dated 1st mo. 20, 1834, 
 speaking of Bad Habit, my father alludes to " its distressing 
 effect on the children of those parents who have been subjected 
 to its baneful influence, by producing a diseased body, weak 
 constitution, and a disordered mind ; instead of a sound mind, 
 the estimable gift of our Merciful Father'. Thus diseased in 
 body, or enfeebled in mind, these pitiable children become less 
 equal to resist the temptation to bad habits, and even more 
 prone to adopt them. Such are not unfrequently the deplorable 
 consequences of the prevalence of evil habits in parents." 
 
 (-) Extract from .John Scott, D.D. " Christian Life," Vol. I. p. 5C. 
 8vo. Edit, printed 1704 : or Vol. I. pp. r,3, 54, and 55, of the Works of 
 John Scott, D.D. printed 1826. 
 
 See also Monro's "Just Measures for the Pious Institution of Youth," 
 Vol. I. Part I. p. •240. Second Edit. 
 
 C) 2 Tim. i. 7. 
 
270 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 (H.) 
 
 As an instance of my father's thus outstripping his cotempo- 
 raries, I adduce his opinion on the subject of the prohibition, 
 which exists among us, against the marriages of First- Cousins. 
 He dictated the following Letter to a friend of his ^, when the 
 " Book of Extracts " was undergoing revision. It is an opi- 
 nion in which, however, many judicious and pious Friends 
 coincide ; though it does not appear that others can yet bear 
 to rescind the rule. 
 
 " West Hill, 5 mo. 21, 1833. 
 
 "My dear Friend — The subject of the Marriage of First- 
 Cousins, now under consideration, is one which has much en- 
 grossed my attention ; and I feel it a very desirable thing that 
 the prohibition of them shoiild be removed in our Society. 
 Thou art doubtless aware that our ancient friends forbid the 
 marriages of first-cousins, and advised against that of second- 
 cousins : the latter was omitted in the last revision of the Book 
 of Extracts : and I cannot help thinking, that if the present 
 opportunity of omitting this unscriptural prohibition be now 
 lost, on the next revision of our Rules it will be discontinued. 
 
 " In the highly-important affair of Marriage, I consider it 
 very much to be regretted that restrictions should be placed, 
 which the Sacred Scriptures neither require nor warrant, nor 
 does the law of the land sanction ; and I think the continuance 
 of them, by the Rules of our Society, an act of injustice towards 
 its members, and a just ground of reproach on us, amongst 
 others. 
 
 (0 See p. 217. 
 
 (^) Not now living. 
 
SELECTIONS FROM LETTERS AND PAPERS. 
 
 271 
 
 "This rule has not unfrequently driven members from 
 amongst us, who formed connections of this kind, at least appa- 
 rently, truly eligible ; and such have often more desirable 
 opportunities of previous acquaintance with each other's 
 characters, than those not so nearly connected. 
 
 " Our members being small, it is very desirable to afford as 
 much liberty on such matters, in our own pale, as can with 
 propriety be given. 
 
 " If these sentiments coincide with thy own, I hope thou 
 wilt give this view of the subject all thy assistance, in its 
 ensuing consideration amongst Friends." 
 
 (I-)' 
 
 COPY OF THE LETTER FROM ONE OF THE SECRETARIES OF THE 
 BRITISH AND FOREIGN BIBLE SOCIETY, ENCLOSING A COPY OF 
 THE " MEMORIAL " TO THE AUTHOR. 
 
 At a Meeting of the Committee of the British and Foreign 
 Bible Society, held at the Society's House, London, 
 Feb. 1, 1836, 
 
 The Right Hon. Lord Bexley, President, in the Chair — 
 
 Read the Draft of a Testimonial proposed as a Tribute of Re- 
 spect to the Memory of the late Richard Phillips, Esq., pur- 
 suant to Minute No. 7 of Committee Meeting of the 18th ult. 
 
 Resolved, That the above Testimonial be adopted and 
 entered on the Minutes of this day's proceedings, and also 
 
 (') See p. 225. 
 
 \ 
 
272 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 published in the Society's " Monthly Extracts "; and, fiirther, 
 that a Copy be forwarded to the surviving Daughter of the late 
 Richard Phillips, Esq., accompanied with an expression, on the 
 part of this Committee, of their deep regret for the loss of their 
 late highly-respected friend. 
 
 Extracted from the Minutes, 
 
 JOHN JACKSON, Assistant Foreign Secretary. 
 
 " MADA>', " Bible Society House, Feb. 2, 1836. 
 
 " I have the pleasure of forwarding to you the enclosed 
 Resolution and Memorial. They will tend to assure you of 
 the respectful and affectionate remembrance in which your late 
 honoured Father is held by the Committee of the British and 
 Foreign Bible Society. 
 
 " While they mourn a loss which none can feel so sensibly 
 as yourself, they rejoice to think that this is one added to the 
 numberless happy cases, in which " to die is gain." 
 
 " I am. Madam, 
 
 " Yours respectfully, 
 
 " G. BROWNE, Secretary." 
 
SKLUCTIONS FROM LETTERS AND PAPERS. 273 
 
 (K.)' 
 
 EXTRACT FROM A LETTER TO J. J. GURNEY. 
 
 Dated Uth of 9th month, 1834. 
 
 My dear friend's Letter of the 27th ult. caused me to consider, 
 whether many, and perhaps most, are not called upon, or 
 required, to walk by faith more than by sight ^; particularly 
 those who have attained to the age of young men in the 
 regeneration ; — indeed, whether a large portion of the divine 
 assistance granted to them does not operate insensibly, or is 
 not felt by the natural man, who is consequently required to 
 walk by faith, not by sight' ; trusting, that if he is not justified 
 in so doing, preventing grace will sensibly restrain him. 
 Is there not high example to authorise such a belief? and can 
 there be any doubt of the increase of strength which faith 
 acquires by being thus tried? — while, by entertaining such an 
 opinion, the discouragement often produced by the absence, 
 in a considerable degree, of such feelings, during the pursuit 
 of commendable undertakings (wherein there had been a 
 Gospel freedom to engage), will be avoided : and, trusting in 
 Him, " whose tender mercies are over all His works," they 
 will perceive, and at length conclude, under (we may humbly 
 conclude) a feeling of His approbation, which brings with 
 
 (') Seep. 231. (2) 2 Cor. v. 7. 
 
 (') Here, I think, my father speaks of sight as describing that clear 
 evidence and light which is only occasionally vouchsafed to point out 
 our path. 
 
 T 
 
274 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 it, life, strenjrth, and encouragement for ftirther beneficial 
 pursuits. 
 
 Doubtless much encouragement would be experienced by 
 the prevalence of feelings of divine approbation : yet I submit, 
 they may be withheld ; and yet, that it would be improper to 
 desist, on that account, from beneficial pursuits entered into 
 in that freedom which the Gospel permits, and to conclude 
 that the absence of such feelings is a proof of divine dis- 
 approbation. 
 
 What encouragement is afforded to penitent, humble man, 
 strenuously to seek, until he obtains the balm of Gilead and 
 the waters of life ; agreeably to the wonderful, unequalled 
 pledge which a God of love and mercy has given to His fallen 
 creature, man — that, with His well-beloved Son, He will give 
 him freely all things necessary for his salvation (if sincerely 
 petitioned for), and thus accomplish the great object of the 
 glorious mission of the merciful Messiah to rebellious man. 
 " He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up 
 for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us 
 all things?"^ 
 
 (^) Rom. viii. 32. 
 
SELECTIONS FROM LKTTERS AND PAPERS. 
 
 275 
 
 (L.) 
 
 EXTRACTS FROM A MANUSCRIPT, 
 ENTITLED " REMARKS ON THE OPERATION, OBJECT, 
 AND EFFECT OF DIVINE LOVE." ^ 
 
 How manifold are the operations of Divine Love in the 
 numerous and varied afflictive dispensations of the Great 
 I AM, towards his fallen creature, man ! Consider them in 
 their commencement ; watch them in their progress ; and 
 ponder well their glorious results. 
 
 In their commencement, how effectually do they check frail 
 man in his evil ways, which lead to death and misery ! How 
 frequently is it seen, that they promote the fruits of rig-hteous- 
 ness, and conduct him into the paths of piety and peace — 
 paths lamentably heretofore unknown and untrodden by him ! 
 Thus gradually purifying the soul, defiled by transgression, 
 and consequently rendered incapable of enjoying or possessing 
 real happiness, the way is prepared for the continued and 
 increased operation of the Holy Spirit ; whereby the capacity, 
 destroyed by transgression, of participating and rejoicing in 
 
 (') Seep. 234. 
 
 (*) My father left this in an unfinished state, to be compiled from 
 several Letters and Papers. It has been very difficult to follow his 
 references from one to another ; but I have, I believe, arranged it 
 very nearly as he would have wished. Here and there, in one or two 
 instances, the insertion or omission of a word or two has been resorted 
 to, in order to render his meaning more plain. 
 
 T 3 
 
276 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 those pure joys which the Holy Spirit only can produce, is re- 
 gained : thus preparing the immortal spirit for an admission 
 into the Blessed Saviour's kingdom, [which is] evidently the 
 great uniform object of these afflictive dispensations ; and 
 abundantly proving that they proceed from, and are regulated 
 by. Divine Love, working out for us an exceeding and eternal 
 weight of glory. What though man, in his present dark 
 state (where he can only see as through a glass darkly)^, 
 ascribes to many of these afflictive dispensations a very dif- 
 ferent design, yet this cannot set aside the strong evidence 
 of facts as to the beneficial conversions which, not unfre- 
 quently, they have produced in the conduct of individuals ; 
 convincing them, that the rod, as well as the staff, may prove 
 an invaluable comfort ''; and also of incalculable advantage 
 and benefit in preparing the Immortal soul for an inheritance 
 with the saints in light, in the kingdom of their dear Saviour, 
 and of participating with them in the joys and glories and 
 alleluias of eternity'^. 
 
 " Trials must and will befal ; 
 But, with humble faith to see 
 Love inscrib'd upon them all, * 
 This is happiness to me ! " ^ 
 
 " Enough for us to know, that this dark state. 
 In wayward passions lost, and vain pursuits. 
 This infancy of being, cannot scan 
 The final issue of the works of God ; 
 By boundless love and perfect wisdom form'd, ' 
 And ever rising with the rising mind." ' 
 
 (') 1 Cor. xiii. 12. (^) Psalm xxiii. 4. 
 
 (^) Key. six. 6. ('') Cowper. Olney Hymns. 
 
 (') Thomson : Hymn at conclusion of the Seasons. 
 
SELECTIONS FROM LETTERS AND PAPERS. 
 
 277 
 
 " 'Tis my happiness below, 
 Not to live without the cross ; 
 But the Saviour's power to know, 
 Sanctifying every loss." ^ 
 
 " My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor 
 faint when thou art rebuked of Him : for whom the Lord 
 loveth He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom He 
 receiveth." ^ 
 
 How wonderfully and effectually does Almighty Love 
 (for God is Love'°, and His tender mercies are over all His 
 works"), through the means of affliction, wean frail, fallen 
 man from his evil, destructive ways and deadly habits ; and, 
 by the powerful operation of the Holy Spirit, lead him into 
 the paths of righteousness, producing the invaluable, per- 
 manent, enriching fruits of righteousness, peace, and joy, in 
 the Holy Ghost ! 
 
 How invaluable is this great change, from thick, palpable 
 darkness, to pure unmixed light — from the dominion of Satan 
 to the power of God ! — which encourages and enables the real 
 penitent, aided by living faith, to raise his drooping head 
 above the foaming billows of time, and, with reviving hope, 
 to look beyond them, to the realms of serenity and peace. 
 
 " Toss'd by tempestuous waves, the voyage o'er, 
 Pleas'd he look'd back, and bless'd the happy shore. 
 Where storms have ceas'd, and billows beat no more." 
 
 (*) Cowper. 
 
 ('^) Heb. xii, 5, 6. See also Job v. 17, 18. Rom. v. 3. 5. Psalm 
 xciv. 12, 13. Prov. iii. 11, 12. 
 
 ('") 1 John iv. 8. 16. (") Psalm cxlv. 9. 
 
278 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 To whom is frail, feeble, erring, sinning man indebted 
 for the all-important and increased effusion of that great and 
 mighty principle and power of regeneration, or of purification 
 and sanctification, whereby the immortal soul is prepared for 
 the possession and enjoyment of endless felicity? 
 
 The reply is evident; the declaration of Scripture being 
 clear It is to the Blessed Saviour; who, urged by 
 Almighty Love and Mercy for the recovery of perishing man 
 firom his fallen lost estate, left the ecstatic glory which He 
 had with the Father before the world was", to endure on 
 earth the most outrageous, brutal, and cruel treatment, and 
 most affonizinff sufferings. It is to the dear Redeemer's 
 unequalled sufferings, crucifixion. His ascension'^, and inter- 
 cession that we are indebted for this Almighty boon of 
 love — so consonant to, and worthy of, a God of love; and 
 which is bestowed upon weak, worthless, sinning man, as being 
 absolutely necessary to save him from endless misery, and to 
 prepare him for everlasting bliss. 
 
 " Mercy is the sole fountain of every good gift for which 
 we ask ; and God's promise, the only ground upon which we 
 ask it. — ' Be merciful unto me according to Thy word ! ' " 
 
 How very far exceeding the power of all created beings 
 is it, to conceive, or fully comprehend, the depth, extent, 
 power, or greatness of that love and mercy, or the mighty, all- 
 important motive which could render an Omniscient, Almighty 
 
 ('^) See John xvi. 7—15. C^) John xvii. 5. 
 
 ('^) Psalm ex. 1. Mark xvi. 19. 
 
 Rom. viii. 34. Col. iii. 1. Heb. i. 3. vii. 25. viii. 1. xii. 2. 
 1 John ii. 1. 
 
 ("') See Bishop Home's Comment, on Psalm cix. 58. 
 
SKLKCTIONS ritOM LETTKRS AM) PAPKKS. 
 
 279 
 
 Father (to whom are fully known all thin<^s, past, present, 
 and to come) willing to part with His Companion, His Fellow 
 in Eternity and the Participator with Himself of the most 
 ecstatic state of glory'"; to surrender His well-beloved and 
 only-begotten Son to the endurance of excruciating sufferings 
 and misery among His fallen creatures ; and that could induce 
 the liord of Glory'-* to become a man of sorrows, and ac- 
 quainted with griefs" ; the dear Redeemer willingly to leave 
 His well-beloved, merciful Father, and the transcendent glory 
 which He possessed with Him before the world was ^' ; and 
 to undergo the most brutal, cruel treatment, and even ago- 
 nizing sufferings, from those whom He died to save — sufferings 
 prodigiously increased by the immaculate state of His body 
 and the perfect purity of His mind ! Inconceivably dreadful 
 must have been those sufferings, when even, at only the 
 prospect of them, the soul of the agonized Saviour became 
 exceeding sorrowful, even unto death and, while engaged 
 in earnest prayer, his sweat was as it were great drops of 
 blood falling down to the ground ! Such being the effect 
 of the view and anticipation only of those excruciating suf- 
 ferings (which to an Omniscient Being must have been 
 correct), what must have been the dreadful, and, to all but 
 a Saviour, the overwhelming reality, which no language can 
 adequately describe, nor any created being fully comprehend ! 
 Indeed, how very incapable are all created beings of com- 
 prehending, even greatly short of the extent of that love and 
 mercy of the Great I AM towards rebellious man, which 
 
 (") Zech. xiii. 7. 
 
 1 Cor. ii. 8. 
 ("') John xvii. 5. 
 (") Luke xxii. 11, 
 
 (' ) Jolui xvii. 5. 
 
 Isaiaii liii. 3. 
 (-■^) Matt. .\xvi. 38. 
 
280 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 induced Him to reject the repeated ag'onizing prayers of His 
 well-beloved Son ; who, when His soul was exceeding sor- 
 rowful, even unto death, fell on His face, and prayed — 
 " Abba, Father ! all things are possible unto Thee : take away 
 this cup from me ! nevertheless, not what I will, but what 
 Thou wilt." And again the second time He prayed — 
 " O my Father ! if this cup may not pass away from me, except 
 I drink it, Thy will be done !" ^ which He repeated, praying 
 the third time : " and being in an agony. He prayed more 
 earnestly, and His sweat was as it were great drops of blood 
 falling down to the ground." '-' Yet even these repeated, 
 earnest, and agonizing petitions did a merciful and beloved 
 Father reject ; though He sent an angel visibly from heaven 
 to strengthen Him : and a well-beloved and infinitely- 
 merciful Son consented to endure such excruciating sufferings, 
 for ensuring the eternal happiness of fallen, rebellious man! 
 But even then, notwithstanding, the suffering Jesus had to 
 bear the immense pressure of the sins of rebellious, unhappy 
 man, the Lord having laid upon Him the iniquity of us alP'. 
 These dreadful mental suflFerings had not attained to their 
 full agonizing extent, but were continued during the excru- 
 ciating pains sustained by the tormented body, and in the 
 lingering, agonizing death of the cross; accompanied with 
 the still more trying dispensation of the withdrawing or for- 
 saking of the presence of His Omnipotent, Heavenly Father ; 
 greatly necessary as it was for support under sufferings so 
 severe, that Omnipotence alone could sustain them; which 
 forsaking induced the suffering Saviour, conscious of perfect 
 
 (") Mark xiv. 36. (") Matt. xxvi. 42. 
 
 ('^'^) Matt. xsvi. 44. (^') Luke xxii. 44. 
 
 f See Luke xxii. 43. (-') Isaiah liii. 6. 
 
SELECTIONS FROM LETFERS AND PAPERS. 
 
 281 
 
 innocence, of having never offended, to exclaim, " My God ! 
 My God ! why hast Thou forsaken me ?" ^° 
 
 How very great, how invaluable, is the debt of gratitude 
 and love and praise which perishing man has incurred by this 
 wondrous, this astonishing sacrifice, proceeding from divine 
 love and mercy ! — a debt so immense, that eternity cannot dis- 
 charge it ! Yet even this debt is immeasurably increased (and 
 with it our encouragement) by the daily forbearance, preserva- 
 tion, and mercies, which are bestowed upon us, poor impotent 
 creatures (greatly unworthy and unprofitable as we are), by an 
 Almighty hand of unceasing beneficence. 
 
