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ACQUIRED BY EXCHANGE

ISAAC SHARP,
AN APOSTLE OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY.

Isaac Sharp,
AN APOSTLE OF
THE NINETEENTH CENTURY.
BY
FRANCES ANNE BUDGE,
AUTHOR OF
" A MISSIONARY LIFE : STEPHEN GRELLET " : "THE BARCLAYS OF URY " :
'ANNALS OF THE EARLY FRIENDS" ; "THOMAS SHILLITOE, SHOEMAKER AND MINISTER," &C.
WITH INTRODUCTION EY
SIR JOSEPH W. PEASE, Bart., M.P.

EIGHT ILLUSTRATIONS AND MAP.

"3 tvust tbe aU=cteattng voice, anfi faitb Sesfres no mote,"

LONDON :
HEADLEY BROTHERS,
14, BISHOPSGATE STREET WITHOUT, E.C.
1898.
[ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.]

HEADLEY BROTHERS,
PRINTERS,
LONDON AND ASHI-ORD, KENT.

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AUTHOR'S NOTE.

It was the suggestion of Isaac Sharp that after
his death his diaries should be placed in my hands
for the preparation of a biography.
From these, and many other sources, I have tried
truly to pourtray his character and tell to the glory
of God the story of a life which was in some of its
phases unique. Frances Anne Budge.
Edmar Lodge,
Mannamead, Plymouth.

w.

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

Portrait Frontispiece.
Earls Colne School ii
Dairy Knoll, Middlesbrough 70
Mode of Travelling in South Africa 82
Isaac Sharp's Home at Ettington 155
Isaac Sharp and Dr. Dixon in Japan 200
Map of China 218
Memorandum 280
Ettington Meeting House 288

CONTENTS.

I. Introductory Matter i
II. Early Life 9
III. Norway, Iceland 24
IV. Faroe Islands, Iceland - 36
V. Greenland, Labrador 46
VI. Character Depicted - 62
VII. South Africa - 79
VIII. South Africa 94
IX. South Africa - 109
X. Madagascar, Australasia 120
XL United States, Mexico, Home Life - 136
XII. Illness in Paris 157
XIII. To Go or Stay ? - 174
XIV. India, Japan, Oregon - 191
XV. Recovery from Alarming Illness 208
XVI. China 228
XVIL American Yearly Meetings - 245
XVIII. Norway, France 260
XIX. Syria - 273
XX. Last Days 279

Reference Library of
IX (DIANA YEARLY MEETING
of Friends. JVo 
INTRODUCTION.

It has been kindly suggested to me by those
immediately interested in the following' memoirs of Isaac
Sharp that I should preface the narrative of his life
with a few introductory lines.
However incompetent I felt for such a task I accepted
it ; I could not well refuse it, as from my boyhood 1 had
known him ; his personal kindness to me and mine had
been constant, and when many years of close business
relations were closed, in his long absences from home we
carried on a very constant correspondence, as old and
mutual friends interested in each other's welfare and
pursuits. Isaac Sharp came to Darlington when 1 was very young.
My first clear recollections of him 1 think date from the
election of 1832, when my father, Joseph Pease, was
elected member for South Durham. At that time I
remember Isaac Sharp coming in the early morning into
my father's dressing-room to discuss the duties of the
coming day. In this room I also was an early guest, and
soon appreciated the kindness of the other visitor to the
running about and probably troublesome little boy.
He lived not far from my father's house, and these
morning visits soon became a regular habit. His kindness
and his chat at these early calls made him a favourite with
my sisters and myself. 1 can still picture him as he was
then.

X. introduction.
In those days railways were few, and the transit over
them slow and uncertain. The employment of the horse
was more to be depended upon on a journey than
the locomotive. Isaac Sharp's dress was that of Friends
of the time. He was always exceedingly neat : a
" plain " cut coat and waistcoat, and often light cloth
breeches and top boots. Then as I got older came
the clays when he, my father, and I rode some eleven
miles to the collieries. Generally we breakfasted on
arrival, having been previously fortified for the journey
by a stirrup cup of new milk and a large slice of bread and
butter. Breakfast over — whilst minutes were being read
and made, and plans and " dip workings " discussed — I was
perhaps sent round the pit heaps with a foreman to see the
coals drawn, or the begrimed pitman coming up from his
work ; or I amused myself in the colliery office with pencil
and paper at a high desk, perched on a stool, about whose
unusual height I wondered as 1 climbed up or descended
its perpendicular sides.
When I entered the offices in Darlington in 1845, Isaac
Sharp was head of the Middlesbrough Estate Office, whilst
I was obtaining my education in book-keeping in the
banking office below. For the general management of the
Middlesbrough Estate, I think Isaac Sharp was responsible
for some twenty years. In those days he was interested in,
or a witness of, the various events that laid the foundation
of the town. He saw it commence from the farmhouse,
and grown ere his death to one of some 90,000 inhabitants.
In the early days of his Christian ministry I was several
times with him at meetings held in the more remote dis
tricts of Cleveland and Durham — in these places his warm
hearted Gospel addresses were welcomed by his hearers,
many of whom were descended from Friends.

introduction. xi.
I was one of the Committee of Ayton School when he
served as a zealous and efficient secretary, and I followed
him as secretary to the Darlington Friends' Essay Society,
to which he contributed both in prose and poetry, the latter
often in pieces of decided character and merit.
Isaac Sharp had naturally, no doubt, : a decidedly
sanguine temperament, and perhaps to such a man faith
and strong belief in an unseen guiding power come more
easily than to one of a more lymphatic temperament.
His long absences in Gospel missions necessitated
arrangements which freed him from Middlesbrough cares
and left him at liberty to proceed on his Gospel errands.
He had a faith which often seemed to others to remove
mountains. He heard the call, knew the voice, and was
ready to obey !
I have sat beside his bed when to all human appear
ances his clays were numbered, when he would assure me
that his God and Master had still work for him to do — that
He in whom he placed implicit faith had made it quite
plain to him.
.In many of his letters to me the same feeling was
expressed, till at last 1 always felt certain, that that which
he had been allowed to foresee would actually come to
pass. His journeyings were long and arduous— from the
Moravian Settlements in the North, to the Cape of Good
Hope in the South, and far away up the wide water navi
gations of central China in the far East — everywhere
teaching, preaching, comforting, strengthening, to the
cheer and comfort of those who in their very isolated
positions stood really in need of encouragement.
Some of his addresses in returning the certificates for
service which he had held for years, often amidst illness

Xll. introduction.
and delays, were, to those that heard them, teaching lessons
of God's faithfulness to a servant full of faith. On these
occasions he told of his journeys from place to place— in
the storm and in the sunshine. He narrated, with an
eloquence and pathos difficult to describe, how he had
been marvellously directed and sustained. His mission
was essentially to preach the Gospel of the Love of God to
mankind — to impress his hearer with the need of a clear
assurance that all was well with his soul, and the impor
tance that, come life or come death, Christ was his and he
was Christ's.
1 recommend with great appreciation of its contents
the study of this book. The perusal of such a life is good
food for the soul. It shows to His followers that our God
is not a God afar off but One that is very nigh. It proves
that those who rely on Him in full faith and with earnest
ness of purpose are not neglected or alone. It emphatically
teaches : '' Let us (also) run with patience the race that is
set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of
our faith."
JOSEPH W. PEASE.
Hutton Hall,
Guisborough, 31st October, 1898.

ISAAC SHARP.

CHAPTER I.
"The story of Isaac Sharp's travel is almost like a story
of old romance, travel undertaken in the service of the King
of Kings." F.H.
" Only guided by Thy light,
Only mighty in Thy might." Wesley.
DR. JOHNSON defines an apostle as a person sent
with mandates by another, and adds that the
word is particularly applied to those " whom our Saviour
deputed to preach the gospel."
A remarkable man has lately passed away from us
at the advanced age of ninety years and eight months.
A minister of another denomination, after listening to
an outline sketch of one of Isaac Sharp's long mission
journeys, said that it seemed to him like a fresh chapter
in the Acts of the Apostles. " We have been hearing,"
he added, "allusions to agnosticism, positivism, etc., but is
not such a life as Isaac Sharp's an answer to them all !
He was physically strong from his temperate habits,
spiritually strong from his faith in God."
But what would the subject of these remarks have
said about himself ? He would use some such words
as these : "THOU all our works in us hast wrought;
Our good is all divine ;
The praise of every virtuous thought
And righteous word is Thine."

2 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
Nevertheless we remember hearing him say, " May
my experience strengthen the faith of all, of the young
as well as of the old. None are too old, and none too
young, and no service is too near, and no service too far
off, if the Lord give the call."
These words were spoken in 1884, soon after his
return from a mission journey round the world, when
he was giving to a large assembly a brief summary of
his seven years' service abroad.
Very remarkable had been his call to that work.
During his ministerial service in Denmark he had more
than once slept in a clamp bed, and this brought on an
extremely suffering illness which lasted for twelve months.
He was seventy years of age, and his strength was so much
prostrated that his friends feared he would not recover.
Whilst still very weak, but quite free from fever and with
a perfectly clear mind, a kind of vision came to him.
He writes : " I almost felt the great white messenger was
there, and almost bade him welcome — welcome too the
scythe and the hour-glass, if only they bare me safely
over to the other side. Then came a voice rich and
deep in its intensity : ' Yea, 1 shake once more, not the
earth only, but the heavens too, that that which never
can be shaken may remain.' Then another voice so
full of pathos, tenderness, and love : ' I trod the wine
press, trod it all alone, trod it for thee, trod it for all my
willing-hearted followers, till time her course hath run.
Not yet the end shall be. A little more of suffering, and
if thou art faithful, not a little more of service. So be
thou faithful unto death, and I in my own good time will
give thee a crown of everlasting life.' And all within
me breathed a deep Amen. Then followed further that
which afterwards came to pass."
In the spring of 1877, Isaac Sharp took the pre
liminary step of informing the Friends of the Darlington
district, at their Monthly Meeting, of the wide prospect
of service which lay before him. Ere he did so, he knelt

" A HEART FULL OF JOY." 3
in prayer, beseeching God's help and guidance, and that a
baptism of the Spirit might be mercifully granted to the
Meeting, and the will of the Lord be done. For the space
of half-an-hour, amid a deep and very solemn stillness, he
was engaged in unfolding the burden which had rested on
him for many years, startling in its successive stages, and
almost overwhelming in its effect. After nearly an hour
spent in solemn deliberation and outspoken utterance, in
remarkable unanimity and without a dissentient voice, a
minute of record was made, as the basis of a ministerial
certificate. This certificate encouraged Isaac Sharp, " in
the love of God and in simple dependence upon Him, to
proceed to Cape Town, there and elsewhere in South
Africa to await the guiding hand of the Lord for such
service as He may be pleased to appoint. After that, if it
be His will, and health and strength be granted for it, to
proceed to Madagascar, Australia, Tasmania, and New
Zealand ; and thence to California and other portions of
North America, for such service among Friends and others
there as the Lord Jesus may be pleased to appoint and
prepare the way for."
From 1877 to 1884 he was engaged in the fulfilment of
this service. In the address given after his return and to
which allusion has been made, he spoke with beaming
countenance and, as he himself said, " with a heart full of
joy and a cloudless mental atmosphere," of God's goodness
to him on this journey to which "three-score years and
ten had been the threshold, and Norway the stepping-
stone. May our hearts be stirred," he said, " as we think
of the unfailing faithfulness of Him who is God over all,
blessed for ever ! I can testify to the wonderful guidance
of the great Head of the Church. More than once during
my journeyings life has trembled in the balance, and my
faith has been tried to a hair's breadth, once, less from
bodily clanger than from exercise of mind, but the words
came to me, ' Have not / sent thee ? ' — and there was a
great calm."

4 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
Before leaving England, he had called on Dr. Moffatt,
who gladly conferred with him about the visit to Africa.
But Dr. Moffatt, knowing well the clangers and difficulties
of travel on the Dark Continent, especially for an aged
man, gave no hint with regard to Kuruman, his own old
station, never supposing that his caller would penetrate the
interior. We remember Isaac Sharp's expressive words in
reference to the state of Africa while he was labouring
there : " It was like a seething cauldron, needing only a
few sticks more to boil over. Two merchants, who had
kindly entertained himself and his companion, almost
blamed them for not making a longer stay with them. But
Isaac Sharp realised that God was hastening him onward,
and ten days after his friend and he had taken leave of
their kind hosts, the latter were shot clown in cold blood by
the natives.
When at the Moffatt Institute he was the guest of Mr.
Mackenzie, who three months earlier had been told by a
coloured person that all the white people were to be
murdered, and himself the first. But Mr. Mackenzie did
not think it right to leave his post, and these evil designs
were over-ruled. The wife of Mr. Mackenzie is a daughter
of Dr. Moffatt, and Isaac Sharp described husband and
wife as a noble pair of missionary workers. Isaac Sharp's
bedroom had been Dr. Moffatt's study. After hearing of
the murder of the merchants, a sort of terror stole over the
Kuruman territory, and all the more, because it was said
that the murderers were riding about demanding clothing
and goods. Isaac Sharp, nevertheless, felt bound in spirit
to go on to Shoshong, and in order to reach that place he
must pass through Motito.
A knock was heard at the door of the Moffatt Institute.
Was it friend or foe ? And "foe" was the first thought.
But the door was opened to admit Mr. Hookey, a
missionary from Motito, who had been warned by some of
the natives that it would be dangerous for him and his
family to remain there, as no white man would be safe.

A SOLEMN RESPONSIBILITY. 5
Under these circumstances Isaac Sharp felt a very solemn
responsibility with regard to his plans, and the following
night was one much to be remembered as he lay awake
communing with his Heavenly Father. The very place
Mr. Hookey was fleeing from must be passed through in
order to reach Shoshong. With childlike confidence he
prayed to be shown what he ought to do. Then he says,
" It came upon my spirit with a clearness that could
scarcely be surpassed, that, whatever the issue, 1 must go.
There was no doubt upon my mind that it was the Spirit
of the Lord bearing witness with my spirit." On the
following morning he said to his companion, Langley
Kitching, " I must go forward." He had, however, no
wish that his friend should take the same course, unless he
too believed it to be the right thing to do, and this was the
case. On their way to Motito, they met Mr. Hookey, who had
gone back to fetch his family, fleeing from that place to
take refuge in the Moffatt Institute. Motito was reached
by the light of the stars and on a Saturday night. How
about quietly spending the morrow there, in that place
where it was said that no white man would be safe ? Was
it not just what God seemed bidding them to do ? So they
" outspanned," the tired oxen rested, and a fire was lit in
the open air, flashing its light on the many dark faces that
gathered around. Were they the faces of friends or foes ?
Then night came on, and the travellers committed themselves
to the Lord's care. " 1 lay down to rest," said Isaac Sharp,
"without the shadow of a fear ; to the Lord's praise be it
spoken ! "
On the following day the Friends met and encouraged
the little flock there who were as sheep without a shepherd.
The only European left in the place spent the peaceful day
with the travellers.
In the next stage, perils of another kind had to be faced,
for the way now lay through the desert fittingly called " The
Thirst." Until the third day, the poor oxen could have

0 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
nothing to drink, and on their powers of endurance the
lives of the wayfarers depended. But the goal was reached
in safety. Why had God guided them there ? On
arriving at Shoshong, they found that a wave of heavenly
blessing had been passing over the place. Twelve hundred
people gathered in an open air meeting for Isaac Sharp
to address through an interpreter. They were in Khama's
country, but Khama was unknown to history then. He
took part in the Sunday services and Isaac Sharp, who saw
a good deal of him, described him as being " every inch a
chief." " Never would 1 have raised my finger against my father,"
he said, "when speaking of how his heathen parent had
tried to bring about his death and that of a brother."
Khama had heard of the British and Foreign Bible
Society, and it was arranged that a little meeting should
be held on its behalf. Khama said he thought it was a
good thing that there should be a society for sending the
Bible all over the world, and he thought so good a society
deserved encouragement. Some merchants who were not
far off came to the meeting. It was suggested to them that
they should put their hands into their pockets, the deeper
the better, and give Isaac Sharp some money for the Bible
Society. The manner of the collection was unusual.
" Now you must give a five pound note," was said by
one. " Of course you must do the same," said another. Then
followed a cross fire between the second speaker and a third.
Ivory tusks of great value were also brought.
One Sunday while in Basuto land, and when nearly five
hundred people were assembled for worship, a terrific
storm came on. Whilst Isaac Sharp was preaching, his
interpreter said, " You had better sit clown for your voice
cannot be heard." Just after he had resumed his seat, a
vivid flash of lightning passed above his head and reached
a baby who was lying on the bench. It left no trace but
one little blackened toe, yet it was as the chariot of fire to

" SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST." 7
take the little one to heaven. " Oh ! my baby ! " was the
poor mother's cry.
In that meeting was a woman who had lost a part of one
finger, and strange to English ears was the story she told
about it. When a girl of seventeen she had been seized as
provender for a feast. At the preparatory bleeding of her
finger she not unnaturally fainted, and was then left alone.
When consciousness returned, she looked around, saw the
preparations for cooking the meal, and then ran for her life !
In Madagascar, Isaac Sharp experienced much kindness
from the missionaries of the London Missionary Society, as
well as from those who were members of the Society of
Friends. As he saw how much God's blessing had rested
on the labours of the faithful men and women who were
spending and being spent in the work, he felt as if he
could almost say with Simeon, " Lord, now lettest Thou
Thy servant depart in peace, for mine eyes have seen Thy
salvation." Australia was the land to be next visited. " As to the
Aborigines," he writes, from Tasmania, " not one remains.
' Kung Billy ' is no more ! There is something to me very
sad in the fact that the Aborigines fade away before the
white man. ' The survival of the fittest,' say some, but the
summing up appears to me rather on this wise, ' the
weakest go to the wall.' "
" I once felt," he said, " when upon the great ocean as
if the ship were a mere speck in creation, and I a dot on
that speck ; yet 1 was cheered and comforted because the
Lord had given me work to do for Him. And the words
were brought home to my heart, ' As thy clays so shall thy
strength be.' Sometimes, 1 was brought low physically, but
a sweet word was given me : ' Forward, and fear not, let
thy faith be firm.' I knew where the faith came from, and
I was thankful for it."
In one of his letters he writes of being " well content to
be guided along ' whithersoever the Governor listeth,' if
only in love and mercy so it may be."

8 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
When Stewart Island was being visited at the Lord's call,
he was told by a Christian school-master there, how
earnestly he had been praying that someone might be sent
to cheer them. " The days call for diligence," he writes,
" nevertheless, ' make haste slowly ' is still the watchword,
and this — I hope rightly — puts a drag upon the wheel,
though very mindful that the days are rapidly passing by,
for, should it so be, this day three weeks will score me
seventy-five." When Isaac Sharp at length reached Mexico, he found
that, for the first time for many years, that country was
clear of quarantine. His favourite saying, quoted from one
of our old divines, was, " They who mark the hand of
Providence shall never want a Providence to mark."
Before he started on this long missionary journey, he
met in an English railway carriage a gentleman of his
acquaintance, who, a propos of that which lay before him,
asked if he were going to take some brandy with him. Isaac
Sharp, who was an abstainer, said that he had not thought of
doing so. His friend rightly reminded him of the delicacy
of his health, of the extremes of climate to which he would
be exposed, of how often it would be impossible to obtain
medical aid, and then, opening his travelling dressing-case,
asked his acceptance of a flask of brandy. This kind gift
was carried by Isaac Sharp round the world. Seven
years later, soon after his return, we heard him allude to
this in a large temperance meeting. He spoke of the
varieties of temperature he had met with — ice and snow
versus tropical heat — and of the hardships to which he
had been exposed ; sometimes lying clown to sleep with
no canopy but the starlit sky. Then, with a humorous
expression on his ever genial face, he added, '' But the
other day when I came across my friend I had the pleasure
of handing back his kind gift, and of telling him that I had
no reason to doubt what the contents of the flask might be,
but I had never found a reason for opening it."

CHAPTER II.
" And Thou by reverent love unite my child-like heart to
Thee." Wesley.
" Capacity to enter into deeper truth does not depend on
talent or study, but on the tenderness with which the soul has
exercised itself in daily life, in discerning between good and evil."
Andrew Murray.

" \ S a boy I was early taught to remember always that
fx. I was in the presence of God," said Isaac Sharp,
in his old age. He was born at Brighton on the 4th of
July, 1806, and bore the same name as his father, whose
family had removed from Hampshire, and who was twice
married, first to Mary Likeman, and secondly to Esther
Thomson, both members of the Society of Friends, which
body he had joined. By each of his wives he had seven
children and, by a curious coincidence, the same number
of boys and girls in each family. The eldest of the first
family was Isaac, the youngest, Rebecca, Mrs. Swann, who
is still living. The eldest of the second family is Thomson,
who survives his brother Isaac ; a younger sister was
Priscilla, the late Mrs. J. Dunning.
Isaac Sharp's mother died of fever at the age of thirty-
nine. On the 10th of December, 1894, he remarks in a letter,
" Seventy-nine years ago to-day, I lost a precious mother.
I well remember that solemn period and its associations. Our
father's grief was intense. They were the days of astrology,
and it had been predicted that our mother would take the
fever and recover, but that our father would be fever-
stricken and die. Our uncle Ebenezer and my father
occupied one room that night, and I slept with them."
Of his mother's grandfather, Matthew Bourne, Isaac
Sharp would tell some curious stories. He was a miller, and

IO LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
in course of time, his mill — built of wood, as was the fashion
of those clays — had to be removed to another site. This
was accomplished by the aid of more than four score
Sussex oxen, all yoked and pulling together ; a very
practical illustration of that old adage, " Union is Strength."
A painting was made in oils to commemorate this
wonderful enterprise. In a letter, written in 1891, from
" the sea of Japan," Isaac Sharp tells his namesake nephew
that he has a photograph of this picture, adding, "And
behold of the said Matthew Bourne thou art the great,
great grandson."
We learn, too, that Matthew Bourne was the owner of
a very intelligent horse, of which an acquaintance one day
asked the loan, to " ride as far as Rottingdean." This
favour was granted by the good miller, although the idea
crossed his mind that perhaps the borrower thought of
going further than Rottingdean. Matthew Bourne there
fore went into his stable and whispered in his horse's ear :
" Rottingdean, Buck, Rottingdean."
" So," says Isaac Sharp, " Buck trotted along freely till
he came to Rottingdean, and until he was fairly beyond
its limits. Then, suddenly raising his hind quarters, he
left his easily unseated rider behind, and hastened back to
his own stable at Brighton ! "
How favourably the dumb animal stands out in contrast
with the shuffling man who would fain abuse the kindness of
a neighbour. But it is with Matthew Bourne's great grandson that
our story has to do. And yet, in these lax clays, we cannot
afford to miss the lesson of Isaac Sharp's memories of his
great aunt, Sarah Glaisyer — the daughter of Matthew
Bourne. He writes : " In her widowhood she used to sit
at the head of Brighton Meeting, and was most punctual in
attending at the time appointed. I well remember her when
quite blind leaning on the arm of her daughter Eliza, and
reaching the door in the lane, some five and twenty steps
from the Meeting-house, as the Palace clock struck the hour :

Photo, by

EARLS COLXE SCHOOL.

[C. S. Tyler, Earls Colne.

AN OLD-FASHIONED "FRIEND." II
" ' Dear Eliza, how late we are ! ' was her sorrowful.
plaint." We smile at this story, but does it not hint at a
character " Faithful in that which is least."
Although only four years old at the time of the Jubilee
of George III., Isaac Sharp clearly remembered the public
roasting of a large ox in the open air during the festivities at
Brighton. He was also a witness of the Queen's Jubilee in
1887. But we must pass on to an old diary, and under date
4th vii., 1817, read some words almost like a prayer :
" This day clear little Isaac is eleven years old. Oh, that
as he grows in years he may grow in grace, and in the
saving knowledge of his Saviour Jesus Christ."
Not his mother's words — she had died more than a
year and half earlier — but the words of a mother-like aunt,
Elizabeth Likeman. From another entry in " Aunt
Likeman's " journal, we find that, about a fortnight after
Isaac's eleventh birthday, his father took him- vid London
to William Impey's school at Earl's Colne, Essex. Of these
school clays we have little record, but just one story makes
us believe that, as a boy, he was " trusty and true," how
ever full of fun. Nearly four miles from Earl's Colne is
Coggeshall Abbey, and there resided the young lady whose
heart and hand the schoolmaster was seeking.
" Mine," wrote Isaac Sharp, in his old age, " was the
favoured lot to be chosen as the post messenger, bearing
the love notes both ways. . .
" Robert Impey was the name of the schoolmaster's
first-born, and a pocket knife was allowed to drop from the
baby hand into mine, bearing the engraving " R.I. to I.S."
After being treasured year by year it has vanished, I know
not how. But it is still in my mind's eye a joy for ever !"
A remark made by him in his old age, in reference to a
young missionary, helps us to realise some of his own
characteristics : " Young, strong, active, and energetic,
with apparently little experience to bring him into shape,

12 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
there are many experiences lying before him, in all human
probability, in which all his gift of exuberance will be
requisitioned, with proof of its not having been given in
vain. I have passed through the like experience, and know
whereof I write."
Of " Aunt Likeman " it is recorded that she had been
an extremely small baby, so small indeed that her mother's
wedding ring was passed over the tiny foot and ankle, and
up to the knee. She lived to old age, one of the quiet
hidden lives apparently, whose record is on high. She
was given to versification, and the following simple lines
would only cause a smile, if we did not read between the
lines something of a prayer. They were written on a slip
of paper and handed to some gentlemen who were sitting
over their walnuts and wine :
" In cracking of nuts it is generally seen,
Not the shells but the kernels ye crave,
But when on Religion you often contend,
'Tis the shells not the kernels you have.
True religion alone can nourish the soul,
May this be your chiefest desire ;
Oh ! may you contend for this measure alone
And throw all the shells in the fire."
And now, since " the memory of the just is blessed,"
before giving one more entry about her nephew, from Aunt
Likeman's diary, we must quote from a quaintly written
little account of herself. It is so brief that it hardly seems
to contradict a remark we lately heard from one who has
wide experience of human life — " The best work is that
which is not reported."
She had joined the Society of Friends at the age of
twenty, when residing with an uncle and aunt.
"It may be truly said of this dear Friend that she went
about doing good, and willingly spent her time and strength
in endeavouring to alleviate distress. She was much
respected by many in the higher ranks of life to whom she
had ah easy access, and when engaged with them in

AUNT LIKEMAN'S PRAYERS. 13
pleading the necessities of the poor, she frequently had to
offer a word in season, expressive of the uncertainty of
time and pointing to the hope set before us through the
sacrifice and mediation of our blessed Redeemer. She was
a faithful stewardess in distributing the alms they entrusted
her' with, visiting the abodes of poverty and wretchedness,
and whilst employed in relieving the needy inmates with
the comforts of this life, she was also desirous of ministering
to their spiritual wants . . and often in the accents
of Gospel love, had to set forth the abundant mercy of the
Saviour of men to repentant sinners. The love of her
heavenly Father, through her clear Lord and Saviour, was
her only anchor, and she experienced its all sufficiency at
the hour of death."
Two years earlier she wrote, under the date, 26. v. 1827:
" My dear nephew, Isaac Sharp, left Brighton. Oh, Thou
Shepherd of Israel, keep him by Thy mighty power from
the snares that surround him. Oh, may he be drawn by
Thy precious love," etc. This entry probably refers to her
nephew's first business engagement in the establishment of
Day and Robson at Saffron Walclen.
How were " Aunt Likeman's" prayers answered ?
Isaac Sharp, in the last year of his long life, thus alludes
to his early religious impressions : " Under a powerful
visitation of divine grace, in the abounding love of Gocl in
Christ Jesus, the Lord was graciously pleased to accept the
surrender of my young heart to Him ; and in perfect peace
a willingness was mercifully wrought in me to love and
serve my Redeemer as He might be pleased to lead the
way. There is cause for deep humiliation that the service
has been an imperfect one, but over all the mantle of the
love of Gocl is spread. Glory be to His holy name for ever ! "
He remained at Saffron Walden until he was about the
age of twenty-four, and he seems to have attached con
siderable importance to the influences which surrounded
his life there. A little poem, written during that time, is so
characteristic that it seems worthy of quotation :

14 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
" Some say that golden days are past,
And will no more return,
That, long since, they have breathed their last,
And yielded to a wintry blast
Unpitying, cold and stern.
" To such, by way of a reply,
My thoughts I will unfold,
Their golden days are not gone by
Who do not with a jaundiced eye
Life's chequered scene behold.

" Then why with sad repining sigh ?
Are there no tranquil hours ?
Reigns not the same Great Power on high ?
Do not the clouds of heaven supply
Soft and refreshing showers ?
" Is there no animated sound
To cheer life's rugged way ?
Do then the thistles so abound,
That not one lovely rose is found
Our labour to repay ?
" Oh ! weigh it well — nor longer sigh,
But thus the truth unfold,
Their golden days are not gone by
Who do not with a jaundiced eye
Life's chequered scenes behold."
In an old album we find a little piece, written in the
following year, with the title, " We culled the early
saxifrage." Two verses run thus :
" We culled the sweet flower and though many a smile
Was called forth by its overgrown stem,
Yet a feeling arose in my bosom the while,
And a thought which I told not to them ;
And I longed for the pen of some bard to unfold,
The mental delights which are bought not with gold.

