willingness was wrought in him to obey and follow Christ in that thing which was made known to him, and he took up his cross faithfully, as every man must do who will be a true disciple. Thus by the immediate teaching of the Grace and Spirit of the Lord Jesus, he came livingly to believe, understand, and receive those doctrines and principles essential to a Christian life, and to salvation. Brought into the New Covenant, the glorious dispensation of son-ship, his lips could say in truth and love, Abba, Father! Reconciled to God through the death of His Son, Jesus Christ, that peace which the world cannot give, nor the carnal mind comprehend, was his. In this heavenly covenant, the Lord blotted out his former transgressions, and gave him rest. "O," he says, "My cry, my soul's breathing, my inward spiritual travail, my watchings, and prayers, have been Lord preserve and keep me in Thy holy fear, in humility, in the sense of Thy power; that I may never depart from Thee, nor from Thy Covenant; that I may never dishonour Thy truth, nor our holy profession.'

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About the eighteenth year of his age, that mystery which hath been hid from ages and generations, but now is made manifest to His saints," even the mystery of Christ come in

Spirit according to His promise, was made known in George Whitehead's experience. He felt and witnessed the power and coming of Christ inwardly in Spirit, both to sanctify his heart and give him understanding to do His will. And believing himself called to bear public testimony to His name, and to declare His inward and spiritual work in man, George Whitehead was engaged to wait for the Lord's power to move and work in him, that he might labour in His service according to His will, and not otherwise to run in his own will, wisdom, or strength, nor to stretch himself beyond his measure; knowing that without Christ, His power, presence, help, and counsel, he could indeed do nothing. He says, that when the Lord thus gave him a gift and part of the ministry of the Gospel of Christ and of the Grace of God, though he obeyed in much weakness, fear, and trembling, yet he could acknowledge that the Lord helped him, and from small beginnings increased his gift: so that in silently waiting upon the Lord, and secretly breathing to Him, the spring of life would arise and open counsel afresh, to the refreshment of his own soul, and as he declared it, to that of others. "Many times," he could say, "hath my soul been brought low and the Lord helped me, and renewed my strength to persevere in His service;

sensible that the more low I was in myself, and the more in fear toward God, the more He would manifest His power and bless my endeavours. Let Him have the praise of all who alone is for ever worthy."

In the year 1654, George Whitehead began to travel abroad in the work of the ministry, seeking to turn the people from the forms and shadows to the life and substance of religion; that knowing Christ to be their Teacher, Leader, and Saviour, they might experience eternal redemption through Him. In this work he continued through a long life, an indefatigable and faithful labourer.

In the earlier years of his ministry especially, he suffered great opposition, hardships, severe whipping, long and sore imprisonments; indeed he remarks: "In those days, prisons and jails were made sanctuaries and places of refuge and safety to us from the tumultuous mob; and although I suffered both in tumults and imprisonments and by hard usage in them, the Lord helped and sustained me by His divine power and goodness, so that I was not weary of His service, nor my spirit faint in my sufferings. The grateful remembrance of His love to my soul in those days, remains upon my spirit; praised be our God for evermore."

On one occasion during his imprisonment in

Edmundsbury jail, George Whitehead, with his fellow-prisoners, George Fox the younger and George Rofe, was thrust down into a dismal and unwholesome dungeon nearly four yards under ground, having in its centre a dangerous well, with bars one foot apart, and of great, but to them unknown, depth. They were therefore obliged to keep close to the sides of the cell, where, in "the sweet enjoyment and living sense of His glorious presence, they sang praises to the Lord their God, in entire resignation to His will, to suffer what He might permit in His cause."

George Whitehead's exertions for the relief of Friends subjected to imprisonment for conscience sake, are well known. He believed it to be his duty to travel to London, and to remain there during the whole of the great sickness of 1665, when he tells us that 68,596 persons died in the metropolis, of the plague, according to the weekly bills of mortality.* During that trying period he visited the Friends, prisoners at the point of death, as well as others in the city, and also the fifty-five innocent men and women, Friends, who had been transferred from Newgate and embarked on board a vessel called the Black Eagle, under sentence of transportation to the Virginian Plantations; the most of whom *George Whitehead's Christian Progress, p. 293.

*

were infected with the plague, and twenty-seven of whom died. In 1672, the liberation of more than four hundred Friends was obtained chiefly through his instrumentality; and it is interesting to find the names of other protestant dissenters, (including that of John Bunyan,) comprehended by permission of the King in the same Warrant under the Great Seal.* Respecting this circumstance George Whitehead remarks, "I was very glad that they (the other protestant dissenters) partook of the same benefit: our being of different judgments and societies did not abate my compassion, or charity, even toward them who had been my opposers in some cases. Blessed be the Lord my God, whose love and mercies in Christ Jesus to us, should oblige us to be merciful and kind one to another; we being required to love mercy, as well as to do justly, and to walk humbly with our God."

In 1686, his beloved wife, Anne, formerly Anne Downer, to whom he had been married for seventeen years, died in great peace, having by faith and faithfulness in our Lord Jesus Christ, obtained a good report in her place and service in the church.

In 1688, he married a second time, Anne, *The Original Instrument is preserved among the Records, at Devonshire-House Meeting-House, London.