 " O Lord, how great are Thy works, and Thy thoughts are 
 very deep !"^' " Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised ; 
 and His greatness is unsearchable."^^ " Such knowledge is too 
 wonderful for me : it is high, I cannot attain unto it." — 
 What induced our merciful Blessed Saviour thus to suffer, and 
 thus wonderfully to act — that gave him the victory over death, 
 hell, and the grave, and placed him on the right hand of the 
 Majesty on High, there to intercede for fallen, miserable, 
 sinful, man " ? Was it not love ? — for " God is love." 
 
 " Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should 
 not have compassion on the son of her womb ? Yea, they may 
 forget, yet will I not forget thee. Behold ! I have graven thee 
 upon the palms of my hands ; thy walls are continually before 
 me."'" 
 
 ('") Mark XV. 34. (^') Ps. xcii. 5. 
 
 n Ps.cxlv.3. Ps.cxxxix.6. 
 (^') Mark xvi. 19. Rom. viii. 34. {^') 1 John iv. 7, 8. 
 
 ('") Isaiah xHx. 15, 16 ; and see Ps. ciii. 17. 
 
282 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 Do not these astonishini^ facts prove the all-powerful 
 nature and influence of Almighty Divine love, and that it will 
 ultimately obtain a complete and everlasting victory over 
 every opposition ? Such being the unutterable and astonishing 
 greatness of the love and mercy of our Almighty Father and 
 beloved Redeemer, how very great (may it prove irresistible !) 
 is the encouragement to frail contrite sinners earnestly and 
 perseveringly to seek for such mercy, and to confide in such 
 love — ardently to appeal to this darling attribute of the great 
 I AM, and of His well-beloved Son, our dear Redeemer — the 
 most important and effective attribute in reference to frail man, 
 as being best adapted to redeem and restore him to happiness 
 and peace, lamentably fallen as he is from his high estate, and 
 weltering in his blood. Thus greatly encouraged, let us per- 
 severingly seek and pray for mercy and effective aid, and that 
 patience may be continued until the time when perfect wisdom 
 shall afford relief: then the day of power will be felt, when 
 the Lord's people, subdued by all-powerful love, will become 
 a " willing people," and at length attain to the strengthening- 
 triumphant faith of the Apostle Paul : — " For I am persuaded, 
 that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor 
 powers, nor things present, nor things (o come, nor height, 
 nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us 
 from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.""' 
 How strong is divine love, when it gains possession of the human 
 soul ! — a glorious possession, which it will retain for everlasting- 
 ages ; and give it, even in this trying state of pilgrimage, to 
 participate, in degree, of that gratitude and love and praise, 
 which affords an earnest of celestial joy- — a sweet prelibation of 
 eternal bliss ! How very far is this from dealing with us after 
 
 (") Romans viii. 38,39. 
 
SliLECTIONS 1<'R0M LETTliKS AND PAPERS. 
 
 283 
 
 our sins, or rewarding us according to our iniquities ! " For 
 as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is His mercy 
 toward them that fear Him. As far as the east is from the 
 west, so far hath He removed our transgressions from us." — 
 " The Lord is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all 
 His works."*' — Therefore "Let Israel hope in the Lord; for 
 with the Lord there is mercy, and with Him is plenteous re- 
 demption." ■'° 
 
 As clear and strong evidence of the powerftil operation of 
 divine love in man, the case of the undaunted martyr Stephen 
 may be adduced, who, while suffering excruciating pain (being 
 stoned) from the cruel and bloody conduct of his murderers, 
 kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, " Lord, lay not this 
 sin to their charge ! and when he had said this, he fell asleep."^' 
 What, short of Almighty Redeeming Love would thus enable 
 the dying martyr to imitate the glorious example of his beloved 
 Master, and to overcome, under the most trying and cruel 
 pressure, the greatest irritation and excitement, one of the 
 strongest passions of man; and this even while the murderers 
 were executing their bloody work ? Is not such a fact irresis- 
 tible, in proving the mighty power and energy of Divine Love, 
 when operating in weak, feeble man, and rendering him an 
 everlasting conqueror ? — " Horror hath taken hold upon me, 
 because of the wicked that forsake Thy law."^- But if the 
 spirit of David, renewed but in part, was thus filled with 
 horror in the contemplation of the wicked, what must be the 
 affliction, what the intensity of His sufferings, " who was holy, 
 harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners,"^' " yea, of purer 
 
 Ps.ciii. 10, 11, 12, &c. 
 0") Ps.cxsx. 7. 
 {*■) Ps. cxix. 53. 
 