HE FIRST SPEAKS AS A MINISTER. 15
" Let none then despise this poor spring-blowing flower,
Since it blooms on the verge of the blast,
Nor waits till the sunshine of summer's bright hour
O'er the heads of a nation has passed ;
But smiling, like friendship, at tempests gone by,
Proclaims the glad tidings that summer is nigh."
Some of his pieces were humorous ; and like more
thoughtful ones, were written for an Essay Society at
Saffron Walden called " The Budget."
At the age of twenty-four he removed to Darlington,
and became the Private Secretary of the late Joseph Pease,
the son of Edward Pease, who, with George Stephenson,
had made the Stockton and Darlington Railway five years
before. Isaac Sharp took an active part, locally, in the
General Election of 1832, when Joseph Pease was returned
to the House of Commons, being the first Friend who took
his seat in that assembly ; for although John Archdale, some
time Governor of the Carolinas, was in 1698 elected for
Wycombe, Bucks, he did not sit, on account of his con
scientious objection to taking an oath.
The year before Isaac Sharp went to Darlington the
" Middlesbrough owners," of whom Joseph Pease was the
chief, had bought the five hundred acres of land on which
the town now stands. The estate at first contained only a
single farm-house, but is now a large town with 70,000
inhabitants. The development of this estate brought much
thought and work to Isaac Sharp, but not to the exclusion
of other claims. He accepted the post of Secretary to the
Auxiliary Bible Society, and to the Friends' Public School
at Great Ayton, as well as the lighter labour of the Secretary
ship of the Friends' Essay Society at Darlington. Many
of his business journeys for his employers became, with
their approval, opportunities for religious service.
The writer has heard an old lady Friend allude to being
present at the meeting for worship at Darlington in which
Isaac Sharp for the first time spoke in the ministry. This
was in 1832. We believe that at that time Isaac Sharp

1 6 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
was kindly acting as door-keeper, and that he left his seat
and stood in the aisle as he spoke.
His younger brother, John, afterwards Superintendent
of the Friends' School at Croydon, writes in his diary in
reference to this event, on the day before Isaac's twenty-
sixth birthday. It is evident that he is astonished to find
that his very lively brother should have such information
to confide to him. John writes : " I have received a letter
from dear brother Isaac, in which, to my great surprise, he
informs me of his appearing in the ministry. This was
totally unexpected to me, but I trust that he has been
careful in this most important undertaking not to move (in
such service) without his Divine Guide. On reading his
letter, my heart overflowed with gratitude to the Giver of
every good and perfect gift. I felt emboldened to suppli
cate that my dear brother may experience divine preser
vation and support."
How truly was that brotherly prayer answered.
John Sharp goes on to say : " Dear Isaac's conflict of
mind appears to have been very great, yet abundantly
made up to him by the sweet feeling he was favoured with
on yielding to the divine requiring."
In a letter to his great friend, Joshua Green, written
some five years after leaving Saffron Walden, Isaac Sharp
says : " There are many in your circle for whom I feel
deeply interested. Gratitude for past kindnesses forbids it
to be otherwise." Further on in the letter we get glimpses
of his affectionate disposition, when, after alluding with
concern to the slight illness of a sister, he goes on to say :
" From Brighton I have received but mournful intelligence.
My beloved father was seized rather suddenly with
rheumatic fever. . . . How tried of late years has been
the lot of my beloved parent."
In another letter to this friend he alludes to a most
grievous wrong that had been done to his father, and adds
the significant words : " I humbly trust, through a power
beyond our own, we are enabled to forgive."

HIS MARRIAGE.

17

But he shares his joys as well as his sorrows with
Joshua Green : " My thirty-second birthday finds me
thoroughly satisfied that 1 have not waited in vain. The
endeared object of my tenderest affection has consented
to be mine, and bright are the beams which illuminate my
pathway. Oh, that a grateful sense of mercy, past and
present, may more and more fill my heart, and enable me
to enjoy such a blessing in the divine favour, giving Him
the praise to whom it is clue. It is about two years since
I first paid my addresses, and truly I have abundant cause
for rejoicing, in finding in my clearest friend, Hannah
Procter, more than I could reasonably expect, and all that
I could wish. ... It is inexpressibly comforting to
think of the prospect before me."
In February, 1839, Isaac Sharp married Hannah Procter,
daughter of Joseph and Elizabeth Procter of North Shields,
arid sister of the late Joseph and John Richardson Procter.
He was then in his thirty-third year, and his bride had not
long passed her thirtieth birthday. The home to which
he brought her was in West Terrace, Darlington.
As we write, there lies before us a little faded ornamental
card, on which is traced with exquisite neatness in printed
characters, almost microscopically small, three verses,
bearing the title of " The Benediction." These lines were
written at Chester during the wedding tour, and seem to
be almost prophetic —
When the bright glow of health its gladness lends,
And pleasure gilds thy sunlit path with joy,
Or when the sombre shade thy step attends,
The glad and sunny vision to alloy —
In weal or woe, Ah ! be it thine to feel
The Rock thy refuge and thy sure reward ;
Wait, humbly wait, and He will yet reveal
His blessed will as thy redeeming Lord.
And when, through matchless mercy, o'er the tomb
Thy spirit takes its flight to realms above,
Be thine the freshness of unfading bloom,
And thine the fulness of eternal love.

10 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
In her diary, Hannah Sharp writes : "We are sweetly
and preciously united, and have often been favoured to
feel the overshadowing of divine power."
And again, as we turn over the leaves, we find the
prayer : "O, that Thou wilt be mercifully pleased to bless
our union, and to enable us to serve Thee wholly, and to
love Thee with all our heart." She shared in her
husband's earnest longings for the advancement of the
kingdom of Christ "until" — as she writes— " all nations
love and serve Thee."
Their keen appreciation of the beauties of Nature was
a mutual joy, whether "the shell upon the seashore, the
beautiful flower of the field, the majestic ocean, or the
mountain towering to the skies " —
" For the beauty of the earth,
For the beauty of the skies,
For the love which, from our birth,
Over and around us lies :
Christ, our God to Thee we raise,
This our sacrifice of praise."*
But this most happy union was to be but of short
duration in this world.
Hannah Sharp died in the fourth summer after her
marriage. Her husband writes of her memory being
deeply graven on his heart, and adds : " Her character
written there will there remain, lasting as life itself."
In her last illness she loved to talk to him of her earlier
days ; of how, at the time of her mother's funeral in her
childhood, the words of faithful ministers were as a
message calling her to yield her heart and life to the
Lord's blessed control ; and of a visit to York when
whilst walking alone in the garden at " Cherry Hill," she
was comforted by a visitation of heavenly love, whilst to
her heart were applied the gracious words, "Thy sins are
forgiven thee." Her husband says : " The sweet remem-

* F. Pierpoint.

DEATH OF HIS WIFE. 19
brance of this period of her life appeared to rest upon her
mind with a remarkable degree of freshness. . . . The
Quarterly and Monthly Meetings were made to her humble
and contrite spirit seasons of refreshment."
" I think I cannot continue long," she said one clay to
her husband ; " thou wilt have the two little darlings."
Of her last interview with her infant daughters, he
says : " Soon after twelve she took leave of our precious
lambs, and having kept up remarkably well till this trying
moment, she was exceedingly overcome, and it was as
much as I could well bear to carry them in, one at a time,
to receive the last fond kiss and the last sweet smile from
their dear mamma. She gave dear Polly one of her roses,
gazed on them till they left the room, and then a flood of
tears came."
She wished a Bible to be given to each of them as soon
as they were old enough.
Her husband says that the deep devotional impress
which at times rested on her features would never be
forgotten. In the midst of this time of sore trial he was graciously
comforted. Of one night he writes : " 1 lay much awake,
yet the prospect before me of loneliness untold was
through mercy outborne by a portion of heavenly peace,
which filled my heart with divine consolation, so that an
ability was granted fully to acquiesce in the dealings of an
all-merciful and gracious providence. . . . May the
Lord keep me humble and contrite, and enable me to love
Him more and serve Him with greater faithfulness."
Again he writes : " During the sombre shadows of the
night it was sweet to watch her calm and placid features
. but oh ! more sweet and blessed was the Father's
love, who, through the Eternal Spirit, poured forth a tide
of holy joy."
But we find, too, the " touch of nature " that " makes
the whole world kin," when he tells us that, as his sweet

20 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
wife spoke calmly to him about her burial, his heart was
almost too full for utterance.
" Yesterday," he writes a clay or two later, " I was
made to rejoice that the Lord had seen meet rather to call
away my precious Hannah from me, than me from her, she
being left to struggle ; and I wept as we kept silence after
reading in the Psalms, being made sweetly sensible that to
her belongs a part and lot in the beautiful language of
David, ' The Lord is my light and my salvation.' . . .
Around the death-bed of my clearest earthly treasure there
has been a sweetness of feeling so great that, if ministering
spirits are permitted to surround the dying couch and shed
a peaceful influence around, then assuredly, ministering
spirits may be here ; but, whether instrumentally through
them or immediately through the Holy Spirit, the acknow
ledgment is due that a well-spring of consolation has been
mercifully opened."
Again, he writes of the hour when " this clearest earthly
treasure " passed away, as one never to be forgotten :
"Though no strains of living praise were on her lips, and
though no shout of victory was heard, yet a precious assur
ance was ours that she had gone before to the Lord Jesus."'
On the day of the funeral he writes : " The stay and
staff are yet in great mercy permitted me, and the acknow
ledgment arises, ' His tender mercies are overall His works.'
Nevertheless, there is the feeling of mournfulness in store
and loneliness untold."
About a week after the death of his wife, he writes of
going to the room in which she had died and sitting
" beside the lone spot where she had lain. Hitherto," he
continues, " my weeping had been stayed. I witnessed
the closing scene, took a last farewell of the remains,
followed them, saw the coffin lowered, and all this, a.
tearless sorrow, yet oh ! how deep the calm. But now
tears flowed apace like rain. Yet, midst the calmness of
that sorrow, sweetness was mercifully mingled, and the
Everlasting Arm was underneath."

SORROW AND RESIGNATION'. 21
At another time, he records his longing that " this
present affliction may tend to promote that sanctification
in which the works of righteousness are made to shine
forth." In the little MSS. volume he wrote about his wife, he
copied a letter of sympathy from one of his friends, which
contains the following passage : " After having been
strengthened in the hour of bereavement to raise the voice
of thanksgiving that thy precious partner was released
from all her sufferings, canst thou ever question the Lord's
power to sustain, and enable grace to triumph over natural
feelings, whatever thou mayst have to pass through."
And yet Isaac Sharp might have said in the words of
another good man, in reference to sore bereavement, " 1
find myself singularly human." The sense of loss never
wholly left him, and the anniversary of his wife's death was
tenderly remembered to the end of his long pilgrimage.
His married life was a time of much happiness with no
drawback, save the anxiety caused by his wife's increasing
delicacy, which even his sanguine temperament could not
lead his watchful love to overlook. But the severance had
come sooner than he thought and somewhat suddenly, and
although with unfeigned lips he might have said of Him
whose hand had wrought it, " Though He slay me, yet
will 1 trust in Him," and although marvellously upheld by
that same hand, the shock was one from which he did not
speedily recover.
A relative writes : " On his death-bed, desiring to ascer
tain whether he had any wish as to his place of interment,
I asked him where his wife had been buried. He looked
in my face with a peculiarly pathetic expression, and tears
filled his eyes. He immediately changed the subject of
conversation, and I did not again revert to the matter.
Across the long gulf of years, and with the prospect of
death imminent, the memory of the greatest sorrow of his
life was still able to stir the fountain of tears in his soul,
so full of peace, and so confidently looking forward to a

22 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
blessed and eternal re-union." After his wife's death, his
sister Rebecca took charge of his household for some time.
It has been well said of him that " through suffering he
became the tender, ready helper of fellow sufferers by
many an English fireside and in many a lonely mission-
station abroad. There can be no doubt that he found com
fort amid the desolation of his home (as John Bright had
clone the year before in another field of activity) by
yielding himself with greater devotion to his Master's work."
" My father was, indeed, very kind to his motherless
little ones," writes his daughter Elizabeth ; "we used to go
to his room in the mornings as soon as we were dressed."
In reading long-cherished letters, written from the Shet
land and Orkney Isles to his little girls, we can easily
realise the tenderness of his sympathy with his children.
He writes of the comfort he found in thinking of the line,
"There is an eye that never sleeps"
— an eye watching over his dear child and her sister. He
hopes they will not forget papa while so long away from
them, and tells them of the poor boys and girls in Shetland
who are almost always hungry and cold, and of how he
had been making medicine for six poor children ill of
whooping cough. " Remember, my dear Lizzie," he adds,
" we should try to be kind to everything and everybody."
He sends her some shells from a pebbly shore.
Young as she must have been when he was in Norway
in 1846, he thought it worth while to write to her.
A short time before the death of his wife, Isaac Sharp
was " recorded " as a minister of the Society of Friends.
Little was it then foreseen that in a life lengthened out far
beyond the three-score years and ten, he was to be led by
his Lord into a series of religious labours almost unique in
extent and duration. Forty-five times did he lay before the
Friends of the Darlington district, various calls to religious
service in almost every part of England and on all the con
tinents, " concerns '' to which, after serious deliberation,

RELIGIOUS SERVICE. 23
the " Monthly Meeting " gave its concurrence. The
certificate, embodying this concurrence, defines the nature
and extent of the proposed religious service, and forms the
credentials of the travelling minister. In cases of service
abroad, this certificate must be confirmed by the
" Quarterly Meeting," and also by the " Yearly Meeting,"
which is, in some sense, equivalent to a " General
Assembly." During the four years following 1842, Isaac Sharp
laboured, from time to time, in Yorkshire, Northumber
land, Lancashire, Sussex, Surrey, Hampshire, Devon,
Cornwall, the Isles of Scilly, and the Channel Islands.
Joel Bean, an American Friend, who was often with
him in later years in his journeyings in America, writes :
" As we remember him here in our homes and in our
meetings, so he was everywhere he went, an enlivening
and inspiring presence. The aged were animated by his
cheerful spirit. Little children were drawn to him in play
ful confidence. All ages and classes enjoyed his company.
But, above all the ordinary incidents of his world-
encircling mission, there stands out the memory of the
' ambassador for Christ,' the exponent of our faith in the
reality of spiritual guidance and of an inspired ministry.
He was among us as a messenger bearing the credentials of
a Divine Commission, following a path shown by super
human direction, and was, as the Psalmist says, ' anointed
with fresh oil,' for ever-varying occasions, and the needs of
every new day."
Isaac Sharp realised that Christ must call, prepare, and
qualify His ambassadors, and that they should preach
under the influence of His spirit. He alone knows the
inmost and varied needs of the congregation, and He alone
can give the soul-reaching and quickening word.

CHAPTER III.
" We go in faith, our own great weakness feeling,
And needing more each day Thy grace to know,
Yet from our hearts a song of triumph pealing,
' We rest on Thee, and in Thy name we go.' "
" We do not ask to be led into the bondage of service, but into
the liberty of service." — H. V. H.

ISAAC SHARP'S earliest call to service abroad was to
Norway in 1846. At the same time two other
ministers of the Society of Friends residing in Cornwall,
Edwin O. Tregelles and John Budge, had a like belief that
the Lord had work for them to do for Him in that land.
" They knew," said Isaac Sharp, " what was in their minds,
and I knew what was in mine, but they did not know what
was in my mind, and I did not know what was in theirs.
But we each received our separate certificates, and having
so obtained them went off on that journey together.
" We found a little company there, wonderfully
gathered together. That little company had been there
established, strange to say, by prisoners of war at Chatham.
There a few Norwegians and others got hold of one of the
Friends' books — how, I do not know, and I think it was
only a fragment of it — and there they saw something
speaking of a spiritual religion that they had never under
stood among the Lutherans, and they sometimes sat clown
in silence to wait upon the Lord. This influenced a few
of their friends, and it went on increasing and increasing
till I think there were from sixteen to seventeen who so
assembled for worship. Then came the end of the war
and the discharge of the prisoners to their own homes.

FRIENDS IN NORWAY. 25
" When they got back to Norway, poor, unknown,
looked slightingly upon, because for conscience sake they
dared not go and worship where the others of their
families attended, they yet grew and grew in number, till
in thirty years they had a nice little meeting-house. They
were tender in spirit, true, dear, simple-hearted people,
living to the Lord, willing to suffer for His sake."
On his homeward voyage from Norway Isaac Sharp
wrote the following details about the Friends there :
" The entire number may be stated thus : members,
forty ; their children, eighteen ; attenders, sixty-three ;
their children, forty-four. Included in this number is
Elias Tasted, once an English prisoner of war, who retains
a lively sense of the love of God in those bygone days,
when, in their assemblies on ship-board, literally the two
or three together, the presence of their Lord was known
to be in the midst of them. It appears the little Society
may take its date about the year 1814.
" In 1818 they were visited in Norway by William Allen
and Stephen Grellet, and in 1822 by Thomas Shillitoe.
The present comfortable meeting-house was erected
chiefly by Elias Tasted. The contemplation of his steady
Christian course, the sweetness of his spirit, his tenderness
and love are deeply interesting and instructive.
" ' I often think,' he said, ' my time is not long, and
when I heard of your intended visit I was so unwell that 1
thought to see you upon my bed.' We visited his school.
It has raised my admiration many times to see how much
has been done by this single-eyed and simple-hearted
company, whose love to all around them bears with it a
precious evidence of true discipleship. The business of
their Yearly Meeting was short but satisfactory. The care
manifested, lest by seeking relief from their present burdens
they should in any manner become involved in difficulty
of conscience, was striking, and we endeavoured to
encourage their honest desire patiently to suffer rather
than take any step not sufficiently clear.

26 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
" One poor Friend, for a demand of two shillings for
the school tax, which he could not conscientiously pay on
account of the doctrines taught, had three nets taken away,
valued at forty shillings. . . . There was a solemn
sense that the presence of the great Head of the Church
had been known amongst us, under which the meeting
closed. " At the conclusion of the meeting we took leave of one
another. Great tenderness prevailed and many wept, both
male and female. We parted in love, and, 1 trust, under a
sense of prayerful pleading one for another, our own spirits
being contrite, and our sympathies awakened for this
deeply interesting little flock."
Isaac Sharp writes of a Sunday at Stavanger as being a
day of " remarkable favour." At the morning meeting more
than 200 were present, but many had to stand, and not a few
to go away. " John Budge first spoke ; my voice was next
heard, and I trust there was that in many hearts which bore
witness to the truth of the words spoken. Dear John
Budge spoke a considerable time, and I trust the meeting
ended well in solemn silence.
" At 2.30 p.m., the meeting-house was still more
crowded. Dear Edwin O. Tregelles spoke as one com
missioned by his divine Master, of Elijah and the ' stillr
small voice,' salvation by Jesus Christ, and the baptism of
the Holy Ghost and of fire. At the close of the meeting,
the members and attenders were requested to stop, and
nearly eighty remained ; E. O. Tregelles and John Budge
addressing them, the former very beautifully and the latter
in much brokenness of spirit, in which before its close the
whole meeting seemed to partake. My lot appeared to be
in reverent thanksgiving to bend the knee and supplicate
for a blessing on those assembled. I do not remember so
prevalent a tenderness in any meeting before. It was now
nearly 5 p.m., and, after a time of silence, we stood at the
door to shake hands and say farewell. Very many weptf
and it was touching to see some of these sons of the North

HELGE ERIKSEN. 27
wiping away the tear drops as they flowed, the tenderness
of their spirits strikingly contrasting with their athletic
frames. . . . Endre Dahl, who acted as our inter
preter, greatly to our comfort and satisfaction, kindly
gave up his time to accompany us to Bergen and
Christiania. It is about seven years since he joined the
Society, and more than twelve months since he first spoke
as a minister, much to the comfort of his friends. He was
more than once engaged in the exercise of his gift while
we were present to the melting of many hearts.
" The clay following the one on which our meeting was
held at Bergen not fewer than fifty individuals called to ask
for tracts. In passing from Stavanger to Bergen — which
voyage of more than ioo miles, among countless islands
and a rocky shore, was performed in an open boat — we
had a crew of those who profess with Friends. Their con
sideration for our comfort and their satisfactory deport
ment were very acceptable. The meetings which were
appointed between these two places were chiefly among a
simple-hearted people, some of whom had conscientiously
withdrawn from the public worship.
" Helge Eriksen, of Hagane, not yet thirty, has for
most of seven years travelled as a religious duty, enduring
all the fatigue and the hardships attendant on the rigour of
the climate, supporting himself by making watch-guards as
he journeyed along. He has five times walked a distance
of 140 miles to visit those whom he believed to be in a
seeking and tender state, and to whom his mind had been
attracted. "The Friends' faithful maintenance, amidst surrounding
difficulties, of the principles they have professed, the
tenderness of their spirits, and their daily walk before Gocl
are deeply interesting and instructive."
Isaac Sharp remained on the Continent for a short time
after parting from his beloved companions, and on his
homeward voyage wrote as follows to John Budge : " My
mind was under deep exercise in reference to the King of

28 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
Norway and Sweden before leaving London, but I felt it
was one of those things which must be pondered in the
heart. After we parted, I watched the paddle-wheels from
the shores of Copenhagen till the vessel could be seen no
more. The same evening I proceeded to Elsinore. . . .
The King was at Helsingborg. The races were held on
the clay of my arrival. Carriages were pouring in from all
quarters. The place was very full, and I remained quietly
in my temporary home. In a weak state of health, alone
hour after hour, without one single earthly counsellor,
under a burden, the issue of which was yet unseen, my
feelings were almost overwhelming. But, ' Whoever
trusted in the Lord and was confounded ? '
" The way opened to my wondering view, and after
three days' trial of faith, the Baron Manderstrom kindly
called at the hotel to conduct me to the King's apartments.
The interview was relieving. ... At parting, the
King extended his hand and pronounced the word,
' Farewell' "
During the succeeding sixteen years, Isaac Sharp was
often engaged in religious service, especially in the North
of England, besides having some meetings in Scotland,
and, in company with the late Barnard Dickenson, paying
two visits to the Orkney and Shetland Isles.
In the year 1850 he removed to Middlesbrough, which,
after the discovery of iron ore in the Cleveland Hills,
became an important iron manufacturing centre. He filled
the responsible post of manager to the estate, and the rapid
development of the place made it needful for him to live on
the spot.
As year after year passed by, he found that thoughts of
Iceland were almost constantly occupying his heart and
mind. If when in a merchant's office or a schoolroom he
saw a map of Europe, his eye turned instinctively to that
island of the North- West, whither the constraining love of
Christ was calling him to go. And yet the difficulties in
finding any opening for religious work there seemed as if

FIRST VISIT TO ICELAND. 29
they must prove insurmountable, for no creed but the
Lutheran was allowed in Iceland. Nevertheless, in 1861,
he felt it to be his duty to ask for a certificate for Gospel
service there.
As soon as he had received the credentials of the
Society of Friends for this labour of love, the late well-
known Josiah Forster said to him, " Let us go round by the
Bible Society's house." When they reached it they found
the foreign committee was sitting. This committee was
seeking communication with the Bishop of Iceland relative
to a new edition of the Bible, and the chairman said, in
reply to a question from Josiah Forster, that the Bishop
had sent no answer to the letter which had been sent to
him. " Here is Isaac Sharp going to Iceland," said Josiah
Forster. " Why not give him a letter to the Bishop, to make
some enquiry and report back to us," was the chairman's
response. Thus he was informally appointed an agent of the
Bible Society, and was therefore well received by the
Lutheran Bishop. But we need not say there was to be
no concealment of the nature of the visit. He bade the
interpreter read to the Bishop his certificate for religious
service in Iceland, as a minister of the Society of Friends.
Meanwhile he carefully watched the expression of the
Bishop's face with the satisfactory result of seeing no scowl
there, and that the slight movements of his head were
those of nodding rather than shaking. At the conclusion
of the reading the Bishop smiled but did not speak, and
under these circumstances Isaac Sharp felt that it was fair
to take it for granted that silence gave consent.
On the following Sunday he had an opportunity for
addressing more than 500 people, many of whom seemed
to drink in the Gospel truths they heard. So crowded
was the room that very few could sit. When the meeting
was over sundry comments were made, such as :

30 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
" This is what we want."
" We never heard the like before."
" This is quite new."
" Oh ! that you could speak to the people in Icelandic ! "
" Precious and deep," says Isaac Sharp, "was the calm
upon our spirits, and in the brightness of the northern
clime it was nearly twelve before we were inclined to
retire for the night." There was no let nor hindrance
now, and before he left the town ten letters were given
him of introduction to deans and others, who were urged
to help him forward.
His companion and interpreter was Asbjorn Kloster of
Stavanger, a beloved fellow-labourer. Meetings were held
in a variety of places. Strange to say, except that the Lord
opened the way, one of the meetings was for the members
of the Icelandic Parliament. Even the little island of
Grimsey, lying very near or within the Arctic Circle was
visited. Isaac Sharp writes : "To go there was a trial of
faith. The inhabitants were few in number. A boat's
crew sent from thence to the mainland in the spring for
provisions, was, owing to stress of weather, detained more
than two months before it could return. But finding no
peace except in yielding to duty, a Norwegian vessel then
lying in the harbour was engaged, and after a tedious
passage we reached the island in safety. In addition to a
meeting held with the inhabitants, they were visited from
house to house, for which the poor people appeared
grateful, and a sense of sweet peace was permitted to rest
on the retrospect."
A day or two later Holar was visited, a place deeply
interesting in the annals of Iceland, as the spot where, in
1584, the first edition of the entire Bible in the Icelandic
language was printed by Bishop Gudbrand.
" Our progress," says Isaac Sharp, "in this journey was
attended by many exercises of faith and patience ; but, amidst
all, the breathing of earnest prayer for Divine help and
guidance, in condescending mercy did not ascend in vain,

"STORMY WIND FULFILLING HIS WORD." 31
and we were preciously enabled to hold on our way
trusting in the Lord. The rivers of the south of Iceland
are very formidable, and liable to be suddenly swollen.
The fording of the rapids is not free from clanger, but in
the periods of greatest difficulty there was a sense of
Divine support, and a calming influence amidst the roar of
the mighty waters.
" My mind was for many clays under great exercise, in
reference to a visit to the Westman Islands, places, except
in the height of summer, of difficult approach ; but the
attempt was made, and on the following day a meeting
was held in the Court-house, greatly disturbed by several
men who were noisy from drink. Others were quiet and
attentive, including the priest and several of the principal
inhabitants. Under the pressure of remaining service to
be accomplished on the mainland, we engaged a boat and
crew and set sail from the Westmans ; but on nearing the
Icelandic shore, the foaming waves of the Atlantic, breaking
with continuous roar on the Rangarsander rendered it
impossible to land, and we were compelled to put back
again. Another meeting was held in the Court-house ;
250 persons assembled, being one half of the entire popu
lation. The greatest order prevailed, and I trust it may be
said the meeting was graciously owned by the great Head
of the Church."
The boisterous wind and heavy sea still made it
impracticable for the Friends and their interpreter to leave
the Westmans on the two following days. " Stormy wind
fulfilling His word" it certainly was. From Isaac Sharp's
heart the prayer went up, " Be pleased, O Lord, to lead us
forth from this place in peace." He was not so anxious to
get away as he was to do all his Lord's bidding there.
The service to which he now felt called was to pay a few
religious visits from house to house. Whilst faith and
patience were given him, " nature," he says, " shrank
exceedingly." The first call was on a merchant and his
wife, who gave the ministers a pleasant welcome.

32 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
" I was glad that you were not able to get away," the
merchant said, " because of the second meeting you
held." " Our next call was on another merchant and a widow
who keeps house for him. We were thanked by both for
the visit, tears of tenderness of heart filled the eyes of the
widow. Our next visit was to the priest, and greatly
dreaded. The truth was spoken in love and was, I believe,
in the same spirit received. The priest's wife appeared
very tender and shed many tears, and they both took leave
of us cordially." These and other visits occupied nearly
five hours. Meanwhile, the wind went clown and the
waves became more calm, and on the following morning
the mainland was reached in safety. But on the mainland,
too, the hardships were not light nor the hazards trifling.
The travel was on horse-back, with pack-horses for
baggage. Sometimes two days would pass by without a
house being seen. The sleeping places were of varied
kinds, a barn, a church, a tent, when rest was welcome
after, it might be, thirteen hours in the saddle without
halting. Sometimes there was no means of drying wet
clothes, and the food was not always sufficient. Again,
there were morasses to pass over ; rivers, too, as we have
seen, to be forded, though not free from quicksands and
sudden floods.
Great kindness was shown to the Friends in reference
to two meetings by the respective priests of Teigr and
Bredabolstadar ; the former invited his flock to assemble
two hours before the usual time, and the latter arranged
that they should meet the people of his parish at the con
clusion of the usual evening service in his church. Whilst
Isaac Sharp was deeply exercised before these meetings were
held, he found the Lord very near to help and bless in the
service. Two nights were spent at the house of another priest
near the foot of Mount Hecla. From place to place
meetings were held until Reykjavik, the capital, was

SEALED PACKET. 33
reached on the 17th of September, about three months
after the travellers had landed there. On the following
morning, the young son of Dr. Peterson, a Professor of
Theology, placed a sealed packet in Isaac Sharp's hands,
the enclosure of which was addressed in duplicate to.
Asbjorn Kloster and himself :
"You are, most honoured gentlemen, come hither a
long way to preach the Word of God. . . And on
your journeys everywhere, where it has been possible, you
have spoken the word of admonition and consolation to the
brethren, and tried to awaken and enliven the fear of God
and a Christian life of faith ; and all your conduct has
shown that this your undertaking is not occasioned by
ambition nor vanity, but from fervent love to mankind,
from the true, Christian brother love, and a living desire to-
lead others to the kingdom of God. Therefore, we may
trust with full security that the Lord, who gives the
growth, will graciously bless these your endeavours, and
with His Spirit fertilize that which you in this manner have
sown and watered ; that He will perfect the good work
which you, with His help, have begun, that it may become
to the praise of His holy name and for the salvation of
men. Your undertaking is so beautiful and the aim so
Christian, that we, who write our names under this letter,
consider it our duty to give you our thankfulness and
esteem, not only in our own name, but also in the name of
all our countrymen that you have spoken to. . . The
Lord be with you in the name of Jesus Christ.
" Reykjavik, "nth September, 1861.
" Th. Jonasson, Governor.
" H. G. Thordasson, Bishop.
" O. Paalson, Dean and Priest.
\ " J. Hialtalin, Physician.
" Dr. Peterson, Professor of Theology."
In all fifty names.

