clothes, he desired me to cut them out and make them plain; "For," said he, “I dont like to go to a tailor, even to get them cut out, because I am afraid they would be cut after the fashion." So I made his clothes for him as he desired, and on his deathbed he alluded to the circumstance, saying, "O mother, thee dont know what peace of mind I had in getting those clothes made so plain." Thus he sealed this testimony as it were with his dying words.

For some years before his death, he frequently made memorandums of some of his thoughts and the exercises of his mind; among the following:

*

his

papers were found

1817. O thou great and all-wise God, if it seem good unto thee at this present season, hear the prayer of thy humble servant. Oh! thou that causest the tall cedars of Lebanon to bend, and the strong oaks of Bashan to fall,-cause that my high mind may be brought low before thee.

When I contemplate thy goodness, O Lord, and thy great mercy to the children of this generation, I behold how good thou art in that thou hast not destroyed this land, as thou did Sodom and Gomorrah for their wickedness; for, according to my view of things, we of the present age far outbalance their transgressions. Nevertheless, O Lord, have mercy on us, and spare us a little longer, even as the fruitless fig tree was spared; peradventure we may bring forth fruit to repentance, by having our minds daily. turned to thee, so that we may serve thee in truth and sincerity of heart.

1st of 9th month, 1819. "Strait is the gate, and narrow is the way that leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it;" because they do not seek it

in a right way. When we are tempted we ought to pray for strength to resist it, so that we may be made overcomers of evil.

These earthly bodies are but dust, and will soon vanish away. Why then should men and women be so proud and vain? Is it not strange, that people will thus go on in the broad way that leads to never ending woe, so unconcerned about their latter end. O my fellow creatures, love the Lord: love him now; for you are here to-day, to-morrow you may be summoned to meet him in eternity.

"Excess in apparel," says a wise man, " is a costly folly: the very trimmings of the vain world would clothe the naked one." Oh! that I may be found doing my day's work in the day time, for the night is coming wherein I can do no more work. How awful would it be if the night should overtake me in an unprepared state! but I hope better things for myself than these.

Beloved friends and brethren, I have been concerned for some time for your present and everlasting welfare, and for your advancement in the blessed truth. As the practice of swearing is so common amongst mankind, I think it my duty to set forth the great sin there is in it, being forbidden in the Scriptures of truth by the ever blessed Redeemer; who says, "Swear not at all; neither by heaven, for it is God's throne; nor by the earth, for it is his footstool; neither by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great king; neither shalt thou swear by thy head, for thou canst not make one hair of thy head white or black; but let your communications be yea, yea; nay, nay: for whatever is more than these cometh of evil." Now here we may see the unlaw

fulness of swearing; and it is also declared that "for every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment."— Therefore, how can any man swear, or take the name of the Lord in vain; seeing that for all these things, God will bring us to an account in that awful day when we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, to give account of the deeds done in the body, whether they be good, or whether they be evil: therefore how ought we to be engaged in doing our day's work in the day time!

One little occurrence in the life of this dear youth perhaps may be some encouragement to others to go and do likewise. On coming home from his work, about six miles off, on foot, the day preceding Quarterly meeting, he told me there had been an exercise on his mind for some days, to bring E. H. from Frankford to the Quarterly meeting, as she had no way of coming; that is, said he, if thee is willing that I should have the horse and chair; to which I had no objection, and he accordingly went and brought her. After his death, this little piece was found amongst his papers, which it seems had been their conversation on the road, and he styled it “the powerful effect of religion on the mind," related by E. H. as having occurred in her travels through North Carolina.

Stopping on the road to feed their horses, she espied a small log house, and felt inclined to go to it. When she came to the door, she found an ald negro man making shoes. She went in and asked him if he lived there. He said "Yes." E. H. then asked him, hast thou any wife and children? He told her

he had. E. H. Art thou a slave? The old man answered "Yes." E. H. Where is thy wife and children? He replied, "One at one place, and another at another place. Master sold them." But when she came to inquire into the state of his mind, he said, "About twelve years ago God visited me (but he had often visited me) but about twelve years ago, as I told you, God visited me, and I closed in with the visitation; and he has made rough paths smooth, and bitter things sweet to me; such as parting with my wife and children. I used to be very wicked, and master used to beat me because I was wicked: but now God has altered master's heart; and now, master dont care what time I get up in the morning, I can always get my day's work done in time, so that I can always have an hour or two every day to wait upon God." E. H. inquired how he waited upon God. The old man answered, "Sometimes I sing,—sometimes I pray,—and sometimes I feel (clapping his hand to his breast) to be still and wait upon God in silence."

A. L.

Thankfulness for Recovery from Sickness. Written by Mary Watson, wife of Dr. John Watson, formerly of Buckingham.

Oh Lord! thy goodness now I sing,

To thee, health's kind restorer, raise

My feeble voice; to thee I bring

The grateful offering, thanks and praise.

By thy assistance only, true

And humble are my thanks to thee,

For all thy mercies, ever new,
And all thy blessings granted me.
Oh! may they never be forgot;
But constant gratitude inspire;
And from my mind forever blot,
All vain and unrestrained desire.

If I look round on every side,
With blessings I've been tri'd,
And by thy goodness every want
Hath always been suppli'd.

If e'er I sought in truth sincere,
In confidence to thee,

For thy kind help in time of need,
And inward poverty;

Or outward trials which attend
Us through this vale of grief,
I never sought and was denied;
But always found relief.

For this I've promised to declare,
Thy goodness far and wide,
That others may be taught to seek,
Where they may be supplied

With every good and needful thing,
Both here and in the end,
Be crown'd with everlasting joy;
To this may I attend.

By this unerring guide be taught,
To lead a humble life,

To love my neighbour as myself,
And put an end to strife: