bers from what an eternity of woe and anguish he has been delivered.

"I have at this time been favoured to feel the fresh arisings of the sense of the favour of God, and the assurance that he has indeed been with me during the past year, and guided my steps, and restrained my feet when they have begun to depart from his holy path, and enabled me to breathe forth the prayer that he my continue to be with me in the way that I go, and graciously to grant me a more frequent feeling of his sensible presence, and a more abiding conviction that he is ever near me; a more clear manifestation of the path of duty, and a more willing mind to walk in it, be it in the cross, or be it in rejoicing—a readiness to run to do his will. If it should please him to take me to himself, oh! may he purify my heart; may he sanctify my soul, and make me meek and holy, like unto his beloved Son, and meet to enter into his heavenly kingdom. Amen.”

An evidence of the pious concern of his mind for the religious improvement of others, occurs in a letter which he wrote about this time to a young friend of considerable literary attainments, on forwarding, for his perusal, a copy of Wilberforce's Practical View of Christianity

"Having for a considerable time felt a great interest in thy best welfare, and feeling an earnest desire that thy attention might be more turned to the great and paramount object of our sojourn here, even the salvation of our own souls, and the glory of our Omnipotent Creator; I have made free to send for thy acceptance, a little book, which has been productive of good to the minds of numerous individuals. A book which, I feel assured, thou wilt approve and admire as well for its intrinsic excellence, its copious and forcible style, and conclusive reasoning, as for the moral greatness of the character of its illustrious author. It is said to have contributed, more than any other book, to improve

and raise the moral tone of the higher circles of society in England, and on the Continent, during the last century.

"It exalts Christianity, and the self-denying religion of the cross, to something more like its just standard; and exhibits to our view the nature and excellency of true religion; which we must all acknowledge to be the one thing needful—the pearl of great price; for which the wise merchantman will sell all that he hath, and go and purchase.

"Now, as there is only one door by which we can enter into the sheep-fold; and only one foundation on which we can securely build: (Other foundation can no man lay than that which is already laid); and that this door and this foundation is emphatically Jesus Christ- the way, the truth, and the life; may we be anxiously concerned to examine well our building, whether it is fixed upon this immoveable rock-against which the gates of hell can never prevail," &c.

In the spring of 1837, after attending in London, he returned home by sea.

conversation with the captain of the

the Yearly Meeting

Having had some vessel on religious

subjects, soon after reaching home, he wrote him a letter, from which the following is an extract :—

"To E. M., MASTER OF THE C

"During my voyage from London thou evinced a desire to understand more fully the principles of our religious Society. I thought a present of a book, which treats on the doctrines of the Society of Friends, might not prove unacceptable to thee. It is short and concise, but at the same time it very clearly explains our views of what we consider true Christianity. There is a great mistake very generally prevalent respecting us; people fancying our principles consist in a peculiar dress and language-when really our religion strikes almost entirely inward, requiring a change of heart; a life of spirituality; the affections to be

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set on things above. Simplicity of dress, &c., is merely a result of such principles. I would at the same time just say a few words in reference to a remark thou made about faith. We are told that without faith it is impossible to please God. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but should have everlasting life,'" &c., &c., (quoting several other passages enforcing the necessity of faith, he then proceeds.) "Now, from the few texts above quoted, we see the vast importance of true faith-whilst it is clear it can never mean a mere belief in the historical accounts of the New Testament writers, for we know that many do not dispute this, who evince by their lives how far they are from being disciples of the lowly Jesus; and we are told that the devils believe and tremble. But it must be a living faith, inspired or begotten in us by the Holy Spirit, in the heart; after we have been given to see with Job, the servant of God, that all our own righteousness is but as filthy rags; to behold ourselves as vile, and are led to repent of our sins, as in dust and ashes. Thus feeling the wrath of God due to our disobedience, and that without his mercy we are lost and undone. It is thus that a knowledge of a Saviour unto life is experienced, through the Holy Spirit. It is through him that we are enabled to pray unto God, and to know Christ to be precious. It is declared, "The soul that sinneth it shall die.' This is the faith which leads into a sincere repentance of all our works of darkness, and into regeneration by the Spirit of Christ. It requires a man to be born again; 'to put off the old man with his deeds, and to put on the new man, even Christ;' by which the soul is filled with love to God, to a great degree, and also to our fellow-men. Thus we come to fulfil the first and great commandment, 'Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart; and the second, which

is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.' This, our Lord declared, is the law and the prophets. The Christian is thus prepared to enter into that eternal kingdom, of which it is said, 'The Lord God and the Lamb are the light thereof.'

"Seeing, then, the necessity of living faith, let us not allow the pride of our own hearts to scorn the simplicity of the terms laid down; nor expect that our limited capacity can comprehend the unsearchable ways of the Almighty; but let us accept with thankfulness the offered mercy; and pray to God that he will prepare our hearts-give us to see our unworthiness-and grant us the gift of his salvation. Amen.

"I am, thy sincere friend,

"ISAAC RICHARDSON." The following extract is from a letter, addressed to his younger brother, then in London. It is dated Fifth Month 20th, 1838:

[After alluding to the Colosseum, Westminster Abbey, &c., he says,]"There is something awful in visiting these receptacles of the dead, something which seems solemnly to say; truly, this is not the place of our rest,' but a few short years and we also shall be laid in the silent grave; then well will it be for us, if we have lived the life of the righteous, if we have loved our God with all our soul, if we have put away our sins, and believing in Jesus, have known the blood of sprinkling shed abroad in our hearts; being thus reconciled to the Father, having walked in faith, we shall be favoured to finish our course with joy. Ah, my dear George, at such a time, how lightly shall we value all the fleeting pleasures of time, how worthless will the riches of this world appear, how empty the honour, the favour, or the popularity, which is such grateful incense to the unregenerate heart; all these things will appear lighter than

vanity, and their end be attended with disappointment and vexation of spirit. May we then, in the morning of our day, make the wise choice, may we walk in wisdom's ways, sell all for the pearl of great price, and count nothing too great or too dear to part with, if only we can witness our hearts and our hopes to be fixed in heaven, upon that rock, against which, even the gates of hell shall never be suffered to prevail.

"Farewell, my dear G., in the love of the Gospel, thy affectionate brother, and fellow-pilgrim,

"ISAAC."

In the course of the summer and autumn of 1838, the indications of a tendency to consumption rather increased upon him. He relaxed a little in his attention to business and other customary pursuits-took medical advice, and pursued remedial measures; the shower-bath, and exercise on horseback in the open air. From the former of these, he derived comfort, and some benefit. But as the winter approached, his physician pressingly advised his taking a voyage to the Mediterranean, and visiting France, Italy, &c. On this advice he acted, and in the beginning of the Twelfth Month he embarked at Shields, on board a fine new vessel the Janet, Captain Blues.

It is hoped that a few brief extracts from his journal, and from letters written in the course of these and his subsequent travels, may prove interesting to many of those, for whose use, in an especial manner, these pages are designed; both as exhibiting the frame of his mind from time to time, and as affording hints for such as may be induced, from similar motives, to pursue the same, or a similar track.

The frequency with which consumptive patients are urged to leave their own homes, in quest of warmer climates, is a circumstance, which induces the compiler of

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