34 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
A few clays were still left before the probable arrival of
the steamer which would bear the travellers home. For
many weeks Isaac Sharp's thoughts had turned to Utskauler
and some other places on the coast. He now learnt that
on the following Sunday a large number of people would
assemble there from many miles round, on the occasion of the
opening of a new church. He at first feared that the length
of the ceremony might prevent his companion and himself
from having a suitable opportunity for expressing what the
Lord might lay on their hearts. But the priest, a near
relative of the Bishop, most kindly made way for the
Friends, who were thus able to meet with a deeply
attentive congregation of 500 people, probably a larger
number than they could otherwise have met with in a
journey of many days or weeks.
In reference to the opening of the church, the nature
of true worship was freely spoken of : " That it is not
enough to assemble outwardly at one time, and in one
place. ' Gocl is a Spirit, and they that worship Him must
worship Him in spirit and in truth.' Neither will the
offering of prayer avail unless it be the utterance of the
heart." Truly, the Friends found themselves in a unique position
that day, but -surely it was by the will of Gocl.
At the close of the meeting the priest publicly acknow
ledged the visit of the Friends in the name of the whole
congregation. Asbjorn Kloster afterwards said to Isaac
Sharp, " We have had many formidable occasions, and
to-day was not the least."
About sixty meetings were held in Iceland.
The homeward voyage from Iceland was a very stormy
one. Isaac Sharp writes that one night during the danger ex
perienced in a violent gale, he realised the truth of the words,
" The spirit indeed is willing but the flesh is weak." He adds,
" It was a season of solemn review. Myself and my children,
time past and present, and the possible future, or suspension
of the future, were vividly before me ; the littleness of earth

A LAND OF NEGATIVES. 35
and its belongings, and the need of knowing my own will
to be swallowed up in the Divine will was present with
me. A precious watchword was given me : ' Be still and
know that 1 am Gocl ; 1 will be exalted among the heathen ;
I will be exalted in the earth.' In condescending mercy it
was permitted me, humbly and confidingly, to cast my all
upon the Lord for time and for eternity. The day drew
on, and the force gradually abated both of wind and wave."
He would describe Iceland as being a land of negatives.
" No dissent — the religion is Lutheran, no army, no navy,
no prisons, no roads, no inns, no carriages, no trees, no
poultry, no snakes." When writing of two clays travel
without seeing a single house, he adds : " Our road was
over trackless wastes of rock and sand, here and there
charmingly relieved by the wild flowers of Iceland, lovely to
look upon, and strikingly calling to remembrance the late
William Wilberforce who spoke of floral beauty as ' the
smile of Providence.' "
Once more with his beloved family and friends, he writes
of a "precious sense" being granted that over all the
frailty and shortcoming of the last four months, unmerited
love and mercy have been sweetly spread. Peace with
God through Jesus Christ has been, at times rejoicingly, the
clothing of my spirit, with some renewed ability confidingly
to trust in the goodness and guidance of the Great Head of
the Church, and the unfolding of heavenly counsel for any
portion of service, and the order of that service which may
yet remain."
With simple faith he might have used Charles Wesley's
words : " Saviour to Thee my soul looks up,
My present Saviour Thou ! "

CHAPTER IV
" Far and wide, though all unknowing,
Pants for Thee, each mortal breast ;
Human tears for Thee are flowing,
Human hearts in Thee would rest.
Thirsting as for dews of even,
As the new-mown grass for rain,
Thee they seek, as God of Heaven,
Thee, as man for sinners slain." A. C. Coxe.

THREE months in the spring and early summer of 1862,
were spent by Isaac Sharp in a visit to the Faroe
Islands, Asbjorn Kloster being again his companion in
service. On the morning of the 23rd of April, the two Friends
landed at Thorshaven, the capital of the islands, which has
a population of about eight hundred. As the place did not
possess an inn, they found accommodation at the house of
one of the factors. Isaac Sharp writes : " It now became
a matter of serious deliberation how to proceed for the bestf
weather, wind and wave often setting arrangements aside,
however carefully made. The rapid flow of the ocean
currents between one island and another had also to be
kept in view. Sudden squalls often arise with great rapidity,
and the gusts from the mountains render sailing at times
both difficult and dangerous."
Many of the remote districts of these islands, therefore,
only receive a pastoral visit from the appointed minister at
intervals varying from three to six times a year. Meanwhile,
36

BOATMENS HYMN. 37
according to the rules of the Lutheran Church, the portion
for the clay is read to those who assemble in the kirk in each
parish on Sundays, and on some other occasions.
To quote again from Isaac Sharp : "Great is the difficulty
and distress to which these islanders are constantly exposed
in the event of sudden illness or accident, there being at
present but one doctor for seventeen islands, occupying a
space of nearly sixty miles from north to south, and forty
from east to west." His own health suffered a good deal
from sleeping in very clamp beds, a more serious matter than
being often wet and weary when going from island to island
in open boats, or when climbing the fells. Whilst we must
not follow him in his service from place to place, his account
of his visit to the island of Myggennes, the most westerly of
the group, must be recorded.
" With a crew of ten we left Sorvaag in an open boat
soon after 6 a.m. As appears usual when entering on a
hazardous enterprise, the boatmen sang a hymn while yet in
the still water of the bay."
This may remind us of the Breton fisherman's prayer :
" Keep me, my God ;
My boat is so small, and the ocean is so wide."
" The morning," continues Isaac Sharp, "was fine, but on
nearing the island it was found impracticable to land at the
usual place owing to the heavy breakers on the rocky shore.
Our boatmen therefore steered for the eastern end of the island
and entered a little cove under shelter of a few projecting
rocks, from whence our ascent began. After climbing up
some forty or fifty feet, a sloping ledge of rock, barely wide
enough for one at a time, brought us to the foot of an almost
perpendicular ascent where a chain hanging loosely against
the rock but secured at the top and bottom presented the
only means of access to the heights above.
" Two of the boat's crew, accustomed as fowlers to
climb, first ascended, carrying one end of a rope, and my
turn having come, the other end by a secure knot well

38 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
tested was fastened round my waist. In this manner the
ascent of some fifty or sixty feet was made by climbing up the
chain, aided by the men above, who held the rope. The
mountain slope on reaching the top was for a considerable
distance steeper than the roof of an ordinary house. My
valued companion and myself were mercifully preserved
from fear during the ascent, and felt no giddiness, but the
strain on the muscles was great and exhausting. For
nearly an hour we continued to ascend the ridges of the
fell, in some places rocky and steep, and veiled as the mists
of the mountains came sweeping by.
" On nearing the hamlet we met seven men on their
way to the rocky ledges to seek for sea birds and for eggs,
a dangerous undertaking much resorted to in some of the
islands of Faroe. The object of our visit was explained to
them. They told us it was too far for them to go back to
the hamlet, their arrangements for the fowling having been
made, but they were willing to go with us a little space to
the sheltering brow of a hill. This opportunity was
embraced to tell them that although in their employ
ment they were accustomed to dangers which at any
moment might end their earthly course, there is a death
more terrible far than the death of the body, and that it is
a bounden duty to seek a preparation for the life to
come. The men were respectful and listened attentively ;
soon we parted company and journeyed on, they in one
direction, we in another.
" Between n and 12 we reached the hamlet, but the
Kirkevegr, the principal man of the place, told us plainly
there had been service in the kirk that morning already
and he did not care for any more. If the people wished to
attend our meeting they might, though not at his house,
but we were welcome to come in and rest. We entered,
and soon found the wife more favourably disposed towards
us. By degrees her husband softened, and not only pre
pared a room for the meeting, but gave notice to his neigh
bours ; and between 12 and 1 o'clock nearly fifty persons

PERILOUS PATHS. 39
assembled, among whom my companion had an open time,
and subsequently interpreted for me. It was a good
meeting, and the Kirkevegr afterwards warmly and very
cordially acknowledged the visit.
" Some sea birds were boiled for our dinner, which,
with potatoes, rye bread, and butter, a cup of coffee, and a
few biscuits, furnished a refreshing meal. The waves were
still too high to allow of our departure by the usual landing,
so taking leave of the Kirkevegr and his family we set off
on foot over the mountains, conscious in passing along of
the peril which awaited us on reaching the chain.
"The descent, though not easy, was accomplished in
safety. We were soon once more in the boat, and after a
tossing on the tidal waves, which rose and fell with a
majestic sweep, reached Sorvaag about 8 p.m., with a
peaceful sense on our spirits of the providential care
mercifully extended to us in the time of need. Truly, the
promise was again fulfilled, ' As thy days, so shall thy
strength be.' "
During his varied religious engagements in these
islands, which caused much exercise of soul, Isaac Sharp
found the help graciously given him was equal to the need,
and was crowned by the peace of God. But at times he
found it good to remember the lines,
" Where thou canst not draw the veil, ,
Let thy faith and trust prevail."
In one place where there seemed to be the greatest
indifference, some, with apparent sincerity, acknowledged
the visit with thanks. After one evening meeting an
elderly man said :
" I have been here sixty-four years and never heard the
like in this kirk before. God grant His blessing may rest
upon it."
In another place one of the Lutheran office bearers,
who had been cold and distant before the meeting was
held, said afterwards :

40 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
" I have seen and felt the vanity of an empty profession,
and acknowledge the goodness of God in sending His
messengers to bear witness to* the truth."
Most of the meetings were held in the " Rogstue," the
largest room in the house, having an earthen floor, with
benches or boxes on two or three sides of it. But occa
sionally the Friends were asked to make use of the kirk.
This was the case at Videroe. When the Friends left
Videroe, the pastor went down to the water's edge with
them, his wife and little children remaining on the heights
above, after a very cordial leave-taking.
" I shall never forget your visit," said the pastor, " and
shall often remind my congregation of it. May God bless
you wherever you go, and lift upon you the light of His
countenance." " Throughout the entire journey," writes Isaac Sharp,
" we have met with great openness and but little opposition,
although the doctrine of a spiritual life and walk appears
new to many. To outward baptism and the bread and
wine they cling exceedingly, and it is greatly to be feared
many rest therein, not seeing sufficiently beyond. There
is a deficiency of the Holy Scriptures in Faroe, especially
as regards the Old Testament. The New Testament is to
be found in most places, but sermon books and prayer
books bear evidence of being much more read. A form of
religion is strictly observed, but, in too many instances,
without a corresponding life and power. Education is
much neglected except at Thorshaven. Strong drink has
many votaries. In the course of this engagement fifty-nine
meetings have been held, the attendance at which has
rather exceeded one-third of the whole population of Faroe,
computed at 8,000."
In the following year, 1863, Isaac Sharp paid a second
visit to Iceland. He met with much hospitality of a
primitive kind which he was very careful not to over-tax.
One day whilst, by the help of his interpreter, he was
heartily thanking a good-wife, he managed, when shaking

THE SILVER DOLLAR. 41
hands with her, to place a large silver coin on her palm.
He says : " As soon as she felt the dollar she realised all
that it meant. It was like an electric shock ! Up she
jumped, put her arms around my neck, and gave me such a
kissing ! "
During this stay in Iceland he visited the hamlet of
Silfra Stothar and desired to have a meeting with its inhabi
tants. He found, however, that most of them were away
in the fields busy at hay-making. When they came back
they said they should like a meeting if it could be held
early on the following morning. Isaac Sharp and his
companion had to spend the intervening night in a church.
Before the meeting began he was told that a man half-mad
with drink was outside the church, holding an open knife
and boasting how far he could thrust it into anyone if he
wished to do so. During the service this man entered the
church muttering in an ominous manner. Isaac Sharp
spoke to him, quietly asking him to be so kind as to
remember for what purpose the people had come together.
The man took out his knife and opened it. No wonder that
Isaac Sharp says, "It was rather a critical time ; my friend
was interpreting for me, and it was very remarkable that,
without any reference to the intruder, 1 just thought, ' Who
shall harm you if ye be followers of that which is good ? '
Then the man shut up his knife and put it into his pocket
again. He afterwards said, ' I thought they had been
Pagans, but they are all good Christians. If they had been
Pagans, I would have run my knife into them.' " When
Isaac Sharp asked the interpreter what this poor mad
drunkard had been muttering in the church, he was told
that it was, strange to say, a fragment of an old Icelandic
hymn :
" Our Heavenly Father's eye, watchful and ever clear,
Beholds His children loved, and marks each falling tear ;
Support they never lack, nor need they ever fear."
Another Icelandic story he would tell with a good deal
of his wonted humour. From experience gained in his first

42 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
visit it was quite plain that his young relative, Henry
Richardson, and himself should take bedding materials with
them. One night they were to lodge at a house rather above
the style of dwelling they usually met with. They were
kindly welcomed, and, after supper, were shown into the
room which was to serve them for the night. Great curiosity
was manifested by a considerable number of people who
had assembled in the house, as the travellers began to
unpack their air beds and pillows, and to inflate them with
the bellows. These preliminaries completed, the interested
spectators gave no indication that the strangers would be
left to complete the process of retiring in their accustomed
privacy. None offered to leave, and, after a time, Isaac
Sharp, divesting himself of his coat and boots, lay clown to
rest. His young companion, however, had no idea of
contributing to the entertainment of the visitors, but waited
up until one by one the Icelanders disappeared. He then
leisurely proceeded in preparing for his night's repose.
In the meanwhile Isaac Sharp, being in a horizontal
position, could see — what his young friend could not — that
in the ceiling of the room was a large square hole, at
which one after another, till the whole space was filled,
appeared a number of heads owned by the recent onlookers.
Can we not imagine the chagrin of the young Englishman
when, as he at last lay down, he became fully aware that
his plans had been baffled after all ?
But what are such stories without the inimitable
raconteur ? During one of these northern missions we find
him writing in 1861 : " I am sometimes like a child, and
sometimes like a grave old man, and sometimes sorrowful
because I am not like myself."
Isaac Sharp writes : " The occupation of the people during
the summer, when the daylight is continuous, is very close.
No grain being grown, hay is the only- crop for harvesting,
and it occupies the Icelander early and late. On it depends
alike his own life and that of his cattle. . . . The
conviction settled on my mind with deep thoughtfulness

ICELANDIC HOSPITALITY. 43
that a part of my duty, and perhaps not a small part in
this land, would be, as far as practicable, by personal
invitation or otherwise, to secure the attendance of the
Icelandic pastors at the meetings which might be held.
This, to a considerable extent, was accomplished.
" From place to place the attention of the people
was lovingly called to the testimony of Holy Scripture
without, and to the teaching of the Holy Spirit within ;
to the outward sacrifice made in unfathomable love
for the sins of all men by Jesus Christ, and to the inward
revelation of His power ; that, notwithstanding an
outward profession, however fair, if any man have not the
spirit of Christ he is none of His, true religion being an
inward work. ... I believe that it may be said that,
both in public and private, words were put into my mind
with power to utter them ; and that, on a peaceful
retrospect, the Lord hath had the praise."
The pastors were most kind and hospitable to the
Friends, and took great pains to gather the people together.
"The ready willingness," says Isaac Sharp, "by night or
day, to bid us welcome — our arrival being sometimes very
late — has often excited both surprise and gratitude, not at
times without a feeling of thankfulness in the belief that
the way was prepared for us, from place to place, in the
hearts and minds of the people." He believed that the
inhabitants of Iceland would "largely deepen in religious
experience, did they sufficiently realise that in vital
Christianity there is more inwardly to feel than outwardly
to do ; nevertheless their tenderness and tears, in some
instances, have left no doubt of their susceptibility to
religious impressions or of the loving-kindness of the Lord
toward them, whose contriting power has been known as
a very precious bond of union, especially in the domestic
circle." The meetings were usually held in the kirk, and some
times, before the congregation dispersed, the pastor would
thankfully acknowledge the visit.

44 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
" 1 thank you," said one of the pastors, "for the words
you have spoken to this congregation, and desire that they
may be stirred up to diligence in witnessing your care for
them, and the cost and toil in its accomplishment. May
the Lord, who is able by His power in your hours of
weakness to strengthen you and bless you, be with you in
your work, and bring you home in peace."
There were many evidences of God's protecting care,
as the Friends went over the lava fields, travelled through
the wilderness, crossed mountain passes, and forded broad
and rapid rivers. In reference to some of the dangerous
rivers, which it took half-an-hour to pass over, Isaac Sharp
says : " I saw the sand banks which the recent floods had
made, and wondered as I saw ; for the waters had strikingly
abated, and no contrivance of our own could have brought
us so favourably through. Again and again I could
acknowledge, surely this is the Lord's doing, and marvel
lous in my eyes.
" For the passage of the Yokulsa, regarded by some as
the most formidable of the Icelandic waters, two guides
were engaged, father and son, who, side by side, in deep
water, were seeking a passage. The clay had been warm,
and the flow had rapidly increased. We were many miles
removed, and that by a difficult road, from the nearest
grass for the horses, or food and shelter for ourselves and
the men. Aware of our critical position, secret earnest
prayer arose to the Almighty that He would be pleased to
show the guides the way, and enable us to follow them
safely. Speedily they turned in another direction, tried
one place more, and failing, came to the shore, informing
us we could not cross except at too great a risk of the lives
of all. ' But,' they added, ' we will try the YokuL' A way
was sought and found, but not through the roaring river.
The prayer was heard and answered. Across the ice
mountain, from under which the waters flow, our passage
lay. Sometimes down the slopes steep and slippery, and
sometimes traversing the fissures, men and horses, by slow

REMARKABLE DAY OF TRAVEL. 45
degrees, passed on in safety to the other side. The inter
preter said : ' This is undoubtedly the most remarkable
clay of our travel.' "
For some nine clays Isaac Sharp was laid aside by
illness. This was in August, but snow lay on the ground,
and the storm was heavy. There was no fire except in the
kitchen, to which he had no access. He writes :
" Through Divine favour, though considerably prostrated,
there was in these days of tarriance a remarkable freedom
from anxiety."
At Reykjavik he asked for a meeting with the office
bearers and teachers of the College. " The invitation," he
says, " included some of the most learned men in Iceland,
possessing endowments which made me feel very little
amongst them." He addressed them, he says, under a
feeling of deep religious exercise, on the responsibility
resting on those on whom devolved the important duties
connected with the training of the young, on our account
ability to the Almighty for the influence we individually
possess, and for its right employment as respects its bearing
on the present life and on the life to come. . Simply
and cordially many acknowledgments were made of this
token of Christian love.
" There rests on my mind a humbling sense of Divine
goodness, and of the power of the Holy Spirit, under the
quickening influence of which the message of a Saviour's
love, given me to bear in this land, has found an entrance,
I venture to believe, in the hearts of not a few whom the
Lord is seeking to draw into a closer walk and fellowship
with Him. For His. great mercy and protecting care, and
for the blessed privilege of being an instrument, however
feeble, in His hand for good, in deep unworthiness my soul
is bowed in reverence before Him, while preciously
partaking of His love and peace."

CHAPTER V.
And whilst we do Thy blessed will,
We bear our heaven about us still." C. Wesley.

DURING Isaac Sharp's visits to Iceland and the Faroe
Isles, and after his return home, he often believed
that the Lord had further service for him in the far north,
the region of " eternal frost." But we will leave him to tell
the story in his own words :
"Greenland was often in remembrance with an abiding
sense of religious duty, and a strong attraction in gospel
love towards those who have their dwelling on its ice-bound
shores — especially in and around the Moravian Mission
stations. My mind was often under deep exercise. The
call was clear and abiding, yet the sense of the trials
inseparable from the engagement sometimes pressed with
almost overpowering weight. But when the gracious help
of the Holy Spirit, and a settled trust that the Great Head
of the Church had appointed the service were granted ;
and when, through the loving-kindness of the Lord, every
thing outward was brought into stillness before Him, a
calm, precious and deep, succeeded, and my soul was
enabled to magnify the Lord, and my spirit to rejoice in
God my Saviour.
" When the time to enter on the engagement appeared
to have fully come, the gracious words of encouragement
arose in my heart with freshness and strength, 'Behold
I have set before thee an open door.' Greatly to my com
fort, as the time of departure drew near, my dear friend,
46

PANORAMA OF ICE. 47
Harrison Penney, of Darlington, felt constrained, under a
¦sense of religious duty, to surrender himself as companion
in the engagement."
In a letter to his daughters, written during the voyage
to New Herrnhut in May, 1864, Isaac Sharp says in
reference to a fine panorama of ice, " The ocean was
flecked in a wonderful manner by detached portions of ice,
in size varying from a locomotive to a perambulator. Huge
bergs, some near to us and some on the distant horizon,
also claimed our wondering view. One was very near to
us and very beautiful, so varied in its form and shade ; in
one part white as driven snow and apparently as smooth,
in another, the abrupt perpendicular gave evidence of the
glacier from which it had been detached. Toward the top
was a slanting slab-like table of blue ice, finely contrasting
with the dark water of the ocean and intervening crest of
white ; while below, the water-worn crags, as the sea dashed
over them, formed recesses for the cascades which followed
in quick succession. In order to keep clear of the ice it
became necessary to alter the vessel's course. ... At
10 p.m. it is quite light enough to see to read, nor is there
indeed any real darkness two hours later. Our recent slow
progress extorts the wish from Harrison Penney that the
•Constance had a screw-propeller. Paul Hansen (placid
Brother Paul) meanwhile thinks that on long voyages it is
well to have ' a bag of patience.' The wind continues con
trary, but we have no room to complain — far otherwise.
When, in 1859, Ernest Rentril visited Greenland, although
in summer, after having seen the land on a bright, calm
day, a sudden gale arose and carried them out to sea, pro
bationers for other six days ere they landed at Goodhope.
On the 28th, Charles Spindler was early on deck and came
down to my cabin berth, exclaiming with energy, ' I have
-seen Greenland, and it is white with snow.' And so it was,
but the wind was contrary, and we sailed to and fro, unable
to approach, although within about six hours of our haven
if wind and weather permitted."

48 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
The next day was a Sunday and the thirty-ninth day at
sea. It was calm and still, and it was arranged that at
noon there should be a meeting with the seamen. Isaac
Sharp says : " The coast of Greenland was clearly visible
to the naked eye, peaked and pinnacled in gloomy grandeur,
on the margin of a bay stretching as far as the eye could
reach. On the left was a sun-lit portion, bright in its icy
beauty, strikingly contrasting with the sober grey of the
remaining outline under shadow. Suddenly the wind rose
and with it the waves. Before twelve it blew a gale, and
the seamen were summoned out of their warm berths to
climb the rigging and reef the sails ; such is the experience
of a seafaring life, calling to mind the tender sympathy
awakened in the bosom of the tender John Woolman for
those who toil for their daily bread on the mighty deep.
We have often remarked on the captain's uniform
kindness, and the willingness of the men at their work ;
and often, too, have we had occasion to feel the loving-
kindness of the Lord and His watchful providence from
day to day."
It was not until the early morning of the 1st of June
that the Constance was moored in a sunny little cove
wondrously land-locked. " Dr. Rink and his wife," con
tinues Isaac Sharp, "came on board before three in the
morning, thirsting for European tidings, and unable to
sleep for two nights after hearing the ship had been seen
near the coast. About 10 a.m. we landed at the Moravian
Mission Station at New Herrnhut on the forty-second day
of our voyage, a good average passage without any serious
storm. " We were received with much kindness. My certificate
was read, also a kind letter of introduction from a bishop
of the Moravian Church, addressed to the 'Brethren in
Greenland.' The early morning had been marked by
what felt like a preparatory spiritual baptism for the work
about to be entered upon ; tenderness of spirit and tears
succeeded.

SYMPATHY OF MORAVIANS. 49
" We assembled with the congregation in their usual
place of worship. It was a time of deep interest. They
were about to follow to the burial the remains of one who
had exhorted the congregation not long before, and had
passed away after a short illness. Opportunity was readily
afforded for my speaking to the people what lay on my
heart for expression. Paul Hansen interpreted the English
into German, which C. G. Herbrick rendered into Green-
landic. In being thus for the first time present with a
Greenland congregation, I felt greatly contrited. In
reference to the severance which death had made, I
reminded them of that blessed union which survives the
wreck of time, and the duty of seeking after it from day to
day. " In respect to some of these descendants of a heathen
race whom God, who is no respecter of persons, is, I
believe, drawing near unto Himself through Jesus, 1 felt
there was a teaching lesson to my own mind in the power
ful application of the words addressed to Peter, ' What
God hath cleansed, that call not thou common.' As is
customary in that land, owing to the scarcity of wood,
seal skins sewed together supplied the place of a coffin. A
simple bier, with a white sheet thrown over, was borne
shoulder height ; and between two little bays, where the
rocks rise upward from the sea, was deposited in its narrow
bed ' all that the grave could claim.' Having thus mingled
with the mourners, we passed away and could not but feel
it a touching and instructive scene. Over each grave is
raised a little mound of stones and moss and sod."
When Sunday came, the travellers went on board the
Constance, the Danish Government vessel in which they had
sailed to hold a meeting, which Isaac Sharp thus describes :
" The morning was fine, and the men assembled on the
deck of the vessel, which lay at anchor in a sheltered cove *.
the captain, with the first and second mates, were also
there. The solid bearing of the hardy seamen, their folded
hands and quiet demeanour, evinced their interest in the

50 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
object of our coming together ; nor were they, I believe,
insensible to the pleadings in prayer on their behalf, uttered
in their own language by Paul Hansen in the fulness of his
heart. After a short silence the men took their leave of us
respectfully, our interpreter hastened to the morning
gathering of the Moravians at New Herrnhut, while
Harrison Penney and myself, under shelter of the lichen-
covered rocks, held our little meeting together, and could
thankfully believe that the Lord was near to own and bless us.
" In the afternoon a deeply interesting meeting was held
with the Mission family of New Herrnhut, increased also
by the arrival from Umanak of I. J. Schneider and his wife.
C. G. Herbrick, the senior missionary, has been for more
than thirty years a labourer in Greenland. He and his wife
have had to part with their clear children, who have been
sent to Christiansfeldt for education. A precious covering
of Divine love was graciously spread over us. My heart
was much tendered in being with and feeling for them ;
and under the power of the Lord, words spoken in love
were, I believe, received in the love in which they were
offered." In a letter which Mr. Schneider wrote to Isaac Sharp
on his return to Umanak he says, " I send you the kind
remembrance of myself and family, who with one heart
wish you the Lord's blessing and His assistance in your
journeying. We deeply regret not to see you at our place,
but feel very thankful, my clear friends, for having seen you
at New Herrnhut. We feel it a blessing and encourage
ment, and renewing of our strength, to see and feel how
deeply the Friends in England share with us in our Mission
labour. Bear our best thanks to them. We commend our
selves and our Greenlanders to your remembrance and your
prayers. Your visit will never be forgotten. May our hearts
be united in love to each other and to our dear Saviour
till we, through His grace, may be with Him for ever."
But to resume Isaac Sharp's narrative. " The following
morning we rose at four and left for Lichtenfels, one of the

LICHTENFELS. 5 1
Moravian settlements, eighty miles distant. We were pro
vided with a skin boat and seven female rowers, with a man
to steer. The water-line outside the frail bark could be
distinctly seen within, the transparency of the skin sufficing
also for its ready transmission of the ocean tint of green.
Toward evening the fog became so dense as to obscure the
land. For a time our position amongst the icebergs was
one of thoughtfulness, but a sheltered resting-place for the
night was at length discovered on a low-lying, uninhabited
island, where our tent was set up ; on tightening the ropes
of which about eleven o'clock at night they were found to
be covered with ice."
After a little work by the way, Lichtenfels was reached.
"Here," says Isaac Sharp, "an opportunity presented for
entering into near sympathy with our friends whilst
witnessing some of the trials and privations incident to
missionary life ; nor have 1 often felt more deeply the
privilege of mingling sighs with those whose situation was
calculated to draw them forth."
But the sympathy was, in a spiritual sense, a very
practical one, and calculated to cheer the faithful mission
aries and uphold their hands. Of his religious interview
with the mission family, he says : " I believe we were
made sensible of the nearness of heavenly good, to the
tendering of our hearts before the Lord. The sever
ance and isolation of Greenland Mission life is great. A
sense of it was much on my mind, with a glimpse of the
glory beyond to those who endure, and ability was granted
for utterance among them in the power of a Saviour's love.
After the interview J. W. Wellner said :
" ' We feel and own what has been expressed, and desire
it may be fulfilled. Our light afflictions which are but for a
moment, are not worthy to be compared with the glory
which shall be revealed. Our little ones we give up to the
Lord, feeling that Christ hath died for them, and that He
is able still to bless and keep us, although there are many
things other than we can desire. We labour in the precious

52 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
feeling that from among the Greenlanders, God is gathering
immortal souls to Himself in glory. Forget us not in your
prayers before the Lord for we are united in spirit in
Him.'" Once when Isaac Sharp was addressing the congrega
tion at New Herrnhut, when a number of the young were
present, the burden of his message was conveyed in the
words : " Be steadfast in your love to Christ and follow
Him. Gocl hath sent forth the spirit of His Son into our
hearts, and for this we are accountable to Him. Time was
when Greenlanders had never heard the name of Jesus. In
the love and mercy of our heavenly Father it is not so now ;
pray ye that heathen Greenland may not rise up against
you in judgment. Live with Christ while here on earth
and you will live with Him in heaven. So shall it be well
with you now and for ever.
" On the 21st., the longest day, came a winter-like
change. It snowed at intervals, with the wind contrary.
On the 24th the clouds were dense with snow ; the waves
dashed over the ice and rocks and the roar of the wind was
like that of mid-winter. Time passed on ; daily we gazed
on an impenetrable barrier of ice which interrupted for
miles the exit of the ship. To tarry at a mission station
week by week and have comparatively little to do was a
new experience. After the lapse of nearly a month thus
spent, while walking alone among the rocks, pondering over
our detention, the length of the way, the time, the cost, and,
humanly speaking, the smallness of the service, all was
speedily absorbed and preciously too, as the query addressed
to Joshua sprang up in my heart with freshness, ' Have not
I sent thee t ' A refreshing sense of the Saviour's love and
power was also near, and I went on my way rejoicing in
Him." When able to make a start, after another visit to Lichten-
fels, Lichtenau was reached with difficulty, and at mid
night. A conference then took place as to the best mode of
getting to Friedericksthal.

A SKIN BOAT. 53
" It was about three before we settled to sleep. At half-
past four we rose, and at this critical juncture were enabled
to commend ourselves and the cause in which we were
engaged to the tender care of the great Shepherd. At half-
past seven we left in a small skin boat. In the evening
contrary winds set in, and as we passed from the islands
toward the open sea we discovered that the entire fiord had
become full of ice. The tide was ebbing, notwithstanding
which, icebergs and drift-ice were steadily flowing in, urged
by the wind, against the stream. The noise of these masses
clashing together was incessant, precluding all passage for
a frail boat of skin. Up to this point my faith had been
strong that it was the good pleasure of our Divine Leader
to carry us through to Friedericksthal ; 1 thought I had seen
it and felt it so clearly. Cautioned ere we started to beware
of the flowing in of the ice, we all concluded, perhaps too
readily on my part, that the course of safety pointed to an
immediate return. After lingering awhile we did so, and
continued our travel to Lichtenau through the night."
After public engagements there, when the Sunday after
noon arrived, Isaac Sharp thus describes a meeting which
the Friends held with the Mission family, including three
visitors from Igcllorpite : "After a time of silent waiting on
the Lord and under some precious sense of help in time of
need, they were addressed under an animating sense that
the Lord Jesus is the Head of the Church and of each
individual member alive in Him, although we have this
treasure in earthern vessels and need continually to crave,
' Be Thou exalted, O Gocl, above the heavens, let Thy glory
be above all the earth, etc.'"
He was on that day interpreted for by M. Warmow,
a Moravian Minister, who said on behalf of himself
and those present : " We thank you from all our
hearts for the visit you have paid, for we have felt the
presence of the Lord in the hours we have spent together.
When you return to your own land, greet your friends in
our name and say we desire the continuance of your

54 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
prayers, and that to the end of our clays your visit of love
and encouragement will be remembered, with prayers on
our part that you may be strengthened, and we may be
strengthened, as disciples of the same Lord, to exalt the
power of His grace and to glorify His name."
On the following Sunday a meeting was held in the kirk
after a call by appointment on the Lutheran pastor. Several
hundred Greenlanders were assembled, and Isaac Sharp
believed that the message given him was from the words,
" God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten
Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but
have eternal life," and " If ye love Me, keep My command
ments." When the meeting was over, the pastor, who
had interpreted, said, " I thank you for the words you
have spoken. Coming from the heart, I have no doubt
they went to the hearts of the Greenlanders ; they did to
mine." "The next morning," writes Isaac Sharp, "we accepted
the pastor's kind invitation to breakfast, after which, his
wife and sister being present, parts of the 2nd and 3rd
chapters of Ephesians were read, and the family was
addressed on the need of daily dwelling near to Christ,
and seeking the guidance of the Holy Spirit ; and the desire
was expressed for the pastor, that in all his ministrations
he might seek for Divine unction, and be thereby enabled
to minister in its heavenly power, etc."
Another week passed by, and our traveller writes of
how his heart was heavy for many clays with regard to the
unaccomplished visit to Frieclericksthal. "The possibility
of still going there flashed across my mind with power
yesterday, and it deepens to-day. It was so especially
whilst waiting upon the Lord in reference to it this morning.
But the vessel has been ready for sea for nearly a week,
and only waits a fair wind to clear away the ice, which
wind may come any clay. Humanly speaking, in the event
of going to Frieclericksthal the probability of escaping a
winter in Greenland is very small." Such was the record

FRIED ERICKSTHAL. 55
written at the time. At a later date he says : " I craved to
be strong in faith and clear in view whether to go or stay.
If the former, I could but see that a journey of eight clays,
which, by sudden and not unfrequent accumulations of ice,
might easily extend to as many weeks, was every way
serious and quite unwarrantable under the varied relations
in life, save as the clearly revealed will of Him ivho ruleth
over alli'
On the other hand, the portion of service unfulfilled
rested as a dark cloud interposing as a veil between my
spirit and the precious peace I have been so often privileged
to know, in the prospect of rendering to my friends the
details of the Lord's gracious dealings, of His forbearance
and His love while seeking to know His will and to follow
Him. An awful sense passed before me of the sovereignty
of the Almighty as the great Disposer of events, and that it
becomes not the followers of the great Head of the Church
to say, when His will is made clearly known, ' What doest
thou ? ' Nevertheless the intensity of the struggle, language
fails to tell. The feeling as of rending and severance from
home and home ties, the fear of being mistaken in a matter
entirely at variance with the ordinary balancing of things,
coupled with an ardent longing to return to Europe, were
before me with almost overwhelming weight. Again
retiring to my tiny cabin to seek counsel of the Lord, tears
came to my relief, followed by a precious sense of love to
Christ ; and this I felt could not be a delusion of the enemy.
The surrender was made, preparations speedily followed
for the journey, which, amid deep feeling, was marked from
clay to day with calm and settled trust.
" Six days sufficed for the visit to Friedericksthal, during
part of which we sat for hours in a skin boat amid
continuously driving snow ; a similar journey has been
known to occupy as many weeks, and it appears worthy of
note that the missionaries of Frieclericksthal had returned
home from one of their fiord voyages only the evening
before our arrival."

56 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
After describing the visit to Frieclericksthal, he con
tinues : " Our situation in this journey was often critical,
but we were mercifully enabled to await the issue with
composure, and at length to rejoice that the return
voyage was accomplished in safety. On reaching the
Constance the captain was absent, having gone on a trip
to ascertain the condition of the ice. He returned the
same evening, and early the following morning a fine wind
sprang up, the' first for several weeks. By the hour of ten
the rocky shores of Greenland were fast receding from our
view. The trial had now passed, and to it succeeded the
ability, while humbled under the sense of the loving-
kindness of the Lord, ' to triumph in His praise.' . . .
The heartfelt prayer breathed in Greenland rises again :
' Thy mercy be on all the past, O Lord, for Jesus' sake.' "
His words may remind us of Longfellow's lines :
" And evermore beside him on his way,
The unseen Christ shall move,
That he may lean upon His arm and say,
' Dost Thou, dear Lord, approve ? ' "
In 1865 Isaac Sharp went on a Gospel Mission to
Labrador, accompanied by Edwin Pumphrey. Of this
journey the former says :
" Probably few religious visits have been paid which
have involved so many miles of travel, in order to visit so
small a company as that composing the little band of
Moravian missionaries, thirty in number, on the extreme
north-east of North America.
" On the eastern shores of Labrador are four Moravian
Mission Stations, the only direct communication with which
occurs once a year, when the Harmony is despatched from
London with supplies for twelve months, an opportunity
being thus also afforded for the transit to and from Ger
many of the missionaries, their wives and children.
Through the care of an ever-watchful Providence, a com
munication has thus been maintained for a period fast
approaching a century, during which, amid varied perils

MORAVIAN HYMN. 57
and, it is believed, in answer to many prayers, the vessel
has been brought safely into port. When the Mission of
the Moravians was commenced in 1764, unmitigated
heathenism prevailed. Notwithstanding the rigour of the
climate, some of the missionaries have been spared to
labour in that land for thirty, thirty-five, and even forty
years. Occasional visits to Europe have taken place, but
there is an instance of recent date in which one and twenty
years have elapsed in unbroken severance, during which
time once a year, and only once, could tidings be trans
mitted or received with any considerable degree of
certainty. " Severance, perhaps for life, from their children, who
are sent to Europe for education or for medical care,
involves a surrender, the full extent of which the tenderest
human sympathy may fail to reach."
Isaac Sharp's sympathetic words may remind us of the
hymn : " Now we must leave our fatherland,
And wander far o'er ocean's foam ;
Broken is kinship's dearest band,
Forsaken stands our ancient home.
" But One will ever with us go
Through busiest day and stillest night ;
The heavens above, the deeps below,
Stand all unveiled before His sight.
" If but His hand still hold us fast,
His presence hourly fold us round,
The anchor of our souls is cast
Firm on the one eternal ground.
" Though scattered be our brethren now,
O'er land and ocean far apart,
Yet to one Master still they bow,
To Him they still are one in heart.
" Soon time for us shall cease to reign,
The Saviour calls us home in peace ;
At last we all shall meet again,
And partings shall for ever cease."

58 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
After his reference to the separation of parents and
children, Isaac Sharp continues :
" These, with other privations and trials of faith and
patience, were often before me, as a part of the work of
faith and labour of love, on which there is good ground to
believe that the Divine blessing continues to rest, alike as
regards these labourers for the Lord with their devoted
wives, and the Esquimaux among whom they dwell.
" To such a people my heart felt strongly bound, with
an unwavering belief that the great Head of the Church
had, in condescending mercy, called me by His grace to
bear a message of love and sympathy to these far-off
labourers in His great harvest field."
When he had been about a month at sea he writes :
" After a squally and rolling night, our little sanctuary of
three yards square became, through the Divine favour, a
banqueting house. The banner over us was love. And in
a precious sense of the nearness of that dear Saviour, in
whose name this labour of love has been undertaken, tears
of chastened joy flowed forth with humble thankfulness for
a sense of the nearness alike of His presence and His love,
with ability to look forward calmly and confidingly to the
period to be spent on the shores of Labrador."
Isaac Sharp describes the Esquimaux as being literally
the unwashed, but he was impressed with the propriety of
their behaviour when in a religious meeting. He says :
"There was no stirring nor turning about to see who was
the last to come in, no whispering among them ; and when,
under the preaching of the Gospel, I saw a tear trickling
down one cheek, and a tear trickling down the other, there
came home to my heart, and I have never forgotten it, the
words, ' What God hath cleansed, that call not thou
common.' "
One poor old Esquimaux woman said, " I could hardly
sleep at night for thinking of the love of those who have
come so far to see us."

ESQUIMAUX TESTIMONY. 59
In reference to a Sunday he writes :
" The work for the clay, and the order of it, was before
me at early morn with considerable clearness. We
assembled with the Esquimaux and the Moravian brethren
at nine at their morning gathering. My mind was brought
under a deep feeling of religious exercise ; nor was it at my
own command that neither the Litany in a strange tongue,
the hymns, or the organ, disturbed or distracted. I sat
beside the brother who had kindly interpreted. When the
usual time for dispersion had come, the Esquimaux congre
gation sat perfectly still. They were reminded that soon
we expected to leave their country and to see them no more
on earth — of the happy land where God's clear children
dwell never to part, and that to be prepared for an entrance
there should be the chief care of our lives."
On one occasion when the members of the Mission
families were gathered together, the Senior Missionary
said : " We wish you to feel that we are very thankful for
your visit, and for the ability by which you have been
enabled to speak, not only to us but also to the Esquimaux.
We shall never forget the time you have spent here. We
feel that we are united together in the Lord."
At another time, after Isaac Sharp had finished an
address to about 280 Esquimaux, one of the number, a
" helper " of the congregation, arose.
" From our very childhood," he said, " we have been
taught what to do and what not to do. But we have been
too much like foolish children in forgetting. We pray the
Lord to help us. We thank Him that He has sent you
to us, and though soon we shall see each other no
more, we shall remember the words you have spoken.
We hope you will get well home again, and that you will
tell your friends that we send to them our greeting."
Then he turned to the congregation.
" Speak you not the same ? " he asked.
"Ahila, ahila-tai, mai-law-lee," was the hearty affirma
tive response of many voices both of men and women.

60 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
" It was," says Isaac Sharp, " a beauteous eventide for
our last farewell of O-kak ; and as we communed with our
friends in the cabin of the Harmony, there was a precious
feeling of near fellowship. A cordial acknowledgment was
once more made by the brethren of the visit they had
received : ' It has been a time of much encouragement to
us, nor will your visit soon be forgotten either by ourselves
or by the Esquimaux. They have already spoken together
about it, and expressed their desire more closely to follow
the Lord. Pray for us and on behalf of our people, and
for our isolated mission work. Tell your friends of our
desire to remember them, and to be by them remembered
for good before the Lord.'
" We took our leave of them, and saw them no more.
Early on the following morning the Harmony left the bay,
and on the ioth (of September), narrowly escaping ship
wreck on the rocks during a heavy gale, entered the Bay of
Hebron, the most northerly station of Labrador."
Isaac Sharp was much interested in observing the
"working out of daily mission life with its multitudinous
and varied claims, among a people needing to be watched
over in a prayerful spirit." He had a religious interview
with a "helper brother" and three "helper sisters" —
natives who came in the dimness of twilight — with one of
the Moravians for interpreter. " Their unrefined exterior,
singular costume, and features of peculiar mould could
scarcely fail to strike the eye of a stranger. Preceded by a
little pause of silence, they were addressed on the blessing
of being in any way helpful in bringing souls to Jesus.
Tears were shed, and they all appeared to listen seriously
to the entreaty that they would seek for strength to walk
watchfully and wisely before those who might be looking to
them for example."
" I acknowledge all you have said," was the response of
one of the helper brothers ; " my heart has been warmed
by the words you have spoken, as before the Lord, and 1
hope to have them in remembrance. We are very thankful
for your visit."

WHAT GOD HAD WROUGHT. 6l
Again and again Isaac Sharp was told how no one had
ever come to strengthen the hands of the labourers as he
had done. He writes : "The language, 'Return unto thy
rest, O my soul, for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with
thee,' awakens the deep response, ' To God, only wise, be
glory through Jesus Christ for ever, for that which He hath
wrought.' "

CHAPTER VI.
" Lord, wilt Thou teach us our intense individuality in Thy
sight." — Isaac Sharp.
" Lives like Isaac Sharp's are an inspiration to those yet in
the thick of the fight, or in the morning of life with all its
possibilities open to them." — William Thompson.

T

SAAC SHARP'S personal appearance will be easily
X recalled by those who knew him. He was short in
stature, but it was his bright and intelligent countenance
that absorbed the observer's attention. Words, written in
reference to another good man, well describe it, particu
larly when for awhile the strain of the service he so much
loved was laid aside in congenial society : " His expressive
features were illumined with the commingling of the joy,
human and divine, his heart possessed." Not that we
would imply that he ever seemed to feel his loyal service to
his Lord a burdensome thing.
One of his oldest London friends, J. Bevan Braithwaite,
says, " Time after time he would walk from Tranter's
Hotel into my breakfast room with that beaming smile
upon his face which was in itself a sermon, and which
answered to that peace within him that passed all under
standing. The testimony of his preaching was emphatically
not to himself but to his Lord."
Another of his friends has remarked that he was
" possessed of very considerable imaginative power in the
best sense of the word." He had much playful humour,
and young people enjoyed intercourse with him as much as
their older friends did.

" A LAWFUL GLOW." 63
We recall in recent years a tea table where the good
minister and his host capped one amusing story with
another, but, be it ever borne in mind, the kindliness of the
man was more apparent than the humour. Never, in
public or private, have we heard him speak unkindly of
anyone. This kindliness was shown even in a few minutes'
chat with the little child in Cornwall — whose father was to
be his companion in religious service in the Isles of Scilly
and afterwards in Norway — as he asked her the names of
her dolls, leaving a pleasant memory which long years
cannot wear out :
" Kind words, so short to speak,
But whose echo is endless."
His happy buoyant nature could generally see the
silver lining of the darkest cloud. His universal courtesy
was also a marked feature in his character. He was skilful
in changing the current of conversation when he saw no
advantage in expressing an adverse opinion, or had formed
no decided view of his own on the topic. Everywhere,
both at home and abroad, he avoided controversy.
As we read in the current number of The Friend, the
following remarks in reference to the late Anna Maria Fox,
we feel how truly they would, with the mere change of
pronouns, apply also to Isaac Sharp, " The source and
spring of this beautiful life was felt by all to be the love of
God shed abroad in her heart by the Holy Ghost. Rejoicing
herself in a simple faith in the truths of the Gospel, the
catholicity of her spirit was remarkable ; and though
deeply attached to the principles of our Society, her large
heart embraced humanity, and recognised what was of God
in every creed and profession."
In his old age, away in a distant land, after an allusion
to "glorious" weather, he goes on to say: "Surely it is
well to get hold of every bit of anything that has a lawful
glow upon it."

64 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
How much he brightened the lives of others as well as
his own by his readiness to gather up all rays of sunshine
during a life whose pathway was crossed many a time by
the shadow of sorrow and suffering ! There seems to be
something suggestive in his use of the word " glow," as if
all truly bright and pleasant things in life, however small,
were illumined from above.
His voice was musical, and his arrangement of words
was at times characteristic of his poetic temperament,
whilst free from any trace of straining after effect. For
him habitually to express himself, when speaking in public,
in just the phrases that others did, would have been un
natural. But the words he used were generally very simple
ones, flowing naturally and easily from a heart brimful of
its winning message of a Saviour's love, and power to save
from the penalty, guilt and dominion of sin. He loved,
too, to set before others the joy of willing-hearted service
and loyal obedience to Christ.
One who knew him intimately for fifty years writes :
" He was always a favourite with those in the office with
whom he worked ; kind, courteous, loving, and pure in
heart, he made no enemies. Quick and intelligent in busi
ness matters, he was sanguine as to results. There can be
no doubt that in the early stages of the growth of Middles
brough he was a very useful man, and many of his schemes
for its development proved successful. His warm interest
in Great Ayton School no doubt much aided the progress
of that institution. I always had a high appreciation of his
pureness of heart. There was no guile about him. His
sermons were full of love and faith. The faith of his
latter life was most remarkable. The guidance in
which he trusted never seemed to fail him. His
visions came clearly as to what was required, and he
followed them. Some doubted. I should have doubted
myself, except I had had faith in his faith, in his love for
his fellow men, and his desire to serve God in his day and
generation."

INTERCESSION FOR ALL. 65
In turning over the leaves of his voluminous diary, it is
touching to notice the frequent references to illness and
suffering. But, as he said in one of his letters, " Enduring
grace, the grace of endurance is mercifully granted me."
In another letter, after writing of an unexpected delay
of four hours at an English railway station, he adds, " But
the time was not made more wearisome by unavailing
regrets." In a letter to a young Friend, we find the following
remarks : "Satan seeks to enter in at any chink he can dis
cover, and to beguile either in height or depth, or aught
beside. But we are not ignorant of his devices. Better,
however, by far, to be too much cast down than to be too
much exalted. But better still to repose in the love
and mercy of our Father, whose sympathy for the
least of His saints is inexpressible and exhaustless. And,
do not forget, we are all called to be saints. May this be
thy watchword, ' Ye are complete in Him.' When in any
wise cast down, be it thine and be it mine to flee for
deliverance to the Mercy-seat.
" The crucifixion was quickly followed by the resur
rection and ascension of Jesus, Who ever liveth to make
intercession for us — that is for thee and me, and those who
are dear to us, yea for all. So let us be of good cheer,
seeking to realise the monition, ' Abide in Me.' Satan
becomes powerless when Christ is all, and it is written,
' Their righteousness is of Me, saith the Lord.'
" As for the future, we have the gracious promise, ' As
thy days, so shall thy strength be,' and this embraces all,
body, soul, and spirit, so be of good cheer. . . .
" If the Great Apostle desired ¦ the prayers of His
spiritual children, well may we adopt the language, ' Pray
for us.' Farewell."
Isaac Sharp much liked a little piece called " My
Prayer," and quoted a few lines from it in the lecture,
" Incidents of Travel in Many Lands," which, in his

66 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
ninety-first year, he delivered at Devonshire House,
London, three months before his death :
" Let me not die before I've done for Thee
My earthly work, whatever it may be ;
Let me not leave my piece of ground untilled,
Take me not hence with mission unfulfilled.
Let me not die before I've done for Thee
My earthly work, whatever it may be."
When he first read these lines as a newspaper cutting,
they much impressed him. As regarded himself, the prayer
seems to have been abundantly answered.
" Be not too anxious for seeing fruit," he said one day ;
" receiving the seed from the Lord, scattering it for Him, it
cannot be in vain. There will be fruit, whether you see it
or not. When God gives you a gentle intimation to do
something for Him, do it, and do it at once. Do it in
humility. Be blessed and made a blessing."
A propos of these remarks, we quote the words of a
writer of the present day, who is " strongly impressed with
the conviction that no human being is capable of judging
with respect to the worth of work done in his own age and
generation. Subtle consequences, working below ihe
surface, are often far more weighty, far more lasting than
the most approved 'results' following immediately upon
certain efforts."
Once in a large meeting, Isaac Sharp alluded to the
great good that , might arise from more of manifested .
cordiality amongst Christians. "Why is there not," he
said, " more of this Christian greeting on meeting and
parting, on the part of the friends of Jesus ? Why so little
of encouraging one another in the ways of God ? How
few lay themselves out to be strengtheners of the brethren.
Jesus is seldom on the lips, because the heart is not full of
Him. We are not lights in the world, because we keep
not in the sunshine of the Saviour's presence."
Once, when separated for a time from his companion
in religious service in Norway, he remarked in a letter to

LESSONS IN THE SCHOOL OF SUFFERING. 67
his dear friend Harrison Penney, " Two weeks ago to
morrow I awoke in Hammerfest alone — yet not alone —
though with a feeling of untold isolation."
His loving, sympathetic interest in his relatives and
friends is a marked feature of his large correspondence.
Thus we find him sending across the ocean these cheering
words to an anxious mother : " Young mischief, if only
it gets afterwards into right grooves, works up into good
stuff ! And such thoughts may well fill a mother's heart,
as she yearns over those whom Gocl has given to be trained
' in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.' I have faith
in a mother's love and a mother's prayers."
In another letter written before starting on his long
last mission journey, he says, " My clear love to B. For
herself and for me, I believe it will be best to accept a
paper fareivell, yet with it goes a literal sigh."
Amidst the perils and service of South Africa he writes
to some friends undergoing deep trial, " It may be a
comfort to you to be reminded of a few words of George
Fox : ' The Light, the Power, the Truth, the Righteous
ness, did it ever leave you in any weather, in any storms or
tempests ? ' "
The keen physical suffering he sometimes underwent
served with him to enlarge the power of sympathy. In a
letter to a nephew he says, " Taught in the school of
suffering, I feel deeply for those who are called upon to
endure. Those nights and days in Norway may not be
forgotten. It sometimes felt as if I could understand
more than ever before, the sufferings of a groaning crea
tion." A lady in America, who had been his hostess, and
whose husband had given him professional aid, alludes to
his brightness even in illness, and remarks, " His wonderful
sympathy made many of us feel that he was our special
friend." " He was so real " are the words of another, when
speaking of how much at home he was with young people,
" and his intercourse with them was full of ease and

68 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
happiness." " The joy of the Lord," says another Friend,
" was his strength indeed, and his life was full of joy such as
we could not but long to enjoy also. The young could see
by his life what a happy thing a Christian life may be."
Prominently on one of the' pages of his diary stand out
the words : Domino mens nixa quieta est.
The mind on Gocl supported is at rest.
Motto of Isaac Penington.
In a letter to an intimate friend he says : " When the
cup is full to overflowing, whether of joy or sorrow, if the
overflowing be as in the presence of the Lord and unto
Him, a blessing is in it. Ever be this blessing thine."
With children he was a favourite wherever he went
and in all stages of his life. For the album of a mother in
North Carolina he wrote the following verse :
" Came not the mother o'er the hills to bring
Her tender little ones to Christ the King ?
He loves the children, who was once a child
So good and gentle and so meek and mild.
Who gave His life for them and for us all,
Thus to redeem from sin and from the fall.
He folds His lambs, He careth for His sheep,
And we should crave of Him our souls to keep.
Lord of the sparrow and the seraphim,
He loves that little ones should come to Him."
A relative writes : " My recollections of him extend over
about forty-five years. The feeling that perhaps first comes.
to mind is that of his brightness. That he had his times of
depression, I only know by hearsay. He was intensely
sympathetic, entering into the interests of young and old.
My child of ten looked forward to his visit in his ninetieth
year, just as I at the same age looked for his visit in his
fiftieth. Young and old were never tired of listening to
him, and they alike felt him to be a true friend. With any

HIS INFLUENCE AND SYMPATHY. 69
one in suffering he was very tender. His keen sense of
humour made him always attractive to children, but his
humorous stories and his good advice were admirably dove
tailed. From my childhood he has always seemed to me
to be continually acting under a sense of divine guidance,
and to have felt the Master very near to him. I have
known many good and lovable men, but have come across
no one who appeared to have less of human weakness about
him than he seemed to have. Probably in business affairs
he was too trustful of other men, too sanguine as to results
and consequently too speculative.
"With all the plainness of his attire there was often a
spiciness about his outward appearance. He was very
particular in these things. Careful and methodical as he
was in rendering accounts of moneys entrusted to him, he
was free and liberal in his own expenditure especially when
others benefited by it. His accounts rendered to the Meet
ing for Sufferings* are models. Never at a loss as to how
to get out of a difficulty, never appearing to forget a matter
of real importance, he would lose umbrellas and gloves, and
was conscious of a weakness in this direction. Many
correspondents have written to him most gratefully as to
his loving influence and kindly help and -sympathy under
very varied circumstances. I find how much his character
comes out as I read these appreciative letters, so diverse in
interest and the standpoint of the writer. I was much
interested in reading a letter from one whose breadth of
thought would have alarmed many. I do not suppose he,
[Isaac Sharp], agreed with all that his correspondent wrote
by any means. Yet the writer felt that he could fearlessly
unfold his views to him. . . . People of very different
temperament were equally sure of his sympathy."

* The standing Executive Committee of the Society of Friends which retains the
significant name it adopted in the seventeenth century during the cruel persecution of
Friends. The name is not inappropriate at the present day as plans for the relief of
almost world-wide suffering are considered by this committee.

70 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
When Isaac Sharp was about the age of sixty he met
with losses and complications in his private business affairs
which caused him the keenest anxiety, and led to his
winding his business up, disposing of all assets, and paying
his creditors. But he never recovered the position of com
parative ease in which he had previously lived. He left
his pleasant home, " Dairy Knoll," near Middlesbrough, and
henceforth had no settled abode of his own. He resided
for some time with his daughter and son-in-law, and after
wards with his brother and sister Dunning, and, later still,
with his widowed sister, Priscilla Dunning, at Broadstairs.
For a while he seemed well-nigh crushed by this blow,
brought so low indeed that death would have seemed a
welcome visitor. How amidst all this he could have
carried on his labours as a minister is a marvel. As years
passed by, he realised more fully than was possible at first,
that this overwhelming trial led to the detachment
necessary for the wide service that lay before him.
In reference to this trial the relative last quoted from says :
" There can be no doubt that he had placed confidence
in some person, or persons, who proved unworthy of it.
He had probably embarked in too many schemes for a man
absorbed in business on the one hand for the Pease family,
and often away for months together on religious service. I
have alluded before to his sanguine temperament, most
useful to him throughout life, and yet tending to foster a
speculative spirit. It should not be inferred from his
business difficulties that he was not a business-like man. A
man of business he was in many ways essentially. He was
ready of resource, fond of experiment, had always a wide
grasp of things, and also a knowledge of detail ; to the last
he was receptive of a new idea. He was an excellent
accountant, and very accurate in any accounts he had to
render as a trustee, or as a travelling minister. He kept up
his character for this to the last, and was most anxious to
do so, notwithstanding the labour involved. With his
industry I am more and more impressed."

DAIRY KNOLL, MIDDLESBROUGH.

VISIT TO FAIR ISLE. 7 1
But whilst Isaac Sharp could accomplish so much
himself, he did not forget that others of less constitutional
power and of different nervous calibre would easily break
down under over-pressure.
Thus, when writing from the East to a correspondent
who had alluded to strain ever on the increase, he says :
" Is there no remedy, no lessening, somehow, of the over
burden ? Do not forget the simile, ' the last nutmeg breaks
the camel's back ' ; only, the camel is too wise when over
weighted to carry the burden till a part of it is lessened !
So 1 gather in this land of camels."
One who knew him intimately in his later life says of
Isaac Sharp : " Quick, active, of ready contrivance, and
with deft fingers, he would sometimes indulge in impatience
at sight of clumsiness or awkwardness in others, if he was
in a hurry and was delayed by these untoward displays.
But on such occasions he would speedily atone for his
momentary aberration by a kind word, an apology, or a
grateful expression of thanks. . . . The cheerfulness
with which he usually met every trial and adapted himself
to changed surroundings was one of his most striking
characteristics, and conveyed to those about him a beautiful
lesson of Christian fortitude and resignation.
" Of his perseverance in overcoming difficulties his
whole life bears testimony. When travelling on a religious
mission with his friend Barnard Dickenson, about 1846,
they felt called to visit Fair Isle, situated mid-way between
the Orkney and Shetland Isles. There was no direct com
munication with that solitary spot, and it was with some
difficulty that a small vessel was found going in that direc
tion. She was a sailing vessel engaged in the whale or
seal-fishing industry. The cabin in which Isaac Sharp
slept was so foul with the smell of the oil that the silver
watch in his pocket was blackened with sulphureted
hydrogen. Next morning the two Friends walked through
the corn-fields of the island on their way to the little
church where they were to hold their meeting, and the

72 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
springing corn may have suggested the text of the address
which was first delivered. Some of those who were present
seemed impressed by the words spoken.
" Fifty years afterwards, when on his death-bed, it was
Isaac Sharp's privilege to learn, through a letter to The .
Friend, published in its issue of 21st of First Month, 1897,
that a life-long blessing had resulted to one individual at
least, from attending the meeting held there.
" He had a good memory for names and faces, which
was a fortunate circumstance in one who travelled so much
and was brought into contact with so many people. The
interest which he took in the affairs of others, temporal as
well as spiritual, his readiness to listen to details, and to
impart counsel, and the clearness with which he would
remember such details and subsequently inquire about
them, even to the last week of his life and in the midst of
physical suffering, were striking evidence of
'A heart at leisure from itself.'
" His devotion to old friends and colleagues was
evinced in the way he preserved all memorials and recol
lections of them ; inanimate things connected with them
often carefully put away and reverently cherished ; mosses
gathered from a grave, leaves or flowers plucked in a
garden on the clay of some happy meeting ; letters, scraps
of hand-writing, even copies of minutes or accounts, were
among the many memorials of the loved and departed
found carefully labelled and put away among the posses
sions which he left behind him. Mingled with these were
also simple mementos of remarkable places he had visited
in company with others, stones picked up on sea beaches,
pebbles from the rivers of Palestine, relics and curios of all
kinds from many lands. Many of the latter were given him
by valued friends whom he met with in the course of his
missionary travels, and as he was eager for all kinds of
geographical and ethnological knowledge, none of these
came amiss to him.

NOT QUICK AT BOOK-LEARNING. 73
" He told me that he was never quick at book-learning.
He learned no language other than his native tongue.
Through life he was eager to acquire knowledge, and his
interests were very wide, but he was more ready to acquire
that knowledge which comes by observation and experi
ence than the lore which is gained from books. He was
removed from school at the age of fourteen, as was the
custom in those long-ago days, in the case of those intended
for a business career.
"Through life he was much addicted to dabbling in
medicine. This desire to experiment upon himself with
new or favourite remedies was not unfrequently a source
of embarrassment to physicians and nurses. He used to
tell with great gusto of how he treated a poor man's cow
and brought it back to life, after the veterinary surgeon had
declared it was impossible for the animal to recover ; and
he would especially dwell upon the astonishment of the
cow doctor as each morning he put his head in at the door
to enquire, 'Well, is that cow dead yet?' to find it still
living and even improved in condition.
" All through life he was as faithful in reproving wrong
as he was careful not needlessly to wound the feelings of
others." The following extract is from a letter written in the
summer of 1890, when heart, head and hands must, in one
way or another, have been occupied with the prospective
long mission journey, and is very characteristic of his
genuine and practical sympathy. The note was written to
the daughter of one of his early fellow-labourers, who, when
having occasion to write to him while in the North of
England, had alluded to indisposition. He writes : " I lost
my voice in Africa, and recovered it in two hours by the use
of the eucalyptus leaves. I cannot offer these, but the
accompanying eucalyptic oil is worth trying. It may help
the throat and chest too. Thou wilt, I hope, realise the
loving sympathy which accompanies it. Stay indoors one
whole day rather than imperil further service. Body, soul,

74 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
and spirit all need watching, and is not the spirit of the
Lord gently saying, ' Fear not, for T am with thee,' sweet
word of solace in all circumstance and change." Then
follow clear directions on inhalation.
Very varied is the interest of his correspondence. Im
one of his letters he refers to " Trust, that grandly impres
sive and emphatic word. Sometimes, when there is no-
immediate present need, the clear Lord does not let us see
far ahead. What about The Faith, or its fruit, were it other
wise ? A precious heaven-sent lesson encircled me to-ciay
in a wide embrace, in a sweet reminder of the words,
' Cast thy burden upon the Lord.' He would not have us
bear it all alone, whether visible or invisible. Moreover,
herein we perceive the two-fold part, my Lord and I ! "
In the middle of another letter he exclaims, " What
next ? Why, that monkeys talk to each other, and man
has undoubtedly caught their language ! Meantime,
down deep in the heart of man is that of which the
monkey knoweth not, a yearning inexpressible which
nought but the love of Gocl and the revelation of His Son
can satisfy, as made nigh in the blood of Christ."
An old friend of Isaac Sharp writes of " the aptness
with which he was enabled to call up from the store-house
of his memory some incident or anecdote by which to
illustrate what he had to speak about. In this way he was
successful in riveting the attention both of young and old,
whether in a private circle of friends or before a congrega
tion or audience. Wherever he went, he seemed to carry
with him the power of an enlivening, inspiring presence,
animating many a solitary or drooping fellow-pilgrim
labouring in far away lands or nearer home. 1 have
received numerous letters from abroad making mention of
his visits and their effect. Moravian missionaries from
Labrador and Greenland have told us, even after the
lapse of a quarter of a century, of his cheering words and
presence.

AN OLD CROYDON SCHOLAR. 75
" Old Captain Linklater, the commander of the Har
mony, the Moravian Mission ship, with tears in his eyes
related to me many years after, some of the incidents of the
voyage in which Isaac Sharp was his passenger en route for
those lands of ice and snow, where his visits came as a
streak of sunshine amongst those devoted messengers of
peace and goodwill to men. The worthy old captain
wound up his remarks by saying, ' If ever there was a man
of God in this world, it was Isaac Sharp.'
" In Africa and elsewhere, the Moravian missionaries
cherish lovingly the remembrance of his visits, and when
ever I have met with companies of the Moravian brethren,
which has frequently been the case, there have been
numerous inquiries about him. His visit of two years
amongst our own members in the Australasian Colonies
endeared him greatly to them. Entering, as he did, into
sympathy with them in their various trials, their hearts
were drawn out towards him as a messenger from the
Lord ; and lasting impressions for good have followed in
the wake of this truly pastoral visit."
A resident of Molino, Florida, an old Croydon scholar,
writes : " How well do I remember as a boy the visit of
this good man to our schoolrooms and to the meeting
house, the powerful preaching which we, as children,
listened to with a feeling of awe from one whom we recog
nised as a great traveller in Iceland and the North of
Europe. It had been long years since I had heard of Isaac
Sharp, but I, with many others, dropped a tear after
reading ' Last Days of Isaac Sharp, by B.G.,' in The
Friend. The words of the apostle may well be repeated :
' I have fought a good fight ; I have kept the faith.' "
The testimony of Professor Magnusson, of Cambridge,
to Isaac Sharp's character is of interest. " Isaac Sharp
was, within my experience, the most perfect type of a true
Christian. To me, who knew him for more than five and
thirty years, his life never presented itself under any other
aspect than that of saintliness. To begin with, he was a

76 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
Nature's gentleman of as perfect a type as ever could be
met with. In his heart I never could trace the least
element of bitterness. He abominated evil, but he did it
from an overflowing love for good, from a deep sense of
sorrow at seeing the ideal of good disfigured or mutilated.
His heart was as generous as his character ; his moral con
stitution was noble. In his whole personality there was
nothing but what was lovable and attractive, nothing but
what ennobled by contact. . . . With a son's devotion,
I clung to this noblest of Christ's knights from the day we
first met until the end, and in memory I continue to do
so still." In 1869 Isaac Sharp acted as companion to James
Owen, an American minister, in his religious service in
Norway. Three years later he visited the meetings
of Friends in the south and south-west of England.
In 1873 he was again engaged in religious service in
Norway. Here he was taken dangerously ill in December,
and it was not until the following April that he could
be carried in an ambulance to the water's edge for
embarkation. He passed over the North Sea when it was
calm, not a common occurrence in spring, as, with his thank
ful spirit, he did not fail to note. He was nursed in the house
of his brother-in-law, John Dunning. His physician and
friends had but little hope of his rallying, but he saw wide
fields of service before him. William Jones, to whom he
was closely united in the bonds of Christian fellowship,
and who was for some years his neighbour and partner
in business at Micldlesbrough-on-Tees, thus writes :
" Sunderland, 29th October, 1897.
" Our houses being situated near each other facilitated
much social, friendly intercourse, so that our relations were
those of most intimate friends. I well remember his
return in 1874 from a religious visit to Norway in a
very suffering condition. On several occasions I found him

A VISION OF THE FUTURE. 77
prostrated by pain and want of sleep, the result in part, no
doubt, of the actual cautery which had been applied to his
back. Though very weak in body, he was strong in faith.
No murmur ever escaped his lips, but in his own bright
and cheerful manner he would say : ' There can be no
doubt about my being in my right place here,' meaning in
bed at his own home, which was then at the house of his
brother and sister Dunning. Fearing that he was growing
weaker under his protracted sufferings, I one day spoke
sympathizingly to him, gently intimating that it might be
the will of his heavenly Father to take him from his bed of
sickness to Himself. The reply he gave me, after a pause
of some length, was uttered in brief sentences with
impressive intervals between. After the lapse of so many
years I cannot pretend to give his very words, but
having regard to his extremely prostrate condition, the
spirit of his communication was so deeply impressive, that
I cannot, as long as memory lasts, fail to remember the
essence and substance of it.
" ' O my dear friend,' he said, ' my Lord has shown me
whilst I have been laid on this bed of sickness, that He has
yet much work for me to do, and that I shall be raised up
to do it. He has shown me clearly a prospect of service at
Cape Colony, including visits to the mission stations in the
far interior. Thence to our Friends' Missions in Mada
gascar. After this, extensive service awaits me in each of
our Australian Colonies and in New Zealand. I have
further seen that the mighty Pacific Ocean must be crossed,
and that I am to enter the United States of America by the
' Golden Gate ' of San Francisco. The work before me
there includes not only the meetings of Friends, but also
the various missions among native Indians, the Negro
population, and the far-off missions in Mexico.'
" It is now matter of history that Isaac Sharp was raised
up in renewed health and vigour to circumnavigate the
globe in the accomplishment of the service which he fore
saw on his sick bed.

78 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
" What was to myself most remarkable in all this was
not so much that a man over seventy years of age should
undertake and successfully complete so large an enterprise
— one calling for much physical strength and endurance —
but that by the faith that was in him he was able, months
if not years beforehand, to outline with exactness the
extensive service before him, which life and strength
-were given him to fulfil to the lett,er. May it not indeed be
that the very strength of his faith, as ' seeing Him who is
invisible,' constituted the secret of the rare vitality which
so often kept him up when journeying ' in perils oft ' and in
times of dangerous illness."
There were four months of suffering in his own land.
In the following December he was well enough to be once
more in London, and then went to the far north of Scotland
on religious service. Subsequently he was brought very
low by three attacks of jaundice, and to the lookers-on
death appeared imminent.
An allusion to this long illness has been made in our
first chapter as preceding the largest service he ever under
took, which occupied seven years. The summary of
this journey was so scanty there, that a fuller account is
due to the reader. But before Isaac Sharp entered on it,
he went with Allen Jay and Robert Doeg to Denmark,
Minden, and Norway, and also accompanied Rufus King
in some religious service on the European Continent.

CHAPTER VIL
"I want, I want, I want the Christians to go all over the world,
•spreading the glad news." Almost the last words of Reginald
Radcliffe."

IT was in 1877 Isaac Sharp started on his seven years'
mission, his companions then being Theodore Harris
and Langley Kitching.
" I pray it may be in all humility that 1 am sensible of
being entrusted with a high commission," he wrote from
South Africa, the country first visited. " The guiding hand
of the Lord has surely brought us here. How great is the
mercy of being able to tell of perfect health and strength !"
At Wellington, Isaac Sharp and his companions were
the guests of Andrew Murray,* pastor of the Dutch
Reformed Church, whose name is now so widely known
and loved in England. A meeting for worship was held
at Wellington on the evening of the arrival of the Friends.
As it was thought that most present would understand
English, no interpreter was provided. An elder of the
Church who was present said in Dutch, in reference to
himself and two other elders : " We could not understand
what was spoken but we felt the power." Andrew Murray's
remark was : " For six Sundays past I have been preaching
to my congregation on the power of the Holy Spirit and
His teaching, having felt my mind drawn to do so."
Isaac Sharp was interested in Andrew Murray's earnest
•efforts for the religious education of the young residents in

« Author of " Abide in Christ," " The Spirit of Christ," "With Christ in the School of
Prayer," etc., etc. Jas. Nisbet and Co. 79

80 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
South Africa. The American teachers in the numerous
high-class schools for girls had been trained at the college
founded by Mary Lyon, at Mount Holy-oak, U.S.A.
At Worcester, the Friends had a hearty welcome from
William Murray, one of the four brothers of Andrew
Murray, who, like himself, are ministers of the Dutch
Reformed Church. His brother, James, is a farmer
in the Transvaal. In reference to the Murray family,
Isaac Sharp writes : " Their right hand of fellowship to us
has been most cordially extended in their places of worship
and out of it."
At Stellenbosch, Isaac Sharp and Theodore Harris held
a meeting with professors, teachers, students and scholars ;
Theodore Harris offered prayer, and Isaac Sharp called the
attention of the theological students to the sending out of
the disciples by our Lord without purse or scrip, and yet
they lacked nothing ; great seriousness and deep attention
were manifested by the students. The Friends dined at
Professor Nesthling's, whose wife is a sister of Andrew
Murray — all whose sisters are either the wives of ministers
or are themselves holding important posts in educational
establishments in Cape Colony.
The writer has seen a photograph of the dignified, white-
haired Mrs. Murray, surrounded by her eleven grown-up
sons and daughters. She was married at the age of
seventeen. Her son Andrew loves to tell how when she was
once asked what had been her plan of bringing up her
children, she answered, " I had no plan." The secret, he
realised, lay in her own close walk with God. Theodore
Harris writes : " With such men as the Murrays, Neethling,
Hofmeyr, and Marais guiding the training of the sons and
daughters of families scattered all over this colony, what
may not be expected of South Africa. I wish my lame
pen could do justice to all we have witnessed." In
Professor Neethling they found a "feeling, faithful, and
fluent " interpreter in the meeting held in the evening in the
Dutch Reformed Church.

VISIT TO CAPE TOWN. 8 1
It had been the practice at Cape Town for many years
for ministers of different congregations to meet periodically
for prayer and social intercourse at each other's houses.
The Friends were invited by a clergyman of the Church of
England to one of these meetings held at his house. The
guests assembled at 8 a.m., fifteen in number. The clergy
man made a few introductory remarks in reference to the
Friends' visit to Cape Town and the service that lay before
them in South Africa. With much Christian kindness
he expressed the desire that their way and work might
be guided and blessed by the Lord. His prayer was
earnest in tone and large hearted in sympathy. After a brief
pause Isaac Sharp knelt in prayer and was followed by an
Independent minister, " whose gift in prayer and its
utterance," writes the former, "is of a striking character."
The next to engage in prayer was the Wesleyan superin
tendent minister, who for more than fifty years had served
the Lord in India and elsewhere. He earnestly besought
a blessing on the labours of the Friends and that the power
of the Spirit of Gocl might be with them in their journeying
and service for Him. Sir David Tennant, Speaker of the
House of Assembly, followed, writes Isaac Sharp, "in
reverent, humble, devout supplication, in words fitly spoken,
seasoned with heavenly grace. . . Much harmony of
utterance prevailed,- A deep solemnity was present. . . .
Then came the morning repast, with a flow of agreeable
conversation, without a trace of stiffness, moulded albeit
with a sense of the object of our coming together, and by
the presence of the Master. An opportunity was embraced
for saying a few words before we parted."
The Friends gave a return breakfast when nearly twenty
were present, who afterwards enjoyed religious fellowship
together. " By this shall all men know that ye are My disciples, if
ye have love one to another."
Amongst the engagements at Cape Town were a
meeting in the Wesleyan chapel ; visits to the hospital, to

82 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
the convict station, and to Robben Island, where the lepers,
the chronic sick, lunatics and convicts were visited,
inspected, and addressed ; the Ladies' Home, the Kaffir
College and several schools were also visited.
" Robben Island," writes Isaac Sharp, " had been on my
mind and heart before landing on the African shore.
One of the convicts, a Dutchman by birth, and of superior
education, interpreted for us fluently. He spoke a few
earnest words at parting : ' The Lord bless you, the grace of
God go with you wherever you go.' . On the kind
invitation of Lady Frere we took lunch at The Vineyard
with herself and family-. Sir Bartle Frere is still absent in
the disturbed district near the frontier."
Early in 1878 Isaac Sharp writes : "The time absorbed
in arranging for a long journey in this land is only to be
learnt in the school of experience. War, drought and
pending famine cast their shade over the borders of the
land whither we are bound. We know not the issue, but
we are enabled to look upward with lowly confidence and
quiet trust, and to commit our way and our all to the
Lord." Two clays later they set out on their long and toilsome
journey. The merits and demerits of oxen, horses and
mules had been freely talked over. Mules were decided
on — eight for the four-wheeled conveyance and four for the
baggage cart. All attempt to lessen the number proved
fruitless. On leaving Cape Town, unsolicited letters of
introduction were given to the Friends from the Colonial
Office, from Bishop Jones, from the Auxiliary Bible Society,
etc. Mr. Thompson, the Independent minister, kindly
rode a short distance with them, and they much enjoyed
his company. Referring to the drought and the war, he
said : " The cloud will be lifted if it be right for you to go,
and if not, the Lord will open some other way." The first
stage brought them again to Stellenbosch, and once more
they were entertained at the Dutch parsonage, where
professors, teachers and students were invited to meet

rtrfm

IM%^^S iv

k-S**'-*

i* i'-(L

¦r>..- ..¦^••*;is^'''v .^ V^v .

MODE OF TRAVELLING IN SOUTH AFRICA.

WITH MULES AND TENTS. 83
them. It was ii a.m. before the company separated after
a time of prayer.
" The visit you are paying," said Professor Neethling,
" comes with freshness. Had it been from a body more
nearly akin to our own, it would have been less striking."
The travellers were now joined by Charles Henry Radloff,
a theological candidate, as interpreter and travelling
companion. "At 9.45 a.m. we set out," writes Isaac Sharp, "on a
journey of excessive jolting, and arrived at French Hook
about 5.30. The pastor was absent, but the elders of the
church soon arranged for a meeting. The bell was rung,
and about 200 assembled, a remarkable gathering at so
short a notice. Of ability mercifully granted for ministry
and prayer there was no lack. The silence was a silence
of solemnity, and at the close of the meeting the elders
were cordial in their thanks.
" Our tents were outspread on the common, the
mountains were around us ; baboons were heard among
them. The nights were chill, as nights in South Africa are
wont to be. We breakfasted next morning at the house of
a well-to-do farmer and enjoyed a cordial welcome. After
reading and prayer I paid a visit to the daughter of our
host as she lay ill of a fever, a little visit bright in the
retrospect. " We walked up the French Hook Pass to ease the
mules. The views were grand, Norwegian-like for scenery,
and from the heights we looked clown with deep interest
on the secluded vale, the early home of the French
refugees. Having gained the summit, we outspanned on
a grassy slope with a girdle of mountains around us.
Langley Kitching's eye was quickly arrested by the wild
flowers and their beauty, as indeed it well might be on
account of their variety and profusion. Toward evening we
reached Villiersclorf, and were cordially welcomed by F. L.
Cachet, by birth an Israelite. The next morning a company
assembled in his chapel. He was exceedingly kind, and

84 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
said in reference to our meeting : ' If you had known every
word of what has been said for weeks you could not have
followed it up more closely. It is the Lord. O what a
blessing ! It has been greatly refreshing. We are glad to
have you here, and I acknowledge it on my own behalf,
and on behalf of the congregation.' He kindly bore us
company a few miles, and then near the banks of the
Sonderen River we parted in much love."
A welcome awaited the Friends at 7.30 p.m. at
Genadendal, the oldest of the South African Moravian
mission stations, where about 3,000 people of a mixed race
are more or less intimately associated. In reference to the
Sunday morning meeting Mr. Radloff, the student who
was the Friends' interpreter, remarked : " The best meeting
we have had." The Moravian station at Elim was also
visited, and loving parting words were spoken : " I have
only one regret, that you cannot stay with us longer. A
good impression has been made."
A few clays later the convict station of Tredouw Pass
was visited and a considerable time was spent with the
prisoners. Mr. Radloff read from the third chapter of the
gospel of John. Isaac Sharp and Theodore Harris then
addressed the prisoners, some of whom were under sentence
for life. Then Isaac Sharp knelt in prayer. He says :
" It was a solemn time. We are thus brought into
communication with some of the degraded and suffering,
and our hearts are moved for them. We did not seek this
kind of service, but it has opened up for us, we venture to
believe, under Divine guidance."
At George Town the travellers were most kindly
welcomed by Mr. Muller, the minister of the Dutch
Reformed Church. He conversed with Isaac Sharp about
his coming to South Africa, and the latter gave him a little
outline, as he says, of "his first mental sight of Table
Mountain," and of his Norway illness and recovery. Mr.
Muller read his certificate for service.

STRONG IN FAITH. 85
" Do you expect to do all that ? " he asked half
incredulously of Isaac Sharp, who was now in his seventy-
second year.
" Yes," was the reply, " if the Lord give me length of
days and strength for it. My. going about from place to
place is in the exercise of faith. Thou knows, as much as
1 do, what I may have to say to the people."
" I have not faith for that," said Mr. Muller, " but some
times when I have prepared a sermon my mind has been
led off in another direction, following which I have been
blessed." Mr. Muller alluded very cordially to the Friends' mission
journey, and the good likely to result from it. " It is
so refreshing," he said, " it will be a blessing to the colony."
Archdeacon Fogg called on the Friends and very
heartily expressed his desire for a blessing on the work
before them. At Avonteur they were kindly entertained
in the house of a private family, with whom after breakfast
there was, writes Isaac Sharp, "a sweet season of
exhortation and prayer. Our young friend C. H. Radloff
also poured forth a prayer with thanksgiving for the
unnumbered and unmerited mercies of the Lord: 'O
Lord Jesus ! except as engrafted in Thee, we are nothing,
and have no power, for Thou alone art the way and the
truth and the life. So we ask of Thee, O Christ, more life
— more life ! Amen.' "
A most interesting time was spent at Willowmore, where
the pastor, George Murray, and his wife, the former a
brother of Andrew Murray, gave a double welcome and
heartily promoted the object of the visit. " Then came,"
writes Isaac Sharp, "the inevitable farewells with the assur
ance from George Murray that our visit had been ' a time
of refreshment, never to be forgotten,' and so we parted in
love. Many memories which come welling up are just
crushed out for lack of space. . . Whilst Theodore
Harris has been laid by, Langley Kitchingand 1 have visited
the mission stations of Bethelsdorp and Enon. We shall

86 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
miss our dear friend Theodore Harris greatly, but no doubt
springs up as to the course he is about to take. He would
willingly have remained for a season, to spend and be spent
in this southern clime ; but guidance having been earnestly
sought, peace is permitted to rest on the anticipated issue.
To use his own simile ' we have been borne along as on the
top of a wave ' ; and having reached Port Elizabeth, he is
able to regard it as a goal, and in the loving-kindness of
the Lord departs thence on his homeward way, thankful,
restful and trustful."
Again he writes : " We parted company with our friend,
Theodore Harris, at the end of the jetty, whither we had
gone with him through an African pour-down, at which
many rejoiced, for the like had not been witnessed for two
years, during which the drought had been heavy on the
land. The boat which bore a beloved fellow-labourer away
was quickly out of sight. But what a change ! four of us
had travelled on together for more than two months, daily
sharing the successive changes of a pilgrim life, and now
the broken band was reduced to Langley Kitching and
myself, our able interpreter, C. H. Radloff, having judged
it for the best to return to his studies."
In a letter written a few months later to Mr. Radloff,
Isaac Sharp says : " Africa is soul thrilling, and wide in its
wonderful claims on love and sympathy — years might leave
it unexhausted, if life were young. There is a guidance
profitable to direct in the path of wisdom and safety. Be
this both thine and mine ; ever the more, the more we seek
it, surely it will be." Plans and arrangements now required
remodelling. The baggage cart and four mules were
offered for sale. One driver deserted, the other absented
himself without leave for thirty-six hours. Isaac Sharp
quickly saw that this difficulty, like many others, was over
ruled for good. Two new men were engaged, one of whom
spoke English far better than did the two previous drivers.
On a Sunday spent at Prentice Kraal a little company
assembled twice in the dining-room of the hotel. No

THE MURRAY FAMILY. 87
regular service was held at this place, and Langley Kitching
encouraged the people to endeavour in the future to meet
for public worship, a suggestion that was well received. A
feeling of solemnity pervaded the meetings. At this
place the Friends were told that the Kaffirs in that part
were only waiting for tidings of success to join those
already in rebellion. By expert foot-runners from station
to station news can be conveyed 180 miles in twenty-four
hours, the speed of the swiftest Kaffirs being that of a
good horse.
About this time we find Isaac Sharp writing of " another
hot day of travel and dust breathing ; eyes, nose, throat,
head, and chest all came in for a share, and not a small
share either, as hour by hour the clouds of impalpable
powder proved irresistibly penetrating. . . . We
reached Graaf Reinet, and were kindly met on the door
step by the pastor, Charles Murray, who bade us welcome
to the parsonage."
Of the Murray family Dr. Moffat says : " Happy family !
I was well acquainted with them and their late father."
Isaac Sharp writes : "We have met with five of the sons,
all in the ministry, and three daughters, the wives of
ministers of the Dutch Reformed Church. I sit side by
side at table with this sunbeam mother, and love to share her
company. I inquired after her grandchildren, and how
many they numbered, and quickly came the outspoken
response :
" ' Seventy.'
"These wonderful Murray s have exerted a powerful
influence, and are still exerting it, educationally as well as
ministerially." Isaac Sharp then describes a Sunday at Graaf Reinet.
" Breakfast at 7.30, preceded by a hymn and Psalm xl.,
after which Charles Murray knelt in prayer for ' help and a
blessing on those who shall speak to the people to-clay ; for
the brother who for the first and last time should address

08 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
them, and for the guidance and power of the Holy Spirit.'
. . At 1.30 he took us to the Sabbath School ; over
300 present, a lovely sight. The teachers and the scholars
were commended to the Lord in prayer, with an earnest
craving that this school might be a training school for an
immortality of life and joy. At 3.30 the congregation
assembled in usual course. C. Murray kindly gave me a
portion of time which was occupied in exhortation and
prayer, faith being the burden of the exercise of my mind,
that faith wherein there is victory through our Lord Jesus
Christ. Like his brothers, Charles Murray proved to be an
excellent interpreter."
The evening meeting was the largest which Isaac Sharp
had seen in South Africa. It was held with the congrega
tion of the Dutch Reformed Church. He writes: "Charles
Murray gave out a hymn and offered prayer in Dutch. The
meeting was then left open for me. After a brief silence, I
read the 22nd chapter of Revelation, and then explained
the mode of worship among Friends. After this came a
hush and stillness over the whole gathering. With much
freedom and with felt power I was helped to speak for
about three-quarters of an hour, and after a pause, knelt
in prayer. Brief silence followed, and then I felt best
satisfied to say, ' Our meeting is now near its close, and I
can feelingly say, in the words of the last verse of the Book
of Revelation, The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with
you all. Amen.' After a time of social intercourse and
family worship, we retired peacefully to rest with a thankful
sense of the mercies of the day."
The labours of the following day were closed by a
meeting held, at the request of Isaac Sharp, with the object
of reviving the Graaf Reinet Bible Association, which was
effectually done, and a collection made of £8 12s. 9d. Isaac
Sharp and his companions had been frequently thus
engaged. On that evening, Episcopalian, Wesleyan, Dutch
Reformed Church, and Independent met together. Mr.

A TEMPESTUOUS NIGHT. 89
Murray was much pleased that such a meeting should be
held, as he had long desired it.
The coloured people were not forgotten, and Isaac
Sharp was much interested in visiting a chapel bought and
paid for by themselves and managed most creditably. The
openings for service at Graaf Reinet had far exceeded his
expectations. "At length came the farewells, and it felt
like parting with old and valued friends."
" In South Africa," he continues, " day at sundown
rapidly yields to the darkness, especially with a cloudy sky
overhead. Farmhouses are few and usually far between.
At 5.30 p.m. we saw one not far off. The weather was
threatening. If, on application, we failed to obtain accom
modation for the night, a dark outspanning awaited us ; so
my tent was promptly set up. Langley Kitching preferred
to use the wagon rather than erect tent No. 2 in the dimness
which already enshrouded us. With the fuel collected in
the gloaming, a fire was made and the kettle boiled with
all speed. By this time we could scarcely see the slices of
ham in the frying-pan. Alas ! in the hurry of the moment,
one portion was hopelessly surrendered to the dust. A
board served for a table. We were just ready to sit clown
when a few premonitory drops of rain fell in our midst.
The moon was obscured. A while after this a thunder
storm, long anticipated, began its course and continued
through the night. From time to time the little tent was lit
up with flashes, being momentarily filled with light. The
pealing thunder right overhead, crack after crack, was
solemn in its effect, for I was sensible of a manifest inward
vibration, as the words came forcibly before me, 'The
earth trembled and shook,' and with them also the quieting
assurance, ' The Lord reigneth.' Down came the rain in
sheets, and the bed of the rivulet near, from whence the
evening before Langley Kitching procured dry wood for
fuel, now resounded with the rush of water in its course.
It was just the night for a sheepskin kaross, which proved
to be an excellent wrapper ; and that the tent poles bore the
strain was cause for thankfulness.

9° LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
" In the morning we rose soon after six o'clock and
breakfasted early. The storm had passed away, but in our
minds was left a deep impress of its reality. In the tent,
Langley Kitching and 1 read together the 16th of John, and
then our heartfelt thanks rose up to our Father for all His
mercy and His watchful care through the past night, and
in our journeying. A little before nine we set off. The
chariot wheels dragged heavily along, now and then six
inches deep in mud. Our progress was very slow, under
two miles an hour at times ; so about half-past three we
drew up at a roadside hostelry, Zuurpoort by name, over
5,000 feet above the sea-level. The landlord gave us some
hints as to our mules and mode of travel, and warned us
very decidedly of our need of two or four more."
Again after giving an account of religious service at
one or two places, Isaac Sharp writes : " Shortly after dark
we reached Verborgen Fontein, but found no encourage
ment to stay, there being no fodder for the mules. We
waited for the moonlight and then set off again for Stirk
Fontein, where we outspanned, and by the light of the
waning moon, within an hour of midnight, sought for sticks
to kindle a fire and boil a kettle, having previously set up
our two tents in the wilderness. The thermometer stood
at 45 degrees next morning after sunrise. ... In
several directions over the extended plain we saw herds of
springbok. There were many hundreds apparently.
They are fleet of foot and bound high and gracefully.
Langley Kitching killed a cobra about five feet long. It
raised and flattened its head and was ready for mischief.
The sun had gone down behind the mountains as we
halted at the roadside farm of Matjes Fontein, where a
homely family in a kind and simple manner bade us
welcome, and did their best to entertain us for the
night." Writing a week later of the sandy and toilsome roads
and very slow progress, with Kuruman still a hundred miles
distant, even Isaac Sharp admits that there was a call for

" A TERRIBLE THREEFOLD MURDER. 91
the " exercise of both faith and patience." He was
pleased to find at one halting place abundance of water
and good grass for the mules, and sat clown with his friend,
free from anxiety, to partake of tea. Meanwhile, the dis
contented mules disappeared, and the moonlight search was
made for them in vain. On the following clay two of them
were found ; as eventually the other six were, although
they had strayed forty miles on their way back to Cape
Town. The Zulu War was now impending, and all South Africa
was in a state of unrest.
At the remote station of Kuruman, Isaac Sharp and his
companion, as stated in Chapter I., were kindly entertained
at the Moffat Institution by Mr. and Mrs. Mackenzie, and
whilst there, heard of the terrible threefold murder at
Daniel's Knil. Mr. Burness, a merchant and an officer of
the government, together with his wife and brother were
shot dead in cold blood. "A thrill ran through us," writes
Isaac Sharp, " as we listened to these terrible tidings, for
on our way hither we called at the house of J. J. Burness,
and received from his wife a present of white bread and
eggs, a simple but valuable contribution toward the com
fort of our journey. We shook hands with all three and
had a cordial invitation to lodge for a night on our return,
should we pass that way. . . . Our dear friends at
home, will not, I trust, be anxious about us. Through
Divine grace and mercy, my path of duty appears plain.
The watchward given me when this concern for religious
service was laid before my friends —
' Forward and fear not,
Let thy faith be firm,' —
is with me still. Meanwhile, great excitement prevails at
Kuruman, and the residents there are removing their
furniture and goods, and coming up here for safety, in fear
of an onslaught from a band of lawless marauders. We
look on it as a storm already past, although entertaining

92 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
little doubt that the blood-stained plot of Daniel's Knil, so
fearfully executed there, was intended to embrace Kuru
man and other places. Walking by faith and not by sight
I came to Kuruman, and surely it is of the loving-kindness
of the Lord that we passed Daniel's Knil in safety, and
were brought hither just at the time when in their hours
of proving, not knowing what a clay might bring forth, we
were able to sympathize with our missionary friends, and
unite with them again and again in commending ourselves
and one another to the Lord. While earnestly desiring
to move onward we could not leave our friends in the
midst of the looming uncertainty of a darkened atmo
sphere. "The natives here, 1 believe, are quite loyal. At the
Scripture reading, last evening, John Mackenzie knelt
in prayer, the spirit of prayer being spread over us. He
had previously read the 91st psalm, the 9th and 10th verses
of which were felt to be sweetly in harmony with the calm
and quiet of a peaceful eventide. His prayer was blended
with thanksgiving for all the mercies vouchsafed to us.
Then came a tender pleading for the misguided people
now abroad in their work of wickedness ; and for us
' bowing here at Thy footstool, and for Thy servants and
ministers, and teachers, grant Thy help, O Lord, in these
hours of sifting, and of Thy mercy bring us out as gold
tried in the furnace.' After this we sat by the wood fire
on the hearth till past midnight, unconscious of the rapid
moments as they passed."
A week later, in a letter to J. B. Braithwaite, Isaac
Sharp writes more gravely with regard to danger : " My
valued companion, Langley Kitching, and I have sought
this morning to know our Heavenly Father's will, and
believe that in going by way of Motito towards Moseo-
pototo, and possibly to the station beyond, we are under
the putting forth and gracious guidance of the Lord
Jesus. But I would not withhold that the way is perilous,
and may be so for many weeks ; and only in the humble

" THE SEAL OF THE GREAT KING." 93
reverent belief that the seal of the Great King is set upon
it, dare I go forth in the direction now foreshadowed, and
to which I feel so deeply bound.
"The season of the year is favourable and the climate
healthy. Lions are few and rarely seen, and from our
fellow men, however fierce and lawless, there is safety in
the keeping of our Father, and herein is my trust. 'Yea,
I will trust and not be afraid.' Remember us for good."
In a letter, he playfully remarks : " They sometimes
smile and say that 1 am proud, and will not submit to put
on the old man. Then comes another smile as I agree
to the verdict and add, 'Yes, and but for a spice of this
you would not have seen me in Africa.' "

CHAPTER VIII.
" Shall Britain to remotest parts
Transmit her sins alone,
And not engage with eager heart
To make her Saviour known ? "

" Even in lands like India and China, which are so far civilized,
and where there are great philosophical systems of religion, what
awful perplexity andbewilderment about life and its issues there are!
And how amongst the women of these great lands there is a
suffering that makes the very brain reel. And if that be so in
countries like China and India, what is one to say of a country
like Africa desolated in savagery ? It is easy to read of it, but
unless we have imagination, we miss what lies behind the
words . . Apart from the spiritual aspect of the missionary
enterprise, it is far and away the greatest philanthropic enterprise
on the face of the earth to-day." — G. H. C. Macgregor, M.A.
IT was on the 31st of May, 1878, that Isaac Sharp and
his companion started on their hazardous journey.
On the following clay he writes : " A sort of panic
prevails at Motito as at Kuruman— -an undefined apprehension
of an unknown something. There appears to be a lawless
band abroad, and the vicinity of Motito is a favourite resort
for the secretion of stolen cattle. At one o'clock we unyoked
our oxen. They betray a strong propensity to roving —
stray away in preference to grazing quietly and have
to be closely watched. The road is heavy with sand ; our
mules would have quailed under the burden and we are
glad to have oxen instead, but it does seem strange that
two cavalcades should be moving in opposite directions —
the missionary and his family fleeing from the place at

" INTENSE ISOLATION." 95
which we expect to lodge and spend to-morrow. Starlit
winter nights when the wind blows freely are chill for our
open air evening meal."
The following clay was Sunday and although the pastor
was away the natives met as usual, and about ninety people
were present. Isaac Sharp says that " the whole effect
and the impression it conveyed was wonderfully in contrast
with the heathen of a bygone day and the neighbouring
heathen still."
He writes in reference to the next clay : "We travelled
on until between 8 and 9 p.m. The stars were bright and
the young moon beautiful. We watch its nightly increase
with interest. It is so great a help to have moonlight for
our tent erections. After supper we sat round our camp
fire. The fifth chapter of Matthew was chosen ; prayer
followed — heartfelt and deep for a blessing on each and all.
It was soul-sustaining to realise that the eternal Gocl was
near to us and we to Him in this vast wilderness.
" Day by day we journey on ; water is scarce. We pass
along without seeing a single traveller. It feels like a
severance from the rest of the world in a vast and intense
isolation. In the forenoon we came to the dry bed of a
river, where by digging in the sand the water collected,
and our cattle drank and were refreshed. We continued
our travel after a short outspan, for the most part over
heavy sand, but now and then over stones and slopes, in
imminent peril of an upset. About 8 p.m. we encamped
for the night after a lovely day, in which overhead was a
dome of blue not deep but cloudless."
Again he writes of this strange journey : " We reached
Molope by moonlight ; seeing some of the women heavily
at work, the inquiry was put : ' What are the men doing ? '
" ' Nothing, nothing,' emphatically spoken, was the
suggestive reply.
" From Molope there are two roads, and our driver chose
the one to the east, and took us three days out of our way, and
we were greatly astonished to find ourselves within seventeen

96 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
miles of Zeerust in the Transvaal. It gave us, however,
the unexpected opportunity of visiting the Lutheran station
of Linoxana, where we were kindly and hospitably
entertained, and where the way was most pleasantly made
for a religious sitting with the mission family, including
two young missionaries recently arrived. ... At
Manuana we outspanned for the night, about three miles
from the place where Livingstone had the encounter with
the lion which crushed the bone of his arm.
" We have had some hard travel from the heavy lurches
of the wagon over huge stones, through the drifts, and
along the water-worn furrows. The strain on the nerves
was great and difficult to endure with equanimity — an
upset first on one side, then on the other, seeming imminent
for hours at a stretch. The ride among the mountains was
nevertheless very fine, and at night the moon, now nearly
full, was brilliant. By its silver light I read two verses
in a New Testament, which opened at 2 Corinthians ii. 14,,
15, which with the following verses felt comforting."
At last, on the 15th of June, the weary travellers reached
Kanye in the gloaming, and were cordially welcomed by
Mr. Good, the resident missionary, and his wife. Their
two little boys had lately been drowned whilst bathing, and it
is easy to imagine how comforting to their sorely stricken
hearts would be the sympathy and prayers of Isaac Sharp.
Mr. and Mrs. Good loved to remember that their boys and an
older lad who shared their fate had all three on the night
before the accident sung hymns till they fell asleep.
Isaac Sharp, as we have seen, had known in compa
ratively early life what keen bereavement is ; and his
sympathy and power to comfort others were, we may well
believe, not lessened, but rather enlarged, because it might
be said of him in Lowell's words,
" Nor hath thy knowledge of adversity
Robbed thee of any faith in happiness ;
But rather cleared thine inner eyes to see
How many simple ways there are to bless."

ST. ANDREW OF CRETE. 97
On the Sunday spent here he gladly availed himself of
an opportunity to address some 200 natives who had
recently emerged from heathenism, and who were closely
packed in a shanty of their own erection.
He writes : " The voice of warning and entreaty was
heard in their midst, as well as a word of loving encourage
ment to those who love the Lord and follow Him. As in
Esquimaux land, so here, the services are usually short,
the native mind being scarcely able to endure continuous
thought for any lengthened period. Met again at 3.30 p.m.
The evening was spent socially at James Good's, with a
season of religious exercise in Scripture reading and
prayer." In a Bible Class held on another clay, he noticed
that Mr. Good's teaching abounded in figures, illustrations
which are " very telling on the native mind and mode of
thought, and which they evidently enjoy." He, himself,
spoke to them from the text : " I know my sheep, and am
known of mine," expressing his desire that, knowing the
Saviour, the Good Shepherd, they might live near to
Him. The Chief of this district had forbidden the sale of
brandy, and had lately seized several casks which were
found in a merchant's possession, and he seemed puzzled
with the thought, " Why does not the Queen of England
do the same ? "
Whilst Isaac Sharp was at Kanye, he found, whilst
looking at an album, the following lines, which he copied
in his diary : Si. Andrew of Crete : A .D. 600.
" Well I know thy trouble,
O my servant true ;
Thou art very weary —
I was weary too :
But that toil shall make thee,
Some day all Mine own,
And the end of sorrow
Shall be near My throne."

98 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
On the 2 1st of June, the shortest clay, the travellers left
Kanye, Mr. Good and his little boy going about three miles
with them, on their way to Koloberg. Isaac Sharp writes :
" The granite rocks of Koloberg, and the stalwart six-foot men
who came round our wagon there, live photographed in
memory, blended with the remembrance of the labours of
Livingstone and others in that place at an early day, and of
the Christian care of those who still live and labour in that
interesting spot."
On the next day the travellers reached the Mission
Station of Moleopole, near the town of the well-known
chief, Sechele, and had a warm welcome from Mr. J. S. Moffat
(the son of Dr. Moffat) and his wife. On Sunday morning
Isaac Sharp was interested in meeting Sechele's son on his
way to conduct a morning service. War had lately seemed
imminent, and it was believed that the chief would hardly
have been able to hold back his people from the shedding
of blood but for the calming influence of thirty Christian
natives. Of Sechele he says : " He invited us to his house, and
we were shown into his drawing-room, druggeted with a
velvet pile pattern, over which, in the centre, was
suspended a large glass chandelier. A sofa of modern
shape and a few chairs, etc., betokened his position in life.
Sechele is about six feet high, swarthy but intelligent
looking, with a decided air of authority about him. He
was dressed in European costume. He wore a hat, gold
watch and appendages, and two rings, one on each hand.
He is of portly build and ponderous movement, and about
sixty-five years old. He asked our names, and repeated
Langley Kitching's so as to get the right sound. His wife
entered and sat down. She was also dressed in European
clothes. " He inquired why I had come to South Africa, and it
did not appear quite easy to make him comprehend."
Isaac Sharp then told him of an old man in the Shet
land Isles who had said to him, " Do you believe in the

VISIT TO SECHELE. 99
Lord Jesus Christ ? " and who, when he had had the reply,
" Oh, yes, in all sincerity," added, " Then, welcome here."
" In the same love of the Lord Jesus I have come to
Africa," said Isaac Sharp. To this the chief assented and
significantly nodded his head. They then went together to
the place of worship, where about three hundred people
were assembled. After some hymns had been sung,
followed by Scripture reading and prayer, Mr. Moffat came
and stood beside Isaac Sharp, and, after explaining to the
people the reason of his visit, asked for a little time for
silent waiting upon God. The congregation included some
members of the chief's family. Isaac Sharp says he felt
very powerless for utterance, and prayed for help. He
had an attentive audience, and addressed them from the
words, " Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt
be saved." " The Gospel of Christ is the power of God
unto salvation."
" Do you believe," he asked, " and have you this
power ? Rejoice in it, you who know and love the Lord.
And you who feel the striving of the Spirit of Gocl in your
hearts, resist it not, but accept the conviction for sin as a
token of the love of God, and come for pardon and peace
to Jesus, whose blood was shed for each one of us."
The Friends felt quite at home under Mr. Moffat's
hospitable roof. He said : " You seem to have been often
on the edge of clanger, but never in it." Here Sechele
paid them a call, and brought them the gift of a goat. He
also invited them to lunch. Mr. Moffat acted as inter
preter ; they found Sechele was well versed in the know
ledge of the Bible.
On the 28th of June the travellers started on their
journey to Motsodi and . Shoshong. It would be, they
knew, no easy work to reach the latter place, but it so
much rested on Isaac Sharp's " mind and heart " that the
attempt, at least, must be made. There are three routes,
and the shortest lies through a desert and is waterless for

IOO LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
many miles. They soon fell in with a party who had gone
to Shoshong by the short route, and were now returning
by the longer one. In answer to the eager inquiries put to
them, they said :
" On no account go by the short route. By it there is
no water for one hundred miles, but plenty by the long way.
Lions are in both."
" Did you see any ? "
" No, but we heard their roar, and saw their spoor four
and 'five together."
At the Mission Station of Motsodi the Friends had a
warm welcome from Mr. and Mrs. Brink, of the Dutch
Reformed Church. A call was paid on the chief, Leuchive,
who was sitting in the open air surrounded by his coun
sellors and retainers, about seventy in number, many of
them hard visaged heathen. Isaac Sharp says : " The
words arose in my mind, to which utterance was given, that
Gocl has His witness in the hearts of men, of good and
evil, and that He is no respecter of persons ; and that
having obtained pardon and peace through the Lord Jesus
Christ, who gave Himself for each one of us, it was my
desire for the chief and all his people that they might have
the same happy experience." This was followed by a short
¦prayer which was not interpreted.
Mr. Brink was " not strong in English," but he said
to his guests, " I do not think you can quite feel and
understand how great the consolation is to us of having
such a visit." His parting words were : "The Lord Jesus
will be with you. We have the assurance of it in the last
verse of the last chapter of Matthew, ' Lo 1 am with you
alway.' "
Nani, the driver, who had agreed to go on to Shoshong,
now refused to do so, and said he should go home.
Earnest prayers for grace and guidance were put up while
the prospective path of duty still seemed to lead to
Shoshong.

A CHIME FROM " TIME'S OLD BELFRY." 101
" We outspanned," says Isaac Sharp, " between 6 and. 7
p.m. The day had been cloudy and the night was chill.
I read awhile in my tent with only the thickness of canvas
between the outer atmosphere and a frail tabernacle in
the wilderness, till the cold crept over the shoulders and
down the back. The howl of the jackal was loud and not
far from us. Outside the tent just after sunrise the
thermometer stood at 25 cleg. Fahrenheit." Two clays later
on the seventy-second anniversary of his birthday, far away
from kith and kin, we find him writing :
" Hark, hark, from Time's old belfry,
Hear ye not the chime ?
Three, score and ten and two, —
Can this indeed be true ?
1 True,' loving echoes answer,
And from a far-off clime
Come mental telephones
O'er land and sea :
' Remember us, for we
Remember thee.' "
Notwithstanding the warning received about the short
route to Shoshong which lies through the desert, Isaac
Sharp, although he could "not reason it out," believed that
the right thing would be to choose that route. Tidings
came of a raid which made his men dread the long route,
while they said they were willing to face the desert with
all its drawbacks.
On the 8th of July the start for the desert journey to
Shoshong was made. The travellers were ready at 1.30
p.m., but the oxen had strayed, which caused some delay.
When they at last set off in an African wagon with a team
of twelve, Mr. Moffat quaintly remarked :
" There is a black ox among them given to lie down
when the sand is heavy ; never heed, he will soon be put
on all fours again."
Isaac Sharp writes : " The oxen were intractable for
the first half hour, and the gear was repeatedly displaced,

102 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
for the righting of which we had to stop several times.
. . The moon eight clays old right overhead favoured
our night travel. The stars were brilliant at early morning ;
Orion was visible, and the firmament with its starry depths
was beautiful to look upon. We have the Southern Cross
as a constant and familiar friend. Next morning we
breakfasted between seven and eight, and then went to the
Kopong water pool. Parrots and other birds were in the
trees or on the wing, drawing near for their morning bath
and to drink at the 'fountain.' One came so near I could
have thrown crumbs to the spot. They are not apparently
often molested in their happy chattering. On some of
their wings, metallic lustre, blended with blue and gold, was
radiant in the sunlight of early morning as they circled round
the only pool probably within the reach of flight for
miles — a pool. equal to their requirements, but very scant
for our twelve oxen."
Then came the desert, rightly named " The Thirst"
where on the second night, at a certain fork in the road,
the driver chose the eastern route, to which he was accus
tomed, instead of the northern, through which the
travellers had been advised to go. This they discovered in
the morning as indicated by the sun, and very anxious they
felt both for man and beast. After five hours, however, of
toilsome progress, they reached a large pool of mud and
water, at which they filled their casks before the
oxen stirred its depths, which they effectually did
whilst most refreshingly quenching their thirst. In the
evening the howl of the hyaena was heard and a jackal
was seen on his way to the pool. Although on the
occasional track of lions none were neither seen nor heard.
A little before sunset the Friends received a cordial wel
come from Mr. and Mrs. Hepburn at the Shoshong station
of the London Missionary Society.
" Thankfulness and peace/' writes Isaac Sharp, " were
the clothing of my spirit without one shade of doubt to mar
so great and unmerited a mercy, in reference to this
extended travel of toil and trust."

" THE LEAST LOVE." I03
The cost of this journey to the Society of Friends was
great, but, as a minister of that Society, Isaac Sharp, of
course, received no stipend, and sad would it have been if,
when plainly called by the Lord to such service, pecuniary
aid had been grudged him. It is pleasant to read in a con
temporary journal of the Society the following remarks :
"When we consider the nature of the work, the spirit in
which it is undertaken and pursued, we cannot fail to see
that it is a work of righteousness and truth, and one which
we may well consider a privilege to share. 1 have a vague
impression that George Fox somewhere says that to con
tribute of our outward means is ' the least love ' ; and I have
often felt how true it is that for those who remain at home,
enjoying the comforts that word home includes, whilst one
here and another there is leaving all, toiling and trusting
from day to clay, our being permitted to share in some
degree in the service by material support is indeed the least
we can or ought to do. It is a low form of sympathy and
love, yet it is love and will be accepted as such by Him
who distributeth the gifts ; whilst eternity alone can
reveal the good that is done, the encouragement given, the
weaknesses strengthened, the faith confirmed, the con
victions deepened, the truth spread, the cups of cold water
administered by these disciples of Him who breaketh not
the bruised reed, nor quencheth the smoking flax wherever
they are found."
These remarks may remind us of C. Wordsworth's
lines : " We lose what on ourselves we spend,
We have as treasure without end
Whatever, Lord, to Thee we lend,
Who givest all.
Whatever, Lord, we lend to Thee
Repaid a thousand-fold will be ;
Then gladly will we give to Thee,
Giver of all.
It must have been deeply interesting to Isaac Sharp to
hear on his arrival that there had lately been a decided

104 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
religious awakening at Shoshong. The chapel could no
longer hold the congregation, so the men came at one time
and the women at another. Still space failed, and all met
together on a slope near the Mission House to the number
of 3,000 or more.
On Sunday afternoon, Isaac Sharp had a little meeting
in Mr. Hepburn's sitting-room with about twenty English-
speaking people. After reading a portion of Scripture he
told them that, having regard for the spirituality of true
worship, the Society of Friends always spent a part of the
time of public worship in waiting on the Lord in silence.
" Where two or three are met together in the name of
the Lord," he said, " there is a church."
Shoshong lies north of the tropic of Capricorn, and
about midway between Cape Town and Lake Nyassa. The
six days journey from Moleopololi was over an almost
continuous plain 3,500 feet above sea-level ; the greater
part of the distance was waterless. On approaching
Shoshong the huts and kraals of the Bamangwati were
very noticeable. Their chief is Khama, honoured and
beloved by his people, who were now enjoying the fruits of
a good harvest after five years of scarcity and great
suffering. During a scorching drought, the missionary, the chief
and some others believed it would be right for them to
have a week of prayer, of which Isaac Sharp tells the story :
" Very soon the clouds which had been hovering passed
away and the sun beat down with vehemence upon the
parched-up corn gardens. The heathen said in derision :
' Your prayers have sent the clouds away.' Intercession
was continued, nevertheless, day by clay. The wind mean
while blew clown from the kloof, from which direction the
rain rarely, if ever, comes. Towards the end of the week
clouds were seen gathering against the kloof-wind and from
the rainy quarter. Prayer continued twice a day. It was
still scorchingly hot. The Sabbath came round again but
still there was no rain. Faith had been on its trial. The

KHAMA. 105
very next day the rain began and continued day by clay for
four-and-twenty clays, and a harvest followed, the like of
which for abundance was never before remembered.
Even the heathen took note of it. . . . With an inner
circle of believers, including the chief and two of his
brothers, with inquirers seeking religious instruction, with
many able to read or learning to read, and with a large
increase in the attendance of public worship, the mission at
Shoshong is alike hopeful and encouraging to those whose
hearts are bound up in the promotion of the kingdom of
the Redeemer."
When Isaac Sharp wrote in 1878 of Khama, he did not
know that before twenty years had elapsed the name of
that chief would be a familiar one in England. From
the Cape Argus he quotes the following passage :
" Khama, chief of the Bamangwati, said in reference to
the introduction of alcoholics : ' Some time ago I forbade
the use and sale of liquor at this station, as 1 did not wish
my people to learn the vice which has destroyed so many.
You act in direct opposition to my wishes. I try to teach
my people better things, and to raise them out of the mire
in which they are sunk. But how can I possibly be
successful when they see you white men, who have had
God's word for so many years, doing those things which
are wrong ? Now, I am determined to have no more of
this. You must go away from here. I never wish to see
you again. As to those who have not broken the law, I
trust they will do all they can in preserving law and
order.' "
How becoming of any Christian ruler are his words,
and how easily we can imagine the man who spoke them
to look, as Isaac Sharp says, " Every inch a chief ! "
Poor Khama ! How long his difficulties last. As we
write of him at the present date, the daily paper by our
side, in its report of yesterday's parliament, tells us of the
question asked of the Colonial Secretary, as to whether his
attention had been called to any " complaint made by the

106 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
chief Khama, respecting the establishment of huts for the
sale of liquor in connection with the railway through his-
territory, and in contravention of the agreement made
between him and the Chartered Company."
Isaac Sharp was deeply interested in some details of
experience in missionary life given him by Mr. Hepburn.
" We never know," said the latter, " how much we owe
to the prayers of our friends for us. / have often felt, out
here in Africa, that someone was praying, or had been praying
for me.''
Isaac Sharp paid a few religious calls from house to
ll ouse among the merchants, and had a kind reception.
Allusion is made in Chapter I. to the Bible Society meeting
held at Shoshong.
It was on August ist that the Friends started for their
return journey through the desert. Before they left the
house, Mr. Hepburn proposed that a portion of time should
be spent devotionally, to which glad assent was given. He
knelt in prayer : " Our Heavenly Father, we thank Thee
for Thy love. We thank Thee for the gift of Thy Son
Jesus, and for all Thy blessings. Grant us the help of Thy
Holy Spirit. Show us Thy will, O Lord, and give us
strength to do it. We thank Thee for the travelling
mercies granted to our friends hitherto, and pray that no-
evil may befal them in their journeyings. Grant that where
they come Thy servants may be cheered and strengthened
in their work ; and that the comfort and joy of these visits
may be to them as great as they have been to us. We ask
these favours for the sake of Jesus, and in His name.
Amen." The Friends followed briefly in prayer and
thanksgiving. They felt it to be a parting in the unity of
the Spirit and under the overshadowing of divine love.
Again, at Moleopololi, the Friends were glad to renew
their intercourse with Mr. J. S. Moffat. At this time life
seemed unsafe in the disaffected districts, and more blood
shed was anticipated. Before the travellers pursued their
journey, Mr. Moffat called his family together, and as all

JUDGED ACCORDING TO THE LIGHT GIVEN. 107
sat down in silence, he knelt to commend his guests to the
Lord in a solemn prayer of faith : " O God, with full
confidence we commend these dear brethren to Thy
guidance and protection. O Gocl, who appointeth the
bounds of our habitation, be with them and guide them,
and prepare the way, and grant, even as to us, that a well
of consolation and of joy may be opened wherever Thou
leadest them." Tears filled Mrs. Moffat's eyes as she took
leave of her guests, and said, " We have cause to thank
God for your visit."
In conversation, Mr. Moffat remarked : " The heathen
are not alike ; there is a great difference. Not knowing,
and never having had the law of Gocl, they will not be
responsible for what they never possessed." "Then came,"
writes Isaac Sharp, " an idea, which had never occurred to
me, as regards the heathen who may be saved in their
heathenish limited knowledge, that their heaven will be on a
lower range than that of the exalted, refined Christian mind.
This idea clothed in Scripture language would perhaps be,
' One star differeth from another star in glory.' He also
thinks, and 1 unite in the thought, that too much is expected of
a generation just emerged from heathenism ; too little allow
ance is made fortheirheathenassociationsandsurroundings."
In one of his letters to his sister, Isaac Sharp says : "To be
in the midst of the heathen is so new. The different facial
expression of some cannot be word-pictured, nor the
wonderful contrast when the result of Christianity has
fashioned the visage to its own likeness, and men may take
knowledge of them that they have been with Jesus."
In another letter he says : " Mission life has its trials, but
it has its triumphs too. 1 look on and marvel at that which
God hath wrought." And again, " My heart yearns towards
those who are engaged amid the gross darkness enshroud
ing the souls of the people among whom they labour."
When describing one of the meetings during this last
visit to Moleopololi, he writes : " Sechele, the chief, sat on
a bench below the pulpit. I said I should like to say a few

108 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
words to him, so I was asked to sit beside him. He looked
thoughtful as 1 went on to say that he had been much on
my mind in these times of trouble, in which I thought he
might find instruction and comfort in many of the psalms ;
that whether his days were many or few, he might ever
ask counsel of God ; for it is better to trust in the Lord
than to put confidence in man. We may draw near to God
through Christ to ask of Him, and be helped herein by the
Holy Spirit ; that this was my desire for the chief, and that
a blessing might be on him and on his house." Sechele
then spoke of the uncertainty of tidings which might soon
come, and bade Mr. Moffat say for him, " I feel the value
of your counsel."
Agnes Giberne in her " Life of Charlotte M. Tucker,"
refers to " Certain popular ideas that on the whole the
Heathen may hardly be worse off as Heathen than they
would be as Christians. The less knowledge, the less
responsibility we are told ; and a good deal of cant is talked
on this subject. Those who have seen how things verily
are in heathen lands, those who have witnessed the awful
and desperate cruelties which there prevail know what the
argument is worth as to the present life. ... It may
well be that one man brought out of the darkness of
heathendom is a prize worth fifty times — or five thousand
times — the money expended in bringing him. But this
would not be seen from the mercantile point of view.
Neither does it touch the true gist of the question."

CHAPTER IX.
" With willing heart and longing eyes
To watch before Thy gate,
Ready to run the weary race,
To bear the heavy weight.
No voice of thunder to expect,
But follow calm and still ;
For love can easily divine
The One Beloved's will." Writer u?iknown.
" The whole question of our duty hinges here : are we doing or
are we not doing that which God wills us to do ? All theories
respecting outlays, values, results, sink into utter insignificance
beside this question." Agnes Giberne.

WRITING from Shoshong, Isaac Sharp says : " We
see in this place the outcome of mission work
amongst the heathen, and truly the change is marvellous,
but it needs to be remembered that some who are still
weak in the faith have come up out of the depths of
degradation and the untold abominations of heathendom.
. . . In their heathen language our term for love, so
familiar and so dear — for ' God is love' — is quite unknown."
Early on the 20th of September the travellers reached
Boshof and at once called on the pastor, Mr. Van Wyk, as
the clock struck ten. Between his own door and the
vestry, Isaac Sharp handed him a card and was about to
explain who he and his companion were, when, glancing at
the card, the response came : " Yes, I know." The chapel
was entered at once, and then and there Mr. Van Wyk
" very kindly and feelingly " interpreted for Isaac Sharp in
addressing about fifty young people who had just assembled

110 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
for a special service. Pressed for time, the Friends soon
passed on, but not before Isaac Sharp had written a birth
day verse for his host :
" Peace be thine at thirty- two,
Peace with praise the journey thro'.
Dedicated — bound yet free,
' Onward ' may thy motto be.
By the blood of Christ made nigh,
Walking with a single eye.
Ever be thy trumpet call,
' We are nothing, Christ is all.'
Peace be thine at thirty-two,
Peace with praise the journey thro'."
'' Fellowship one with another," wrote Isaac Sharp, " is
a marked feature of this journey.
"The sun was shining obliquely in the north-west as
we entered Kimberley. The remaining daylight just
sufficed for our finding a resting place for ourselves and the
oxen. And so in the loving-kindness of the Lord it came
to pass that after a strength-testing and continuous travel
from Shoshong of more than seven weeks, preserved from
all danger by night and by day, we arrived at our
destination in good health, in safety, and in peace."
In his third call at the post office at this place Isaac
Sharp succeeded in obtaining a four months' post. " I
read and read and read," he says, " till near the small hours,
and then lay down to rest." On the following day a call
was paid on Colonel Lanyon, the Administrator of Griqua
Land West, who kindly invited the Friends to the
Government House as being a quieter place than the hotel.
At first there seemed to be no opening for religious service
in Kimberley, and the earnest prayer went up under a deep
sense of need, that the Lord would show the way. This
prayer was very soon followed by a kind call from a pastor
of the Dutch Reformed Church of Dutoits Pass :
" Can you not come and say a few words to our people,
and the coloured congregation I could get together at short

MEETING AT KIMBERLEY. Ill
notice for any evenings ?" As Isaac Sharp answered this
question he thankfully remembered the words : " Before
they call I will answer, and while they are yet speaking I
will hear."
One evening, a meeting was held in the Wesleyan
Chapel. Before going to it the travellers took tea with the
minister, Mr. Bew, and a few of his friends and enjoyed to
gether " the sharpening of the iron." When the social
meal was finished, Mr Bew said :
" The organist is here, shall we have a hymn or two at
the service ? "
" If you wish it," was the reply, " but as the advertise
ment was issued for a meeting of the Society of Friends, I
should prefer no singing."
" I am quite willing," was the pleasant response; "I only
wanted that it should be understood."
About five hundred were assembled in the chapel.
Isaac Sharp read the fourth chapter of the Gospel of John,
and made a few remarks on the passage, " The hour
¦cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall
worship the Father in spirit and in truth ; for the Father
-seeketh such to worship Him. God is a spirit, and they
that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in
truth." This was followed by a time of silent waiting upon
God, and then by prayer and exhortation. Great serious
ness and attention were manifested throughout, and Isaac
Sharp had what he calls a " thankful sense of the owning
of the Lord " with regard to the meeting. Vocal part had
"been taken in it by several who were present.
Probably the idea of silently waiting on the Lord in faith
and expectation, scriptural though it be, was a new one to
.almost every one present. " David sat before the Lord,"
-writes Charles Haddon Spurgeon. " It is a great thing to
hold these sacred sittings, the mind being receptive like an
open flower drinking in the sunbeams. . . . Quietude,
•which some men cannot abide because it reveals their

112 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
inward poverty, is as a palace of cedar to the wise, because
along its hallowed courts the King in His beauty deigns to
walk. . . . Herein I follow George Fox most lovingly,
for I am persuaded we most of us think too much of
speech. . . . Brethren, rob not your hearts of the deep
sea joys."
On the evening of that day, Colonel Lanyon made some
inquiries about the Missions of the Society of Friends.
" I suppose you have been sent out by them ? " he said.
By way of answer, Isaac Sharp handed him his certificate,
in which the Colonel seemed to be interested.
" Well, this is a document which may be for children,
and children's children," he said.
A day or two later, the Colonel received a telegram
from Sir Bartle Frere with a kind message of congratula
tion on the arrival of the Friends at Kimberley, safe
through all clanger. Great kindness and consideration was
shown them during their stay at the Government House.
In reference to the clay of departure, Isaac Sharp writes :
" After lunch, at 1.30, the opportunity was embraced for a
short season of prayer, for which the watch had been
expectantly kept."
On the evening of a very full day at Bloemfontein,
Isaac Sharp went with the Wesleyan minister, Mr. Scott, to
the chapel. The service began in the usual manner.
Afterwards, Mr. Scott spoke of the Friends' visit to South
Africa as " a visit of Christian love, not to their own
people, but to the churches, mission stations, schools, etc."
He alluded to a parallel in the Acts of the Apostles, and
then said, " Brethren, if ye have any word of exhortation,
say on." He then left the pulpit, on entering which, Isaac
Sharp requested a time of silent waiting upon Gocl. This
was responded to, and followed by prayer and an open
time of testimony. " I believe," says he, " it proved to be
a time of refreshment, encouragement, and warning," and
then he quotes the verse :

FEARFUL THUNDER STORM. II3
" Oh, if one soul from Anwoth
Meet me at God's right hand ;
My heaven will be two heavens,
In Immanuel's Land."
In the month of November, a halt was made one night
on the bank of the Caledon river. The weather is sugges
tively described as being " howlish." The grass was
damp, the searching wind made the canvas rattle, and the
moonlight came through watery clouds. The next day
Isaac Sharp found " head, nose, teeth, and throat on the
demonstrative side " and was " compelled to surrender ;
severe pain and loss of strength followed, necessitating
some days of rest at Leribe."
When at Morija and in the largest place of worship in
Basutoland, the Friends encountered the thunderstorm to
which allusion was made in Chapter I. Dr. Casalis was
standing by Isaac Sharp's side and acting as interpreter,
but as in a short time their voices could not be heard, he
said, "We had better cease for a little while." The storm
overhead became terrific, flash and crash followed each
other with great rapidity.
Langley Kitching writes : "Very curiously it occurred
to me that Isaac Sharp's bald head offered an attraction to
the lightning. I never thought of anyone else, and I
thought how sad it would be if he were struck down and
killed in this manner ; I breathed a short prayer that it
might not be so. Isaac Sharp was then saying, ' Suffer the
little children to come unto Me,' etc., when the noise of the
storm became so deafening that nothing but the thunder
and rain could be heard, and the preacher and interpreter
sat down together. Just at that moment a terrific crash
burst over the building, and 1 was struck to the ground. I
felt as though a kind of elastic heavy weight had fallen
upon my head. The lightning also passed through my
loins, down my legs, and out at my feet, throwing them up."
Langley Kitching was not the only sufferer. Near him
sat Mrs. Dyke, the wife of the senior missionary, and at her

114 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
left was the vestry wall, at the window of which the electric
fluid struck, splintering it and drawing out the nails. The
fire flashed over her, and severely scorched her. The wife
of Dr. Casalis was quite paralysed and unable to move..
From her, the lightning went to the lovely sleeping child at
her side, who gave one little gasp and ceased to breathe.
" The light of the little earthen lamp went out," writes Isaac
Sharp, " to shine, ever the brighter, in eternal day." About
seven hundred persons were in the chapel, and whilst the
missionaries were in the vestry, attending to those who
had been injured, several Basutos offered heart-felt prayer
that the warning voice might speak to all. Express
messengers were sent on horseback, travelling on through
the night, to the nearer mission stations, in the sure know
ledge that the claims of brotherly sympathy would be
met. By the bedside of Mrs. Dyke many prayers were put up.
" As life trembled in the balance," says Isaac Sharp, " we
were made sensible in whose hand the balance was held,
whilst our suffering friend was able with lowly quiet trust
in her Saviour to testify ' all is well.' "
Langley Kitching was at the breakfast table on the
following morning, though his head still needed rest. Mr.
Dyke gave thanks to the Lord for sending his messengers
at such a time. At 3 p.m. the little coffin was followed to
the grave. The mission stations of Leribe and Berea were
represented at the funeral — the result of hard travelling.
Mrs. Dyke so far recovered as to be able to breakfast
with the Friends on the day of their departure.
Isaac Sharp had been much interested in attending a
meeting of the Morija Bible Class. After he had addressed
them and engaged in prayer one of the elders said : " The
power of God has been manifested. Before conversion
we were thieves. Before the missionaries came, we had
no eyes to see anything. From the first missionaries I
stole three sheep. Now, thanks be to the Lord, I who
was once a thief am a child of God."

WARM WELCOME FROM MORAVIANS. 1 15
One of the members named Zephaniah offered prayer :
" Lord, our heavenly Father, bless for our souls the words
of thy servant ; write them on our hearts. Lord Jesus
bless the words as living words for days to come, so that
the blessing and teaching of the spirit may remain. O
Lord, journey with Thy servants and keep them in safety,
and strengthen them, and strengthen the animals that
carry them. Prepare, by Thy Spirit, prepare the hearts
¦of the people to receive."
As the Friends diligently pursued their labours, the
last day of 1878 found them at Wittebergen, a Wesleyan
Mission Station. Between 9 and 10 p.m. the native con
gregation assembled in the chapel for the Watch Night,
and sang hymns vigorously. A clergyman who was present
spoke well to them. Mr. Giddy, the Wesleyan missionary,
also addressed them ; he had laboured in Africa for forty-
four years without once going home. Isaac Sharp asked
for a short time of silent waiting upon God, and thankfully
believed that this was fulfilled in spirit as it certainly was
in the letter. He then spoke at some length and was
surprised to find on sitting down that only ten minutes of
the old year remained.
When at the Moravian Mission Station of Shiloh, in a
little meeting in the dining-room, Mr. Weir spoke of the
gladness with which Isaac Sharp was welcomed :
'' His name has been long familiar to us in connection
with Greenland and Labrador. He is no stranger, and we
feel that we are one in the same Lord. We give our hearty
thanks to the Society from whom he comes, and for the
exhortation and loving words which we have heard. In this
distant field of labour the weeds sometimes threaten to
overspread all, the tares grow so fast ; so this visit is an
encouragement." It was also said that it would be a
-" lasting remembrance."
At the close of a meeting at Philipton, an old man, an
«lder of the Church, arose and said :

Il6 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
" I am thankful for your coming here, and that in the
providence of Gocl a visit like that of Backhouse and
Walker is now being paid, a visit I well remember. I am
reminded of the Scripture account of the sending forth of
Paul and Barnabas."
Again and again, as the Friends went from place to
place, they met with those who had loving memories of
James Backhouse and George Washington Walker, who
had spent about four years in ministerial labours in South
Africa. When describing a meeting at Tidmanton, Isaac Sharp
says : " There was a great stillness. Before rising to
speak I felt very powerless and empty, but tongue and
utterance were mercifully given with a sense of Divine
power over all. The voice of the native interpreter was
powerful, and the roll of his full-toned Kaffir language
thrilling." A Wesleyan District Meeting was attended by the
Friends. The meeting was begun in the usual manner.
" I asked," says Isaac Sharp, "for a time of silent waiting
on the Lord, and soon after rose with the words, ' It is
good for me to draw near to God.' Christ, the Head of
the Church the world over, is the Head of every individual
member of it who is living in subjection to Him ; in all we
do, the more we seek the glory of God the greater voill Ihe
blessing be," etc. Isaac Sharp's faithful manner of acting
out his own deep convictions with regard to worship and
ministry recall the sacred words, " Them that honour Me,
I will honour."
He realised that " worship in spirit and in truth," in its
intense reality, cannot rest on any outward form. Christ
must have the pre-eminence. His voice must be listened
for before the voice of man. The true worship cannot be
performed by proxy. Each worshipper must draw nigh
unto Gocl, through Christ the " Merciful and faithful High
Priest." The ministry of the Word must be under the
influence of the Holy Spirit. Christ must choose, prepare,

THE COMMUNION OF SAINTS. 117
qualify, and put forth His ministers. For every service
there must be a fresh anointing, since God alone knows the
inmost needs of the hearers, and He alone can give the
soul-reaching message ; " it is the Spirit that quickeneth."
After Isaac Sharp had engaged in prayer and taken his
seat, an aged brother gave thanks for the visit, and com
mended the Friends to the Lord for their further journeying.
Then with heartfelt good-will the farewells were spoken.
" We shook hands all round," says Isaac Sharp, " the glow
of Christian love the while binding us together."
As Archbishop Trench writes :
" One life Divine,
Thro' all the branches of the mystic vine,
Flows ever."
In the South African Christian Express we find the
following passage, in an appreciative notice : " The
Society of Friends have twice clone good service to religion
in South Africa, by sending deputations of the ripest and
richest souls among them to visit our churches and en
courage our often lonely and uncheered workers. This
good practice is as old as the days of the apostles."
The Conference of the French Missions in South Africa
sent a letter to the London Yearly Meeting of the Society
of Friends, a few lines from which we quote : . . .
" Amongst instances of God's goodness and mercy, with
joy we call to mind a refreshing visit which was paid to
each of our stations in Basutoland in 1878 by your deputa
tion, the venerable Isaac Sharp and the dear friend Langley
Kitching. We needed the visit to revive us. The Lord
has seen our need, and He has inclined the hearts of these
Friends to come to us.
" We have heard many words of loving encouragement
from their lips, and we have held sweet counsel together,
concerning the things pertaining to the kingdom of our
dear Lord and Master. And together we have waited upon
God, and felt His presence to be with us to bless us ; thus
our hearts were strengthened and made glad. Also, many

Il8 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
of the native people around us have listened to the exhorta
tions of the Friends with gladness, and we must believe
with benefit to their souls."
In a letter Isaac Sharp remarks : " The visit to the
French Mission Stations was singularly interesting. Love
to Christ their mainspring and, as an outcome, love to souls
and love one to another, in the Lord their King."
In February, 1879, when writing to his sister he says :
"We are here in troublous times, but through Divine
favour, fear has no place with me for the ' arrow ' or
' pestilence ' or for the mighty deep. All is well, and I have
a humble but lively trust that through grace it will be well.
' To God only wise be glory through Jesus Christ for ever.'
What a blessing it is to feel so well and strong again with
no less vitality, I think, than on the day I left home.
L.'s suggestion of possible curtailment raises a smile.
No, not while body and soul hold together with my present
power to ' rough it,' always presuming a clear vision, and
ability mercifully granted for its utterance."
At another time he writes : " Not a shade of doubt rests
on the long tarriance in this wonderful land. The sustain
ing power and grace of the Lord Jesus is near and precious,
to whom be the praise now and for ever."
" Ask and ye shall receive." As we turn over the leaves
of one volume of the African Journal we read : " Rose
between six and seven ; a time of earnest wrestling for a
renewal of spiritual strength for the clay."
When writing to Isaac Brown he mentions the interest
ing circumstance that in the south of Basuto Land in a time
of trial, scattering and war, a little band of faithful women,
native evangelists, went from kraal to kraal to tell of the
love of their Saviour, and to seek to win souls to Him.
After varied experiences of travel and service — some of
which might well tax the strength and nerves of even the
young and strong — the Friends' gospel labours in Africa
drew to a close.

LANDING IN MADAGASCAR. II9
It was on the 17th of May, 1879, that they sailed from
Durban for Madagascar. " We saw," writes Isaac Sharp,
"with a sense of peaceful rest and thanksgiving the shores
of South Africa fading in the dim distance. The May Queen
had been ready for some days, and only waited the lowering
of the surf on the bar to get away. 1 rejoice to number it
among the many providences of this remarkable journey,
that so soon as the bar was ready we were ready too."
The Friends landed at Port Louis, Mauritius, on the 27th,
and reached Tamatave, Madagascar, on the 6th of June.
How like Isaac Sharp it was, to send the following
lines to the captain of the vessel he had just left :
" To Captain C. of the S.  H.  in remembrance of
Mauritius and Madagascar : —
By land or sea,
In whatsoever clime,
The wise are they
Who watch and pray ;
And day by day,
Through Christ the way
Live for Eternity
As well as time. Isaac Sharp."
This verse was accompanied by a note :
" Dear Captain C. — Soon we shall part, whether to meet
again on earth we cannot tell, but there will be a solemn
day of meeting. . . . Time is short, we know not how
short, and it is written, ' Prepare to meet thy God.'
" Thou and 1 have both escaped the jaws of death, but
we are both nearer death now than we were then. For
great sinners, a great Saviour is provided or I had not been
here to tell of His love, and to give thee a heartfelt entreaty
to make the full surrender of thy all to Him who shed His
blood for thee and would have thee live to His glory. In
answer to prayer may the seal of pardon and peace be thine,
through faith in the Son of God. " Sincerely thy friend,
" Isaac Sharp."

CHAPTER X.
" I could tell much, and leave much untold, of the way and
work of the Lord, but time would fail." Letter of Isaac Sharp.
" Let not faithless fears o'ertake us,
Let not faith and hope forsake us.
* # * #
Heavenly Leader, still direct us,
Still support, console, protect us."
Count Zinzendorf.

" T AM happy in my work," wrote Isaac Sharp from
J_ Madagascar, " notwithstanding that which pertains
to the service whereunto my hand is set.
"Wherever the light is strong, deep shadows are sure to
be, and who would have it otherwise. ... As in our
land so here, there is too much of a superficial Christianity.
Nevertheless, I believe if the time of testing came again,
some would be found more ready to die than to deny their
Lord." On the 28th of June, the Friends reached the capital,
Antananarivo, where they had a hearty welcome from the
Friends who were then in the city, and also from several
of the missionaries of the London Missionary Society.
In after years, a missionary of another denomination
remarked that this visit to the capital was a most timely
one, and from personal experience this missionary spoke of
the wonderful influence and cheer brought about by Isaac
Sharp's presence.
In accomplishing the journey up from the coast, the
Friends had an altogether new experience in palanquin
travel over hill and dale. Isaac Sharp's description of this
makes it easy to understand that " nerves should be in

A PERILOUS lOURNEY. 121
abeyance for the enjoyment of such a journey." Steep
gradients were ascended and descended over slippery clay,
whilst the bearers with wonderful agility pushed onward
over places that looked, at first, impassable, the palanquin
meanwhile swaying to and fro.
" Our travel," he writes, " lay among miles of rounded
hill country. The Roofia palm and travellers' tree still
graced our pathway, and the light green of the slender
bamboos with their pendant terminal plumes, was in
beautiful contrast with the dark foliage of the forest trees.
. . . Deep water-worn fissures, very narrow at the
bottom, were just sufficient for the palanquins to pass
between perpendicular sides ten to twenty feet high,
tortuous in their course and steep as a house roof. More
over, the pathway was of clay, soft and slippery from
recent rains."
" Once," says Isaac Sharp, " I soliloquised involuntarily
as the bearers were about to descend a terrific steep, ' Is it
really practicable ? ' "
But at last Antananarivo, in the middle of Madagascar
is reached, and he writes, " Peaceful, thankful, and restful,
rejoicing in spirit to be here. Bless the Lord, O my soul.
Helen Gilpin kindly invited us to tea, and we partook with
much enjoyment of a genuine, social, home-like English
meal." On the afternoon of the following day a company
of about one hundred men and women, dressed in clean
white lambas arrived. One spoke on behalf of the rest to
welcome the Friends, and to ask their acceptance of a gift
of poultry and fruit. They spoke affectionately of Joseph
Sewell — the first English Friend who was a missionary in
their land, and asked after him.
" He loved you before he saw you," was the answer,
" and much more afterwards."
" We are his children," they said.
One of the Friend missionaries, Samuel Clemes, acted
as interpreter. His medical help was highly valued by
suffering natives — men, women, and children ; he seemed

122 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
to possess the power of helping them by a sort of
intuition. One morning the Friends had a meeting at Analakeley,.
with nearly 2,000 native preachers, evangelists, and
teachers, a large portion of whom were representative
men. In Isaac Sharp's address he reminded them of
Rasalama and her martyrdom. He spoke of how Joseph
Sewell's mind had been impressed, in boyhood, when his
mother told him the thrilling tale. This meeting lasted
for six hours, but very few left their seats. A forest of
hands was upheld for a loving message to Joseph S,
Sewell. Seventeen years later Joseph Sewell's beloved daughter,
Lucy Johnson, her husband, and little girl — ".Blossom" —
have won the martyr's crown. Gocl, in His great goodness,
has given faith to their fellow-workers to trust Madagascar
to Him in the midst of darkest clouds.
" As I stood on the spot of the martyrdom," said one of
them, Henry E. Clark, " the words arose in my heart with
power, ' Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and
die it abideth alone. But if it die, it bringeth forth much
fruit:" One evening the sun set as the travellers reached the
hamlet for which they were bound, and in the gloaming a
vigorous search was made from house to house to find the
one the least filthy.
Can we marvel at the prevailing Malagasy fever ?
When their efforts were crowned by success, they were
not surprised at finding a large population of fleas, as
sheep, pigs, poultry, to say nothing of rats, went in and
out at will. A space of seven feet square for the night did
not give much room for three stretchers.
"We did our best," characteristically writes Isaac
Sharp, " and the lights were soon extinguished. Then
began a sort of revelry among the rats. Down came one,
flop, on my bed, followed by another in too near proximity
to my face to be comfortable, so a candle was lit, and then

MALAGASY BEARERS. 1 23
ensued a general scramble. There was much loose straw
in the place, so covering over my head for protection, I
once more put out the light, and very soon ' tired nature's
sweet restorer ' came to the rescue." It could not have
been pleasant on another occasion after asking :
" Are there any rats ? " to get the answer :
" Yes, many ; very many."
If less unpleasant, more perilous were the experiences,
thus described, of seeking a halting place : " The shades
of the evening came on. Clouds were over and around us,
and there was no . moonlight to mingle with the day's
decline. The darkness, to an unpractised eye, became
impenetrable. How the palanquin bearers groped along
was a marvel and a mystery ; threading their way like cats
— minus cat's eyes for the threading — too dark to see
whether the next step would drop six inches or sixteen.
Two of them, therefore, went in front to * feel the way.'
The climax was at hand. We came to a ridge, with a
broken, uneven, and rapid descent — on one side a chasm,
on the other a deep ditch — and between them our path
lay, two feet in width, over which as best they could our
heroes descended in the darkness, passing safely with their
living freight into the valley, and thence up a steep ascent
to Ambohimatra." When visiting the village of Bara, Isaac Sharp felt the
darkness of heathendom — the " gross darkness " — to be so
great as to appear almost impenetrable. He wished to
direct the thoughts of his hearers from earthly to heavenly
possessions. "Though a man have plenty of rice to eat," he said,
" and plenty of lambas to wear, and plenty of oxen, there
are heavenly possessions better than these." The people
laughed outright.
" How can a spirit have possessions? Is the spirit you
speak of flesh, or blood, or life ? "
" The simplest things are too hard for them," said
Mr. Baron of the L.M.S. " Tell them what the Bible says,

124 L1FE 0F ISAAC SHARP.
they have yet to learn what the Bible is. Jesus they know
not even by name." Isaac Sharp was thankful that a
teacher had come to live amongst them. " This journey,"
he writes, " helps me to realise more fully than ever before,
the darkness of the heathen who know not God."
Early in September, William Johnson arrived from
Zanzibar, where he had gone to accompany his wife and
little ones on their way to a visit to England. Warm was
the welcome that awaited his return. That of Henry E.
Clark and his wife was looked forward to with longing
expectancy. Soon after Isaac Sharp reached Madagascar he wrote :
" The tropical vegetation even at this season was beautiful
to look upon, and the flowers, here and there, told by
foreshadowing of the glory yet to be ; a figure of delight,
as I thought of those I love on their way to untold
blossoming in the Paradise above."
In a letter to Australasia he says : " My friends at home
would be glad to know that Madagascar were already past.
But what if the Master wills it otherwise ? There is safety
in His blessed keeping for life or death ; I do not expect
the latter just yet, although in my seventy-fourth year, and
with a touching knowledge that at home the autumn leaves
are falling thick and fast."
Henry E. Clark kindly sends the following details of the
visit to Madagascar : " On our return from England to
Antananarivo I soon found that Isaac Sharp's visit was in
every way a success. He was very warmly received by the
members of the London Missionary Society and he visited
nearly all their stations. In their report for 1879 they say :
' We record with pleasure and thankfulness the visit of Mr.
Isaac Sharp and Mr. Langley Kitching as an event which
we trust will be attended with lasting good to the churches
in Madagascar, and which we are sure will be long
remembered both by the missionaries and the native
Christians. Their frequent meetings with the missionaries
of the Friends' Mission and the L.M.S., their numerous

LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 125
visits to the congregations and schools in town and
country, and the many addresses full of Christian ex
perience and wise counsel, cannot but have produced a
deep and salutary impression.' And again they say : ' Mr.
Sharp's wise counsel and matured advice Were much
appreciated by the natives, and we feel sure must have left
a most favourable impression on their minds.'
" Mr. Brockway, of the same mission, writes : ' Evident
ly taught by the Spirit of God, Mr. Sharp warned, exhorted,
and encouraged, as only one taught of the Master and
having largely His spirit could do. The bread cast upon
these waters will, I believe, bear fruit now and after many
days.' " He visited nearly all the mission stations and was
received most warmly. One of their mission remarked to
the writer : ' Mr. Sharp is a Friend.' "
William Johnson thus wrote of a visit Isaac Sharp paid
to a district directly under his care : "The people were
delighted, and one of them, describing to me his address,
told how it took hold of them and went home to their
hearts. That one of his years should come so far in the
love of Christ to see and help them, touches a chord in
their hearts and obtains a response to the message he
brings." Henry Clark tells us that whilst at Antananarivo, Isaac
Sharp arranged to give a lecture on " Northern Lands and
People " to the Young Men's Christian Association. Just
then there was great excitement in the capital respect
ing slavery, the people having great fears that it was
going to be done away with. Somehow a rumour got
about that Isaac Sharp was going to speak against slavery
in his lecture, and that the opportunity was going to be
seized for an anti-slavery demonstration. A deputation
from the Y.M.C.A. called on him.
" We are afraid of getting into trouble if you speak of
slavery. We all ask you to pledge yourself to say nothing
about it."

126 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
" Certainly not," was the reply.
" What are you going to say in your lecture ? "
" 1 have not told my friends with whom 1 sit at table,
why should I tell you ? I can give no pledge as to what I
shall say, but if any of you are absent you will be sorry
for it."
" Well then, we throw ourselves on your mercy." They
smiled when he answered that he should regret even a hair
of their head being hurt. The Prime Minister sent a
message to Henry Clark who was to be chairman, and Mr.
Cousins of the L. M. S. to say that he should hold them
responsible for the good order of the meeting, as everyone
knew that if anything were said against slavery the meeting
would be broken up in confusion. About 1,200 assembled
to hear the lecture, and warm thanks were tendered for it.
No direct allusion to slavery was made. Afterwards it was said
in the capital, " Mr Sharp is a clever man. He has made
us all think about slavery, and yet he has never mentioned
the subject at all."
" I never saw Isaac Sharp until I met him in Madagascar,"
remarks Henry Clark ; " I very much enjoyed my intercourse
with him, and after he left I had many a kind loving letter
from him. It will be one of the joys of heaven to meet him
there." When meeting the congregation at Ambohitantaley for
the last time, one of the members spoke on its behalf : " In
seeing you we almost seem to see Mr. Sewell. We are his
children, and we thank him for what he did." Then,
pointing to some of those who were present, he added:
" Here are Mr. Sewell's children, and here are the old men
that laboured with him."
" If my voice," said Isaac Sharp, " could reach Joseph
Sewell to-day with your loving message, and bring an
answer back, I think that answer would be, ' I have no
greater joy than that my children walk in truth'; and my
heart goes with this as I bid you all farewell in the
Lord."

A DEEPLY RESPONSIBLE STEWARDSHIP. I27
To his delight and surprise one day after an attack of ill
ness, when "still among thefeeble folk but slowlyimproving,"
he heard the news, " The letters are come." " After tea I
settled down," he says, " and spent two hours straight away
in their perusal. Light and shade ; bright gleams with broad
¦shadows here and there, came with thrill of joy and sadness
strangely blended. But what an enjoyment are these little
silent messengers in their revelations, one by one. Truly
as cold water is to a thirsty soul so is good news from a far
country." Whilst in Madagascar, and at the close of his visit to
the district more especially under the care of the Friends'
Foreign Mission Association, he wrote : "As at home for
more than two centuries, Friends in a quiet way and by the
force of Christian principle have been in some degree the
honoured instruments for moulding the public mind in
things civil and religious, so I thankfully believe a place
and power has been, and is, exercised in this land for good
by 'our own people.'
" This deeply interesting visit intensifies the conviction of
years, that the value and blessing pertaining to the mission
work of Friends in this and other lands — nor to mission
work alone — will be very much in proportion to the faith
fulness with which the Christian doctrine and practice of
the Society of Friends is maintained.
" Not very long ago an eminent and influential preacher
and teacher signified his conviction that the Church of
Christ is not prepared to part with the Society of Friends,
nor with the influence which as a religious body they have
beyond all others the power to diffuse ; a Society entrusted
by the Lord, as I believe, with a deeply responsible
stewardship, to uphold before the world the simplicity of
the New Testament teaching ; to bear witness to the
government and guidance of the Holy Spirit and to the
blessed fulness and spirituality of the gospel of our Lord
and Redeemer."

128 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
In November, 1879, in consequence of failing health,
Langley Kitching had to return to England, and although it
was no small trial to Isaac Sharp to part with his kind
companion, he believed that his decision was a right one.
During his stay there, Isaac Sharp wrote an address to
the Queen of Madagascar, chiefly on the subject of slavery,
which concludes as follows :
" The Africans can no longer be lawfully sold, and
the time may be approaching when the righteous
act of setting them free may have prepared the way
for another step ; and when the Lord shall put it
into the heart of the Queen to see it right to take
that step, let her not fear, though it should be to
declare every child born after a certain date absolutely
free ; also to set a fixed sum as the limit price of freedom,
by the payment of which any man, woman, or child may
be redeemed. ... If the limit price be subject to a
reduction every year, the way would be gradually prepared
for the duties and privileges of freedom. Education,
meanwhile, would do its noble work, the cause of religion
would be advanced, and labour, freed from degradation,
would rise in the esteem of the people as in other Christian
lands. " May the Lord hasten it in His own time, incline the
heart of the Queen thereto, grant her length of days for its
fulfilment, and enable the Prime Minister to unite therein
to the glory of God and the advancement of the kingdom of
our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
" (Signed) Isaac Sharp."
Once whilst travelling in a region where the savage
tribes would not yield to the Hova Government, during a
halt, as he sat apart from his company, he saw some natives
stealthily coming towards him, pointing their arms against
his party. He did not move, but took care to let them see
that he was unarmed. Then they came out from their con-

ARRIVAL AT SYDNEY. I29
cealment, and he looked up and smiled, that " wonderfully
attractive smile " of his. The natives now lowered their
weapons. Murder and plunder were no longer to be
thought of, and the travellers went on their way un
harmed. At a much later date, he says : " There comes to my
remembrance a little illustrative incident in Madagascar,
when one poor woman, having left the paths of heathen
dom proper, thought she was getting on pretty well in her
Christianity, for, in her former condition, she used to steal
chickens, but now she only stole eggs ! ! "
It was not until June, 1880, that he found himself ready
to leave the shores of Madagascar. He sailed for Bourbon
in the Venus, on board which no one beside himself could
speak English. He says : " For fourteen days and nights
the vessel was beating up against a head wind, the breeze
now and then freshening to a gale. My cabin was within
three feet of the hold, with a cargo below of live pigs and
geese ; and when the cackle, cackle, squeak, and grunt
blended at full blast in one united chorus, whether by night
or day, there was for the time being but slender apprecia
tion of the axiom, ' discord is harmony not understood ! '
Neither does the olfactory memory of those days and
nights come back with a waft of fragrance."
From Mauritius he writes to Henry Clark : " Alone, yet
not alone. I am so blessed as to be easy in mind, and of a
good heart, hopeful and expectant, able through Divine
• grace to say, ' My heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord.' "
He had concluded an earlier letter to the London Com
mittee with the words : " Not a few of my beloved Friends
will, I believe, remember an aged pilgrim in his far-off
journeying, and may they be permitted to realise for him
and for themselves that in height and depth there is safety
in the keeping of the Lord, for He is good — yea, good to
all — to whom in simple faith we may commit our all, for
He reigneth over all, blessed for ever."

I30 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
It was on the 17th of August, 1880, that the steamship
Glenelg came to her moorings at Sydney, and almost at the
same moment the solitary traveller was welcomed by his
friend Joseph James Neave. "As he rowed me away in the
moonlight," says Isaac Sharp, " the bells from a tower in
the city were borne over the water in the evening stillness
with a clear and softened sound." He was interested in
meeting at Sydney with an old man in his ninety-sixth year,
blind but mentally quite clear. He was one of the survivors
of Waterloo. With his new companion and fellow labourer Joseph
James Neave, Isaac Sharp was actively engaged in religious
service until the time of the Annual Meeting of the Society
of Friends at Melbourne. He alludes to quoting George
Fox's words, " Friends, hold all your meetings in the power
of God" ; and also tells us of a conversation in the Mel
bourne Coffee Rooms : " E. D. conversed freely and spoke
wisely on the need of Friends holding their oivn and not
letting in the comprehensive but delusive idea, that if only
in Christ Jesus there is no need of distinction."
No doubt Isaac Sharp felt such a view to be perfectly
consistent with the prayer :
" Confer the grace unknown,
The mystic Charity ;
As Thou art with the Father One,
Unite us all in Thee."
The Friends paid a large number of visits to scattered
families and individuals, and also went to some Moravian
Mission Stations. From Mr. Hagenauer they were glad to
learn that the children of the Aborigines have sometimes
shown remarkable quickness for learning.
In the South Australian diary we find the following,
which in a few words tells much : " My valued companion,
for my sake, shrank exceedingly from the mountain pass ;
but as the way felt clear to me, 1 ventured to accept the
responsibility involved in going forward."

VISIT TO TASMANIA. 131
Tasmania was reached in due time and the Annual
Meeting at Hobart Town attended, and described as a
time of comfort and refreshing from the presence of the
Lord. Writing thence to an English Friend, Isaac Sharp says :
" This long and extensive journey is of necessity a costly
one. Measured by money value, I should faint and fail.
But, ' fs it right f On thiswise I dare feel strong, and
rejoice in the upholding of the Church by prayer, sympathy
and manifest tokens of blessing."
At Peppermint Bay, a clergyman of the Church of Eng
land most kindly made way for the Friends to have a
meeting in his schoolroom.
Isaac Sharp did not find it difficult to attract children,
and writes of a large family at a farm he visited : " The
youngest sat on my knee, a fine boy under two years old.
I do not know his name, but it might have been Zed (Z
or last), for he is the twenty-sixth."
In one household he wrote the following lines :
What shall I say
This New Year's day
Of one thousand eight hundred and eighty-two ?
What must I say,
What must I pray,
My children — for each and all of you ?
This would I say
This New Year's day,
Whole-hearted and true be ye each to the other ;
Let cords of love,
Woven above,
Bind brother to sister, and sister to brother.
Father of all !
May they hear Thy call,
And the children's children whom Thou hast given.
Through Thine only Son
In Him be they one,
With blessings on earth and meetness for heaven.

132 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
On the occasion of a marriage he wrote a short piece,
which begins thus :
This is the day which the Lord hath made,*
We will be glad and rejoice in it ;
Broad lights are His, and the shadows, too.
O bridegroom, O bride, to Him be true,
While each to the other closely knit
In sunshine and shadow, in light and shade.
A few days were spent at Melbourne, and a month at
Adelaide and the neighbourhood. Then came three
months of varied religious labour and some perilous
travelling with J. J. Neave in Queensland. They had been
warned to avoid tropical heat, but no one had told them to
beware of tropical cold and they were much struck with the
contrast between day and night temperature. At Brisbane,
the Baptist minister not only kindly lent his chapel, but,
under peculiar circumstances, gave up his own appointment
on a Sunday evening in favour of the Friends.
" Will you have any singing ? " he asked, and on receiv
ing a negative reply responded, "All right." He afterwards
spoke heartily of his satisfaction with the meeting. Isaac
Sharp feared that in congregational hymn singing people
too often take on their lips words which do not truly
express their condition of heart, and that this unreality in
worship has a deadening effect on the spiritual life.
A rough voyage in the Albion steamship brought the
travellers to New Zealand in March, 1882. Here they found
an open door for service. Whilst speaking in the Presby
terian Church, at Invercargill, Isaac Sharp says: "The
yearning of years for Invercargill was vividly before me, and
an answer to that yearning appeared to present in the
kindness of our reception and in the crowded assembly
before us." One night when 3,000 feet above the sea, the
Friends had to spend many hours in a coach set fast in the
snow. " Shiver answered to shiver," says Isaac Sharp, " as
hour after hour of that memorable night wore away." He
* Psalm cxviii. 24.