 (»^) Ps. cxlv. 9. 
 (^') Acts vii, 60. 
 («) Heb.vii.26. 
 
284 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 eyes than to behold iniquity during thirty-three years of 
 continued contact with a world of sin ! ? 
 
 What shall we say of the condescension of His love, in 
 wearing " the likeness of sinful flesh," dwelling among 
 sinners, yea, receiving sinners, and eating with them ! The 
 incomprehensible nature of Divine Love, and the invaluable 
 benefit to be derived therefrom, is forcibly described by the 
 Apostle Paul, in his Epistle to the Ephesians : " For this cause 
 I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of 
 whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He 
 would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be 
 strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man ; that 
 Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith ; that ye, being 
 rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend, 
 with all saints, what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and 
 height ; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth know- 
 ledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God." ''^ 
 
 What an irresistible confirmation does such extraordinary 
 and wonderfiil proceedings, on the part of a merciful Father 
 and a beloved Saviour, afford to the great consoling and 
 glorious truth proclaimed in the Inspired Scriptures, that 
 " God is love," and " His tender mercies are over all His 
 works." 
 
 (*^) Hab.i. 13. Compare Ps. v. 5. 
 {^•') Rom. viii. 3. 
 
 ( '^) Luke XV. 2. — See Brydge's Exposition of Ps. eix. 53. See also 
 several other parts of Brydge's Exposition, as referred to by the Index, 
 as relating to our Saviour's sufferings, conflicts. Sec. 
 
 (") Eph.iii. 14—19. 1 John iv. 8. 16. 
 
 i*^) Ps.cxlv.9. 
 
SELECTIONS FROM LETTERS AND PAPERS. 
 
 285 
 
 " I cannot go 
 
 Where Universal Love smiles not around, 
 
 Sustaining all yon orbs, and all their suns. 
 
 From seeming evil still educing good. 
 
 And better thence again, and better still. 
 
 In infinite progression. But I lose 
 
 Myself in Him, in Light ineffable : — 
 
 Come, then, expressive silence, muse His praise ! " 
 
 How inexpressibly important do these texts declare to be 
 the redemption of the immortal soul from the deadening, 
 slaying effect of the Fall ! Thus does Almighty Love power- 
 fully and wonderfully declare its great and mighty object to be 
 the restoration of fallen man to that pure, spotless, immaculate 
 state in which he came from the hands of his Almighty Father ; 
 who, in that all-powerful love in which He created him, now 
 seeks, through the expiatory sufferings and intercession of His 
 well-beloved Son. and the effusion of the Holy Spirit, to 
 redeem fallen man from his miserable death-like state, and 
 deliver him " from the bondage of corruption, into the glorious 
 liberty of the children of God,"^' hereby accomplishing the 
 great and glorious object of his creation. 
 
 What great encouragement is afforded to penitent humbled 
 man, strenuously to seek, until he obtains the balm of Gilead 
 and the waters of life, agreeably to the wonderful, unequalled 
 pledge which a God of love and mercy has given to His fallen 
 creature man, that, with His well-beloved Son, He will give 
 him freely all things necessary for his salvation (if sincerely 
 petitioned for) ; and thus accomplish the great object of the 
 glorious mission of the merciful Messiah to rebellious man ! 
 " He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for 
 
 Conclusion of Thomson's Hymn on the Seasons. 
 (") Rom.viii.21. 
 
286 APPENDIX. 
 
 US all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all 
 things?"" 
 
 The nature, operation, and result of such an invaluable gift 
 (unto the penitent and obedient) is shewn in the blessed expe- 
 rience of a real cross-bearer, or Christian, who, when labouring 
 under severe disease, and on the brink of eternity, triumphantly 
 exclaimed : " Away with these filthy garments ! I feel a fire 
 kindled within me, which will consume every thing of a nature 
 contrary to itself, and ascend, as a flame of divine love, to all 
 eternity \" 
 
 Thus, through the powerfial operation of this divine gift or 
 assistance, the sting of death is removed, the power of hell 
 destroyed, and the grave has no triumph ; but even weak, 
 frail man is enabled to gain a complete, everlasting, and 
 inexpressibly glorious victory, over death, hell, and the grave. 
 
 " Thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory, through 
 our Lord Jesus Christ I" 
 
 How clearly does this declaration of the dying saint shew 
 that the divine spirit of burning, cleansing, purifying, which 
 occasionally operates, even sensibly, in man, is the same Spirit 
 which, having perfected its merciful ptirlfying office in the 
 soul, will ascend as a flame, or spirit of Divine Love, to all 
 eternity ! It is all Divine Love, however diversified or varied 
 in its operations in sinful man, for preparing and qualifying 
 him to ascend, and for ever remain with his Heavenly Father 
 and his beloved Redeemer, and uniting with the great multi- 
 tude in the ecstatic exclamation of " Alleluia ! for the Lord 
 God Omnipotent reigneth !" 
 
 (^'^) Rom.viii. 32. 
 C^) 1 Cor. XV. 57 
 
 See 1 Cor. XV. 54, 55. 
 (f") Rev. xix. 6. 
 
SELECTIONS FROM LETTERS AND PAPERS. 287 
 
 How just and beautiftil is the description which Prior, 
 at the conclusion of his Paraphrase of the Thirteenth Chapter 
 of the First Epistle to the Corinthians, gives of the employ and 
 duration of Charity, or Divine Love, in the celestial regions, 
 where all things liable to decay shall know their place no 
 more ! 
 
 " Then constant Faith and holy Hope shall die ; 
 One lost in certainty and one in joy : 
 Whilst thou, more happy power, fair Charity, 
 Triumphant sister, greatest of the three — 
 Thy office and thy nature still the same. 
 Lasting thy lamp, and unconsum'd thy flame — 
 
 Shalt still survive 
 
 Shalt stand before the host of Heaven confest. 
 For ever blessing, and for ever blest ! " 
 
 In ancient ages, as well as in modern times, it has been 
 mercifully given to frail man thus occasionally to feel, as a 
 fire, the humbling, purifying, animating spirit of love. David, 
 while musing, felt his heart hot within him ; and, when under 
 the influence of this purifying fire, petitioned his Supreme 
 Lord with such wisdom and piety, as evinced the source 
 whence it proceeded, and the great object which, however 
 varied in its operations, or in the feelings it produces, has 
 always in view the salvation of the immortal soul : — " Lord, 
 make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, 
 what it is ; that I may know how frail I am," or what time 
 T have to live ! 
 
 In the commencement of the Christian dispensation, the same 
 feelings were produced — doubtless from the same cause — 
 
 (") Psalm xxxix. 3, 4. 
 
288 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 in the Apostles : — " And they said one to another. Did not 
 our heart bum within us, while He talked with us by the 
 way, and while He opened to us the Scriptures ? " Blessed 
 
 be the God of Jeshunin 1 the same feelings and the same 
 etl'ects are experienced, even in the present day — I fear, of 
 degeneracy — by humbled, attentive, and watchful individuals. 
 
 How animating and encouraging is this repetition of evi- 
 dence, in remote and modern ages, of the Spirit of Divine Love 
 operating in fallen man! — how convincing, that His tender 
 mercies have been, and continue to be, over all His works ! 
 
 Does not the conduct of Da\'id, on this occasion, teem with 
 profitable instruction ? First : " I said, I will take heed to 
 my ways, that I sin not with my tongue : I will keep my 
 mouth with a bridle, whQe the wicked is before me." Se- 
 condly •• " I held my peace, even from good ; and my sorrow 
 was stirred." Thirdly : " My heart was hot within me ; while 
 I was musing, the fire burned : then spake I with my tongue." 
 Thus it appears, that although the mind of David was occupied 
 with good thoughts, he restrained himself ; he " kept his 
 peace even from good": and, notwithstanding "his sorrow 
 was stirred," or he " was troubled," yet he spoke not until 
 his " heart burned within him," or (may we not say ?) until 
 " necessity was laid upon him." 
 
 How beneficial a hint is this, for those who are engaged in 
 the awful exercise of the Ministry, neither to commence before 
 the necessity is laid iipon them, nor to continue after such 
 necessity has ceased! 
 
 {^) Luke xxiv. 3-2. 
 
 ("•) See Selections from Letters and Papers (I). 
 
SELECTIONS FROM LETTERS AND PAPERS. 
 
 289 
 
 Thus it appears, that man owes his orig-in to Divine Love, 
 and that by the operation of Divine Love his happiness is 
 obtained. " No argument is of more force with God, than 
 that which is founded upon an appeal to His darling attribute 
 of Mercy, and to the manifestations of it formerly made to 
 persons in distress ; for which reason, it is here repeated and 
 dwelt upon." Mercy has misery for its object; and is that 
 attribute, towards which the eyes of a fallen world must natu- 
 rally be turned. The Psalmist has, according-ly, introduced 
 her last, with great pomp and splendour, seated within her 
 triumphal chariot, and invested with a supremacy over all 
 the works of God. She is above the heavens, and over all 
 the earth ; so that the whole creation finds that refuge under 
 the shadow of her wings, of which, by reason of man's trans- 
 gression, it stands in need." 
 
 The astonishing mercies manifested towards rebellious man 
 by a God of love and a suffering Saviour, during His in- 
 carnation, far surpassing all mercies, however great, pre- 
 viously bestowed upon him ; how much more strongly is he 
 called upon, in this His day of Gospel light, than were Job 
 and David in their day, to inquire what is man, that such 
 inconceivably great love and mercy should be manifested 
 towards him ! — " that Thou shouldest set Thy heart upon 
 him !" — and to unite with the pious, humble Psalmist, in the 
 exclamation, " What is the son of man, that Thou visitest 
 him?"" — and with Job : " What is man, that Thou shouldest 
 magnify him, and that Thou shouldest set Thy heart upon 
 him?"''^ — who, as his mortal body is justly described by the 
 
 (™) See Home on Psalm xxii. 6 ; and Psalm cxlv. 8, 9. 
 (") Psalm viii. 4. («) Job vii. 17. 
 
 U 
 
290 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 Psalmist to be like to vanity, his days are as " a shadow that 
 passeth away — and also stimulate him to unite, as with the 
 Priests and Levites of ancient days, in calling on all to " stand 
 up and bless the Lord your God for ever and ever;" and, 
 " Blessed be Thy glorious Name, which is exalted above all 
 blessing and praise ! " ^* 
 
 Praise the Lord ! " for with the Lord there is mercy, and 
 with Him there is plenteous redemption." '^^ 
 
 In reference to such wonderful, such great, numerous, and 
 invaluable mercies of Him " whom the heaven of heavens 
 cannot contain," how just, how beautiful and emphatic are 
 the words of the inspired Scriptures ! 
 
 " Who is like unto Thee, O Lord, among the gods ? Who 
 is like Thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing 
 wonders?"" 
 
 " There is none like unto the God of Jeshurun." ''^ 
 
 " Oh that men would praise the Lord for His goodness, and 
 for His wonderful works to the children of men ! " 
 
 " He that trusteth in the Lord, mercy shall compass him 
 about:"'" or, as [Bishop] Horsley translates it, " Him who 
 placeth trust in Jehovah, tender love embraceth him." 
 
 " The Lord is my strength and song, and is become my 
 salvation." 
 
 Psalm cxliv. 4. 
 ("•') Psalm cxxx. 7. 
 
 Exod. XV. 11. 
 C'') Psalm cvii. 15. 
 C') Psalm cxviii. 14. 
 
 {'^'^) 1 Kings viii. 27. 
 (•^') Deut. xxxiii. 2G. 
 ('") Psalm xxxii. 10. 
 
 i^*) Neh. ix. 5. 
 
SELECTIONS FROM LETTERS AND PAPERS. 
 
 291 
 
 How frail and transient are our bodies ! how inconceivably 
 enduring are our immortal souls ! 
 
 " How complicate, how wonderful is man ! 
 How passing wonder He who made him such ! " 
 
 Oh that these awful considerations may sink into, and 
 deeply humble and fill our hearts with gratitude and love 
 and praise ! 
 
 The following verses are said to have been written by a 
 person commonly esteemed an absolute idiot: — 
 
 " Could we with ink the ocean fill, 
 
 Was the whole earth of parchment made, 
 Was every single stick a quill, 
 And every man a scrihe by trade ; 
 
 " To write the love of God above. 
 Would drain the ocean dry ; 
 Nor could the scroll contain the whole. 
 Though stretch'd from sky to sky." 
 
 If inquiry be made of frail, fallen man, " How much owest 
 thou unto thy Lord and Saviour?" what just reply could be 
 made, than, " A debt so immense, that it cannot be paid even 
 through eternity! — and this, exclusive of what we owe for 
 innumerable daily mercies." 
 
 " When nature fails, and day and night 
 Divide Thy works no more. 
 My ever-grateful heart, O Lord ! 
 Thy mercy shall adore. 
 
 " Through all eternity, to Thee 
 A joyful song I'll raise: 
 But, oh ! eternity's too short 
 To utter all Tliy praise." " 
 
 ('^) Addison. 
 
292 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 How necessary, how greatly important, then is it, that pe- 
 rishing man should be made fully aware of his present lost 
 state ; and be thereby induced, anxiously, zealously, and per- 
 severingly, to seek effectual aid, where alone it can be ob- 
 tained ; and that, from true and deep feeling, he may be 
 constrained to cry — " A Saviour, or I die ! — a Redeemer, or 
 I perish ! " 
 
 LONDON : 
 
 RICHARD WATTS, CROWN COURT, TEMPLE BAR. 
 
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