How lamentable the condition of those, viewing things as they do, with a clouded imagination, or through an inverted medium, and therefore are led to call light darkness, and darkness light; good, evil; and evil, good; just like the same sort of people in the prophet's time. Here we see the great powers of transformation in the hands of the wicked one. And never better pleased was he, as would appear, nor his kingdom better served in any age, than by his success in alluring and beguiling the servants of the Lord, to become and to be his servants; and the more eminent in their former station the more so in the latter, as fully demonstrated by events which have transpired.

And how deplorable the state of those who are transformed from the image of God to a condition of unrighteousness from the love of God to the love of the world-from the fear of God to the fear of man, and the desire of pleasing God exchanged for a greater desire of pleasing men.

A condition in which man is ashamed acceptably to acknowledge the Redeemer before a man who shall die, and the son of man who shall perish.

Of those who regard men more than they regard Him, he will be ashamed before his Father and the holy angels, and will not therefore be a mediator between them and their God, whom they have despised, and have more lightly esteemed Him than they have esteemed men.

With such there must be a fearful looking for of judgment, and the righteous indignation of God's displeasure, because they have more lightly esteemed the favor of, and fear of God, than the persons and friendship of men, which is idolatry and great offence in His sight.

Our Lord and Saviour describes the contrast between the fear of man and the fear of God in a very striking manner, and gives forth His command to fear God rather than man, in despite of the utmost

that man can do: "Fear not them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do; but I will forewarn you, whom ye ought to fear-fear Him who after he hath killed, hath power to cast into hell," and emphatically adds, "Yea, I say unto you, fear Him." And this command stands unabated, and is as obligatory on us as on his followers in that day.

Although men now have not power, by the laws of the land, to kill the body, or to take men's lives on account of their fidelity to God, yet there are those who have power and disposition to persecute, and to take from us that which had been almost as dear as life itself to us-our places, our rights, and our privileges in the outward visible church. A process plainly distinguishable from the law of Christ, as will appear by a recurrence to the pattern of church government, as well as the doctrines received and acknowledged aforetime by the whole body, under the acknowledged guidance of the spirit of Christ.

Therefore, when those who teach us doctrines, and hold the rein of church government over us, shall have unhappily departed from that pattern, then fear them not, nor reverence them, for they will begin to deny the Master's coming, and to beat the men servants and the maid servants, and to lord it over the heritage of God.

Now, here is the difference, those who are ordained of the Holy Ghost to teach and to rule in his church, are both to be regarded and honored, so long as they rule in righteousness. But when their garments become defiled with enmity or the love of power, or the love of filthy lucre, or their eye become evil, then their hearts are become dark, and their hands full of oppression, and their arm but an arm of flesh. And he that continueth to transfer to them the honor which only belongeth unto God, or to trust in them, is accursed of the Lord, though

they may shine as stars of great magnitude over the tabernacles of Esau; they are no longer to be called by the name of Jacob, nor surnamed by the name of Israel, so long as they disregard Israel's statutes and testimonies.

Hence we see the necessity of wisdom from above, and a clear discernment of the states and conditions of men, aside from prepossession, favor or friendship; aside from relationship and all former estimations, outward circumstances or outward appearances; and aside too from the estimation of others. When the condition of men is seen in the light, and their views, practices and motives are not answerable to the pattern as above, then let the loyal disciple of him in whom there is no shadow of turning, and who is to give account, and bear a faithful testimony against such in all meekness and lowliness, move in the fear of the Lord, and trust in his providence and power, and then he has nothing to fear from men, nor from a host of the mighty, for as he so continue and abide in the "everlasting patience in the secret place of the Almighty, whose refuge will be round about him, and his banner over him; and for all the sufferings, revilings and evil reports which he shall have to endure, the reward from his blessed Master's hand will be an hundred fold in this present world, and that which is to come, everlasting life.

And the writer is induced to believe, through the opening of truth, that a remnant will be spared from the "flood of mighty waters overflowing," whilst "the beauty which is on the head of the fat valley shall be a fading flower, and as the hasty fruit before the summer, which when he that looketh upon it, seeth; while it is yet in his hand he eateth it up." "In that day shall the Lord of hosts be for a crown of glory, and for a diadem of beauty unto the residue of His people, and for a spirit of judgment to him that sitteth in judgment, and for strength to

them that turn the battle to the gate, and many shall run to and fro, and the knowledge of the Lord shall be increased, and judgment shall run down as waters, and righteousness as a river-the wilderness shall become as Eden, and the desert as the garden of the Lord. Aliens shall be thy ploughmen, and strangers shall stand and feed the flock, and nations that knew not thee shall run unto thee because of the Lord thy God."

It has been seen by divers of the Lord's messengers in our Israel, both earlier and later, that a great declension and sifting time would take place among us, and that a remarkable reformation and better day would succeed.

The former we have already seen sorrowfully to have been progressing, in a departure from truth's testimonies and doctrines, by the insidious working of the enemy, drawing away from the true faith, both on the light hand and on the left. And is believed that the day is near, (if the Lord's purposes are not frustrated through fear or unfaithfulness in these who have been spared and called to begin the work,) when the foregoing declarations of the prophets will be verified and fulfilled in the succession of faithful messengers and standard bearers, and of a better day; and of the advancement and upholding of truth's dignified testimonies to the honor of God's great, and glorious, and holy name.

JOHN WILBUR. Hopkinton, R. I., 1st month 16th, 1845..

APPENDIX,

CONTAINING A

COMPARISON OF SOME OF THE DOCTRINAL VIEWS

WITH THOSE

OF

J. J. GURNEY,

OF SEVERAL STANDARD WRITERS AMONG THE EARLY FRIENDS, AND SEVERAL TESTIMONIES AND LETTERS RELATIVE

TO THE

DOCTRINES AND CONDITION

OF THE

SOCIETY OF FRIENDS.

"I am satisfied that there is a spirit at work, which would lay waste the ancient profession and doctrines of our religious Society, and draw Friends away from the spirituality of that which they have once known. and many are catched with it."-(Jonathan Evans' Memorials of deceased Friends. Published 1842. page 71.)

"I let him know that I did not consider it unfriendly, or contrary to Discipline, to make a statement of the doctrines he published, as I considered it as a species of public property.-(Joseph Whitall's Conversation with Elias Hicks. See Foster's Reports, p. 215.)