DEPARTURE FROM NEW ZEALAND. 133
records a call on Mr. Gray, a Wesleyan minister, at
Balclutha. The subject of silence as a part of worship had
come up. I ventured to say :
" It is a marvel to me that our Wesleyan brethren who
own and value the silence of the ' Watch-night ' should be
content with once a year."
" Once a month," said Mr. Gray, "we have a short
silence." Isaac Sharp heartily approved of this as a step in
the right direction.
On his seventy-sixth birthday he alludes to a prayer of
his fellow labourer that " in the Lord's own time we might
be with our loved ones at home once more in peace." At
a later date he says : "We have been closely banded together
in service for our Lord the greater part of the two years
last past." In December, however, the time for parting
came, "after a precious season of united prayer, fellowship,
and communion of spirit one with the other and with the
Lord— mindful alike of mercies past and present, and with
a graciously granted renewal of trust for the time to
come. . . Thus 1 am setting out for a journey of
nearly 6,obo miles, ' alone yet not alone.' There was a
precious sense permitted me of thankfulness and peace as
the shores of New Zealand gently faded away."
In September, 1897, Joseph James Neave writes as
follows, in a letter from Sydney, N.S.W. : " From my
earliest days, and long before I knew him, I was familiar
with the name of Isaac Sharp, for he occasionally went,
with other young men who were also living in the employ
of Day and Robson at Saffron Walden, to my grandfather's
to tea, he being a farmer a few miles away. This was
before my mother's marriage, but she used to speak of
him. I feel it to be one of the greatest privileges of my
life to have known dear Isaac Sharp, and to have been
yoked with him in religious service for the best part of
two years in these Australasian Colonies. His uniform
brightness and cheerfulness, sometimes under trying cir
cumstances, were very helpful and instructive, and told

134 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
more plainly than words the source of his strength. The
ability to mingle with almost all kinds of people in a
helpful, pleasant manner, that commended the Gospel of
Christ, was a gift that he often used, and by which many
were attracted.
" I have been with him when his physical and mental
powers have been sorely taxed, but I never saw his spirit
perceptibly affected thereby. He was emphatically a son
of consolation. His private and public ministry seemed
full of it. As one anointed ever with fresh oil, he poured
forth of his unfailing treasure to the help of many weary
and faint ones, as his Master bade and helped him. After
we had completed the service in Australia and Tasmania,
we left Melbourne for the Bluff, New Zealand, early in
1882, calling on the way for a few hours on our clear friends
in Hobart. We left the house of Robert A. Mather after
dark to go on board the steamer that night. In doing so
Isaac Sharp caught his foot and fell heavily, causing several
sprains and bruises. I think this affected his general
health, for all the time we were in New Zealand he was
often ailing, sometimes really ill, but as often recovering
and taking his part in the service of the day. He rested a
short time with our friends Thomas and Jane Mason.
. . We paid a most interesting visit to our dear
friends Thomas and Ann F. Jackson and their family,
at Otonga, when they were having a very rough and trying
experience, and the roads were almost impassable. Fletcher
Jackson met us at the railway station, putting Isaac Sharp
on one horse, and the luggage on another, which he led,
leaving me to pick my way. It took us nearly seven hours
to go about eight or ten miles to their house, and we did
our best to get along. Here our friends learned severe
lessons that have helped to fit them for their important
and helpful service in the cause of Christ in these Colonies.
" I might mention that when we first landed at the Bluff,
Isaac Sharp felt he ought to go to Stewart Island, the most
southerly of the New Zealand group. We went in an

ARRIVAL AT SAN FRANCISCO. 135
oyster cutter, in a few hours, and found a settlement of
homely people, mostly fishermen. We found William
Peterson, the schoolmaster, a pious man, who said he felt
we had been sent in answer to prayer. We gathered the
people together and had times of refreshing and blessing,
both in public and private, among them. I have been to
the island twice since then, and on each occasion found Isaac
Sharp warmly remembered and spoken of, and a very open
door for the Gospel message. A real work of grace has
been going on with many, so that one's heart rejoices.
About seven or eight religious denominations are found in
the meetings, while the isles to the north of Scotland, with
each of the home united kingdoms, and Germany, Norway,
and Sweden, are, I think, represented."
Joseph James Neave felt so much concerned at Isaac
Sharp's frail state of health that he had fully intended to
undertake the voyage to San Francisco with him, but he
had no relapse, and was so bright and cheerful that there
seemed to be nothing to make it unsafe for him to under
take the voyage alone. " It seems to me," adds Joseph J.
Neave, "as if power were given him to rise above all
physical ailments and hold them in abeyance."
A lady who had an interview with him wrote after
wards : " The real value of the visit cannot be told, as
it lay in his sympathetic understanding of my loss and
sorrow, and of the perplexities of the way. He seemed
like a prophet of old in knowing how to comfort. I believe
his reply to a remark about coveting his strong faith,
was to the effect that his faith only came day by day.
What struck me much was the joyous laugh that came
spontaneously with his serious talk."
Of his arrival in the States, he writes : " It was near
sundown when the steamer reached the quay at San
Francisco, and then in the joy of vigorous health it was my
privilege to set foot for the first time on the shores of the
United States, even as I saw in vision long years ago,
landing in the west from the Pacific"

CHAPTER XL
" Never a heart-ache, and never a groan,
Never a tear-drop, and never a moan,
Never a danger, but there on the throne,
Moment by moment, Christ thinks of His own."
Miss W. Whittle.
" The steps of a good man are ordered of the Lord."

DURING his voyage Isaac Sharp wrote to his "beloved
friend" Harrison Penney : "Let this be thy con
solation and thy joy with thanksgiving, that for thee and
me, and for all the dear children of the Lord everywhere,
as they abide in Him, that with all the sands of time yet to
run — be they many or few — with each grain will be given,
in untold love and mercy, a grain of grace, whether it be
the grace of endurance or the grace of triumph. . . .
I well remember calling on the late John Fothergill in his
last illness, when, in the the dawning light of an eternal
day, earth's lesser lights were paling. He had had two
other calls that day. In one, he had been reminded of a
glorious career to look back upon in an honourable calling.
In the other, two women Friends had ministered to him in
a few words fitly spoken, ' like apples of gold in pictures of
silver.' In the first caller's reminder, he could see little to
glory in. In the second were words of life." Then, after
alluding to some deaths in England, he writes of the
" cause to mark well with each opened grave the clarion
note, 'Work while it is day.' ... 1 inwardly crave
136

YEARLY MEETING AT BALTIMORE. I37
the prosperity of Zion and that the children of Zion may
he, joyful in their King"
In a letter to a niece he sends cordial thanks for any
unanswered letters, and adds the wise words, " I dare not
dip too deeply into midnight oil, lest the service of the sanc
tuary should be imperilled. . . . When I think of my
eight nephews and nieces all following in the educational
wake of their father and mother, and of the influence for
good which may descend through them, I am glad of heart
that spheres of so much usefulness have opened up for
them, on which 1 crave a rich blessing may abundantly
rest." It was a cheer and strength to Isaac Sharp to be met at
San Francisco by Joel Bean, a minister of the Society of
Friends, and to find that he could for a while join him
in his travels and religious engagements, although until he
met Isaac Sharp he was not aware that he would reach
the shores of America without a companion. It was now
the autumn of 1882, and together the Friends crossed the
Continent to attend the Yearly Meeting at Baltimore,
visiting meetings in many other states during the succeeding
months. Their home whilst at Baltimore was at the house
of the late Deborah C. Thomas, many members of whose
family resided with her. Other guests were also entertained
in that hospitable home. Joel Bean writes : " It was a rare
company that surrounded the long table where conversation
earnest and sprightly gave zest to every meal. But most vividly
do I remember the Bible Readings and morning devotions,
prayers on which our spirits were borne up to the throne
of grace. Dr. R. H. Thomas has beautifully described his
mother's prayers in one of his poems :
' Her prayers ; who'er has heard her pray,
Has known that one at least saw clear
Beyond the dimness of our day,
The limits of the now and here,
And pierced the veil, and saw the throne,
Where with strong wrestlings, and with tears,

138 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
She, making other's needs her own,
And trembling with their sins and fears, —
Sought for herself and them, the grace
That answered to their utmost need ;
Till those who heard her, felt the place
To be the gate of heaven indeed.'
" In many circles like this, of high culture and spiritual
tone, Isaac Sharp was the centre of attention and interest.
He could adapt himself to very different varieties of outward
condition. At Christmas time we were among the coloured
people at Southland College in Arkansas. We spent
several days in this large boarding school. They were
delightful days, in which Isaac Sharp gave out freely
from his stores to the great pleasure of pupils, teachers,
and neighbours, and we were entertained in turn by them.
" Stories of the olden time among the coloured people of
that region were told in a manner, and with powers of
description truly wonderful. 1 will copy a specimen of
one of the old plantation songs, but the effect of the tune,
and the emotions stirred by it, would have to be seen and
heard to be understood. It begins :
' Well, it's Jesus here, and it's Jesus there,
An' it must be Jesus everywhere ;
Jesus, Jesus died on the cross !
' Well, I lef my house and went abroad
Singin and talkin about the Lord,
Jesus, Jesus died on the cross ! '
" We could see how readily the coloured people could
be wrought upon to a high pitch of excitement by these
old songs. . . . The evening closed with some remarks
on the contrast which the purer worship ' in spirit and in
truth' presents, and with encouragement to those who see
beyond these things, to labour for the elevation of the
standard among the people. Morris Brown, a minister,
and Charles Wade have been led out of these excitements.
. . . We became warmly attached to the family, and

AN OPEN DOOR. 139
the Friends composing the meeting in which there were
three coloured ministers.
"At Friendsville, Maryville, and in the mountains of
Tennessee, at Richsquare, Piney Woods, in North Carolina,
in Philadelphia, New York, Providence, Rhode Island, in
Chicago, Richmond, Cincinnati, Spiceland, in Iowa, and at
Washington and other places, we had most interesting
visits. In our long journeys Isaac Sharp was a most agree
able companion. With a richly stored and ready memory
he had large resources to draw from, and a sunny nature to
enliven the passing hours. Many were the sweet seasons
of private devotion we had together. The strong conviction
everywhere sustained him that he was pursuing the path
of duty, made clear to his mental vision by the Holy Spirit.
When in South Africa he had remarked in one of his
letters : ' While, therefore, our tarriance in this land has
far exceeded the limit mentally assigned, I do not see that
we could have cut any visit short or have passed by any
states hitherto visited, without a jar, or a cloud in the
mental atmosphere. The watchword given me months
before I left home has been wonderfully fulfilled, ' Behold
I have set before thee an open door.' "
This companionship was much valued by Isaac Sharp.
In reference to his visits to the States, Charles Coffin
writes : "As a minister his labours have been very accept
able. His friends at home may feel assured that he is now
occupying a field of great usefulness."
" None could be in his presence," were the words of
another, "whether socially or religiously engaged, without
feeling that they were in the presence of a man of Gocl,
full of the spirit of Him who went about doing good."
In his diary, Isaac Sharp alludes to a call on an old lady
Friend of Cincinnati, who at the age of eighty-seven was
remarkable for mental vigour. " Bless the Lord," was the
beginning of her heartfelt greeting, in which she told of
her joy in meeting with the Friend whose wanderings she
had followed mentally for years with warm interest,

140 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
catching up every scrap of information she could about
the journeys in the service of her Lord. "The moments
passed quickly," he writes, " as with a lively mind, and out
of a full heart her mouth spoke. Then came a sweet
season together in commemorating the goodness and
mercy of the Lord, and in the offering of prayer."
When describing an evening meeting in another place,
he writes : " I did not like the attempt to squeeze out a
hymn as one of the stranger ministers present said, ' If any
one feels like it being laid on them to sing a hymn, it might
gather our minds for worship before more come in ' ; to
which remark there was not the slightest response.
Something deeper was, I believe, already over the meeting.
Phebe Hoyle knelt in prayer, then I spoke at some length,
and Joel Bean offered prayer."
Whilst in North Carolina, Isaac Sharp became dan
gerously ill, and was nursed at the Friends' Boarding
School at New Garden. The illness was the result of long
travel with climatic changes, frequent exposure night and
clay, and " varied strength testing." How like him are the
words : " Confined to the house, and chiefly to bed, there
was cause for rejoicing of heart in having so comfortable a
home providentially provided, with all needful care by
night and day."
In the course of his travels a call on Whittier was much
enjoyed. He asked the poet for his autograph. The latter
went into another room, and when he handed back the
book it contained the following singularly appropriate
verses : " A life of duty lends to all it sees,
The beauty of its thought ;
And fairest forms and sweetest harmonies
Make glad its way unsought.
" In sweet accordancy of praise and love
The singing waters run ;
And sunset mountains wear in light above
The smile of duty done.

WITH JOHN G. WHITTIER. I41
" Sure stands the promise ; ever to the meek
A heritage is given ;
Nor lose they earth who single-hearted seek
The righteousness of heaven. " John G. Whittier."
" In the extremes of Quakerdom, existing on this vast
continent," wrote Isaac Sharp, " some of my friends well
know I did not see in all things as they saw, nor they as I.
Nevertheless, the words of my Norwegian Friend, Endre
Dahl, well nigh half-a-century ago, have had their place
and fulfilment again and again : ' There is a love which
covers all.' . . . From death to life, from the power
of Satan to the power of Christ many have been gathered ;
but in not a few instances — which I greatly deplore —
silent waiting upon the Lord for the renewal of spiritual
strength has given place to a ' service of song.' Mean
while, admission to membership in the Society of Friends
has been on grounds superficial to a degree." After
contrasting this method with its opposite extreme, he adds,
" Nevertheless, wrong and wrong, however jostled together,
never yet made right. Preachers and teachers, ' the pastor
and the flock,' together with the support of the ministry,
claim a large share of consideration in this land, and these
claims respectively are much pressed.
" I think we read of pastors (plural) in the New
Testament, but I do not call to mind ' the pastor ' set over
' the flock ' as such. The one-man element, so far as
Friends are concerned, appears to me alien to the Headship
of Christ and to the genius of New Testament Quakerism,
whereunto subject may we ever be.
" The Quakerism of this age has doubtless erred on the
side of a non-aggressive policy. Now the pendulum is
swaying right over to the other side in some parts of this
land. ... I do not say that in ' revival services ' no
hymns should be sung, but I have small sympathy with
continuous singing, preaching, prayer, and praise, in recog
nised meetings of Friends, to the absolute exclusion of silence,

142 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
nor of commencing with a hymn and ending with the
doxology and benediction, and the filling up of every
available gap lest time should be lost.
"It is good to pray, and that without ceasing, but it is
good also reverently to wait upon the Most High in an
attitude of expectancy : ' I will hear what God the Lord
will speak.' "
He did not omit a visit to Niagara, for although it was
not his wont to go out of the way for sight-seeing, neither
did he neglect what was well worth seeing when this could
be done with no damage to the claims of duty. And no
doubt there was wisdom in such relaxation, even where
nature does not so loudly speak of Almighty power as in
these stupendous falls :
" For if the ocean be as nought in the hollow of Thy Hand,
And the stars of the bright firmament in the balance grains
of sand.
If Niagara's rolling floods seem great to us who lowly bow ;
Thou great Creator of the whole, how passing great art Thou! '"2
In reference to his visit to the Indian Territory he
observes : " It was refreshing to witness under the law of
kindness a deep response on the part of the Modocs and
other originally wild tribes ; and an ingathering to the fold
of the Good Shepherd. . . . Some of my friends may
probably read with mingled surprise and interest of ' The
Grand River Meeting of the Society of Friends in the
Indian Territory.' . . My call on Steamboat Frank
was one of deep interest. He said :
" ' I saw Friends first in Philadelphia, and Asa Tuttle in
1878 ; he told us all about it, but said I, talk not to us, but
to your own white people ; they brought us away 200
miles. God will show you after, it is ours, not theirs, and
they push us away ; I was greatly discouraged. Then
came we back to the agency. From white men came bad
words, bad whiskey, and bad guns — wholly bad. They
* T. F. Buckingham.

HARDSHIPS OF MEXICAN TRAVEL. 143
took us to the cities in the East to make a show, and we
not like it. I say this way : say it is wrong. So I asked
for money to go back to Modoc camp ; it was refused, but
we got it from Washington. At first there were of men,
women, and children, 177 ; now it is 102 ; fever, chills,
lung trouble, and the change altogether, makes this great
number of deaths. So when I got back to Modoc camp
I prayed to Gocl and believed on my Father in heaven, and
that what He thinks is best.
" * I prayed to God and the answer came : " // is not for
ever." He answer me that. I was discouraged wonderful
before He say that. Then I began to talk about Jesus to
my people. Two, three, four years I talk about Jesus to
my people. In 1880 I joined the Quaker Church.' There
was a deep pathos in all this."
Mexico was afterwards visited, and in reference to the
mission work there Isaac Sharp says : " It is still the time
of seed-sowing, of sowing in faith, looking unto Jesus, not
without a trustful expectancy of a harvest by and by. An
assured belief springs up the while that not in vain shall
this labour be. With a loving and cordial sympathy for
those who are thus engaged in Mexico and elsewhere, the
words arise in their freshness, ' Be not weary in well
doing, for in due season ye shall reap if ye faint not.' "
Samuel A. Purdie, of the Friends' Mexican Mission, was
his companion.
• They were exposed to much weariness and hardship in
.some of their journeyings as they passed over roads — if
roads they could be called — very deep in mud. Some
times they had to sleep in the open air, even when snow
fell on Isaac Sharp's face. The travellers feared to light
a fire lest their whereabouts should be found out by the
Mexican banditti, as they were prowling about hither and
thither. It was on the 19th of March, 1884, that Isaac Sharp
steamed away from the American shores. Of his arrival
at Liverpool he writes : " While yet on board in a cloud-

144 LIFE 0F ISAAC SHARP.
less mental atmosphere I received from loving lips a
cordial welcome home." He adds modestly: " However
small the outcome and the retrospect, I feel that the
ordering of this long pilgrimage, now brought to a close,
has not been my own. The hand of the Good Shepherd
with manifest guidance has, I believe, been mercifully in
it with the unmerited but gracious owning of His love and
peace. To God only wise be glory through Jesus Christ
for ever, with deep thanksgiving and heartfelt praise."
Thus was ended a memorable journey of six years and
a half in which by varied stages the circuit of the globe
was made.
A year or two earlier, in a letter to his sister Priscilla,
he had said : " I sometimes feel as if 1 should cry were I
once more to enter that hall again and try to say in the
language of dreamland, ' No mistake this time ! ' So with
a sigh I pass on. The telephone is a new device since 1
left home. When will mental telephones go faithfully to
their journey's end and bring a loving message back ! "
But albeit his disposition was so affectionate, he did not
enervate himself with vain longings. "The real of life,"
he remarks in another letter, " is very real, sometimes
intensely so. In the ideal there is apt to be a sort of
revelling, needing — whether for height or depth — a
governing power, lest it run riot. ' Thou wilt keep him in
perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Thee, because he
trusteth in Thee.' Blessed trust and strength and stay,
pointing to a harbour where no storm bloweth ; perennial
freshness there in the home of eternal love." Do not
these words show wherein lay the whole secret of his
strength ?
In a letter to James Backhouse during his long journey
he wrote : " Ever since I was in Stewart Island, as near to
the South Pole as I could well attain, it has felt as if I
must have turned the corner, and so I did, but the zig-zags
have come in, and I am in one of them now — grateful and
glad of heart at having in possession the warrant of the

HOME AGAIN ! 145
King ; nothing short of this would suffice for present and
prospective experience. But the watchword so graciously
given me at the outset is with me still :
' Forward and fear not ,
Let thy faith be firm.'
This has been with me in all weathers, and they have been
variable, very, now and then."
When writing to a sister a few days later, after telling
her that he soon hopes to be in the United States, he
added : " and then ! the notched stick of schoolboy days
may supply the inference ... If favoured to get
through all in the near future I may by and bye have
some addition to make in the ever extending spheres of
nature and of grace" In reference to his visit to Mexico
he had said: '' I could not go there last year because of the
yellow fever, and all the time Mexico has been on my
mind as a place to be visited, and now that it is over I
almost look back in wonderment at its accomplishment for
the way was toilsome and the dangers not a few."
Whilst in Mexico, he had remarked in a letter to
Martha Braithwaite : " No misgiving attends my mind in
being amid the clangers of this land. The Lord is over
all, and if following His gracious ordering it is surely well,
whatever may betide. I am hungry for letters and for
tidings of many who are dear to me, thy honoured and
beloved husband among them."
Whilst on the Atlantic Ocean he had written to his
brother Thomson Sharp : "The belting of the globe is
nearly complete and this long pilgrimage is nearing its
close and (O joy of heart !), with a halo of love and mercy
over all. Read together the shortest psalm, that gem of
praise." In February, 1885, Isaac Sharp went to Ilkley to help
his sister Priscilla Dunning to bring her husband home to
Middlesbrough in an invalid carriage. The death of the
latter about a week afterwards was a great blow to him,

-I46 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
and he said it made him feel ten years older. Broadstairs
became shortly afterwards Isaac Sharp's home, and the
niece who lived with Mrs. Dunning writes : " But it was
wonderful how he got over the many shocks and bereave
ments that were his portion as, owing to his own great age,
he naturally was called upon to part with his friends one
by one, and to feel himself more and more lonely in the
world. ' Lonely, but not alone,' as he loved to say. He
busied himself with many things and was interested in
everything. I read in the diary of his attending a lecture
on Protoplasm ; of his going to plant ivy on my uncle's
grave ; then to hear Mark Guy Pearse lecture at a chapel
in Ramsgate or Margate. 'The world was his parish,' as
W. C. Braithwaite said at his funeral. Nothing that
interested any of those near and dear to him failed to
interest him. When our mother died in 1864 no one could
have been more loving and fatherly to us than was dear
uncle Isaac. He said : ' Now you feel more than ever my
children.' " His was a lovely presence in the house, and yet he
spent his time so quietly over his books and papers when
he was at home — which was but seldom — that there seems
but little to record except to say that to live under the
same roof with him was always a pleasure and a privilege.
He was wonderfully sympathetic and helpful and took
a keen interest in life and in all that was going on
around him, ever ready to listen as well as to impart,
whatever the subject put before him might be. There was
scarcely a topic on which he was not ready to converse,
and he was as much at home with the clergyman of the
parish in which he resided, and with the doctor, as he was
with friends of longer acquaintance and of ideas more
nearly coinciding with his own. Our servants used very
much to appreciate his prayers.
" He was much valued at the little meeting of
' Drapers,' near Margate, where most of those who attended
were inmates of the almshouses and found his loving words

st. peter's, broadstairs. 147
•of exhortation and of sympathy and cheer very helpful.
He was very often away at other meetings.
" I was frequently very anxious on account of the
delicate health of my aunt whilst we were at Broadstairs,
•and instead of my uncle Isaac being an additional care —
as such an old man might well have been — I found him a
wonderful help. He used to tell me never to hesitate to
call him at any hour of the day or night, even if 1 wanted
¦counsel only."
In a letter to his daughter, written in the summer of
1885, Isaac Sharp says : " We are not far from the sea, but
far enough for the trees to grow, and St. Peter's is like a
•suburb of Broadstairs, and away from its visitors and din.
This suits my sister well and, indeed, suits us all. S. is a
vigorous and most willing helper with scarcely sufficient
regard for herself. My brother's * portrait in oils is in
a better light here than formerly. Sixteen weeks have
not sufficed to remove the dreamlike feeling of it all.
One could still almost listen for the foot-fall never
to return. I have never felt well since his illness and
death. Nevertheless writing on the day on which 1 enter
my eightieth year, I do desire thankfulness of heart for the
multiplied blessings still vouchsafed in our heavenly
Father's care and in a Saviour's love. Two very nice south
rooms are mine, with a view into the country and with a
wooded horizon."
In February, 1886, he made a remarkable entry, be
ginning on the first page of one of his MS. books :
"Revelation i. 11, 'What thou seest write in a book.'
As usual, in the early part of the year I was a good deal
-confined to the house. . . . There was, nevertheless,
the sustained feeling embraced in the sense given me that
the end is not yet, and clay by day I dwelt in an atmosphere
of peace. My dear sister Priscilla's love and care and
home are tenderly appreciated, as of and in and from the
Lord. ... A halo of love and peace is round about
* John Dunning.

148 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
me with a wonderful sense of Divine overshadowing, as in
a day of espousal, with the language upwelling, ' Faithful
is He that hath called you who also will do it.' The seal is
afresh set of pardon and of peace with a gracious renewal
of trust and rest ; and with it the prompting, ' What thou
seest write in a book.'
" Is anything too hard for the Lord ?
" Four score and four ! Syria, India, Japan, and
America. " The will of the Lord be clone, whether the vision be
as from the top of Pisgah, terminating there ; or He, in the
plentitude of His own power, be pleased to renew my youth
as the eagle's for the performance of this great pilgrimage.
If it be the will of the great Leader and Commander, the
Lord Jesus Christ, He will make a way, where otherwise
there would be no way, in the heart and mind of mine
own people. ... As the Lord willeth —
' Look unto Me
And thou shalt see.
' The closer thou dost follow Me
The greater shall the blessing be,
In heaven and earth, by land and sea,
Wherefore arise and follow Me.'
" So grant it Lord ! Amen.
" A lesson for many days : ' Have faith in God.' "
A week later he writes : " For two or three days I have
had much pain with diminished power, but do not lose
heart. The Lord is over all. Jeremiah xxx. 2 : ' Thus
speaketh the Lord God of Israel, saying, Write all the
words that I have spoken unto thee in a book.' . . .
Silent and deep has been the centreing of my soul this day."
Again he writes : " Powerfully upon me clay by day is
the looming of a still distant horizon, a vision now of a
vivid by and by, should the Lord of the harvest so order
it for me ; concerning which, whatever may betide, ' The
will of the Lord be done.' Lesson for the day ! What

LETTER TO A GRANDCHILD. I49
strength thou hast is of the Lord. The weakness is thine
own!' A month later he writes : " My clear sister Priscilla's
case is one of deep concern and solicitude. Her condition
has been one of much suffering. . . . It is tenderly
touching to me to see her in this state and to feel powerless
for her relief. . . . She had the satisfaction and com
fort of hearing in the evening of the birth of her fourth
grandchild, the daughter of A. M. D. They call the little
new comer Hilda Mary, a rhythmic name. For most of
a week I have kept the house . . . probably owing
to some internal trouble, and no wonder, at the verge of
eighty. . . . My faith remains through all, unshaken
in the vision, with an earnest and abiding desire that body,
soul, and spirit may be in subjection to the will of the
Lord. . . . My heart uprises with thanksgiving.
' Commit thy way unto the Lord ; trust also in Him, and
He will bring it to pass.' "
Thoughts on the momentous subject often present with
him did not make him forget the wonted trifling kindnesses
which are the sweetness of daily life. So a grand-daughter
receives a note : " Dear little Lena, — Yes, I do like photos
very much. . . . Mignonette ! Oh, so sweet ; I do
like mignonette. Once I sent some flower seeds a long
way off to Greenland, and it was eighteen years after when
I heard of their arrival. Once some Esquimaux children
gathered some wild flowers for me. I thought it was very
kind of them. To be kind costs but little, but gives much
pleasure." . . .
In the summer of this year, 1886, feeling that the time
had not yet come for distant labour, after returning a certifi
cate he held for service in different parts of his native land,
Isaac Sharp obtained another for similar visits to meetings in
various parts of England, Ireland and Scotland. In refer
ence to his attendance of the Friends' Yearly Meeting, held
in May for some twelve days in London, he says : " I much
enjoyed it, but from first to last my mind was under con-

150 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
tinuous exercise, so deep at times it almost felt as if the
time had already come (though I know it was not so) for
casting this prospect of service, still in vision, before the
Church for judgment. Not more full and deep was the
pressure foreshadowing that long journey in which the
earth was girdled. . . . The wisdom of this world is
against it, but the Lord is over all, and He reigneth King for
ever." Again he says : " The service revealed to me, as in a.
vision of light, is present with me in its freshness almost
continuously, so I wait the fulfilment of the sign, having no-
warrant to move forward till then. . . . My strength at
eighty appears marvellous to many. Is it not given me for
a purpose yet to be revealed ? Hast thou faith ? Have it
to thyself before God. Ordinary common sense would
ignore it, setting a limit to the limitless. Nevertheless
faith is in the ascendant, and to the Lord I commit my
way. I was last week in Cornwall, and at the ancient
meeting-house of ' Come-to-good.' The place was too
small for the people who came, and the overflow gathered
round the windows outside, so from the foot-board of the
carriage, drawn up near to the windows, it was my
favoured lot, helped by the Lord, to minister with a loud,
clear voice to the people, who listened with deep atten
tion. The sky was over us for a canopy, and around us
green leaves and branches served for curtains. The
promise of the Lord Jesus was fulfilled, He being
graciously manifest in our midst."
On the 4th of July, his eightieth anniversary, in a letter
to Sir Joseph Whitwell Pease, he says : " Oh ! this
whirligig of time, with its ever recurrent seasons as they
come and go ! And oh ! the still more everlasting now,
when terrestrial days or days' decades shall come and.
go no more for ever ; so that I am ready at times to
praise the dead that are already dead more than the living
which are yet alive, so far as the Spirit beareth witness
with our spirits that they, of Christ's redeeming love

"WILLINGNESS TO GO OR STAY." 151
and mercy, in beatitude inconceivable are forever with the
Lord." Not long afterwards he writes : " Pondering early this
morning on the almost ever-present prospect before me —
clear, peaceful, bright — yet in a sense of its environment
and my utter helplessness for its fulfilment, save as helped
by the Lord in the threefold need of body, soul, and spirit,
a great weight of exercise was upon me, as it often is."'
Then he quotes a number of Scripture texts with regard to
committing the way to the Lord, including His gracious
promise : " I will even make a way in the wilderness and
rivers in the desert." Isaiah xliii. 19.
In November, after alluding to an absence of eight
weeks on religious service in Ireland and the North of Eng
land, he adds : " Through all, as the needle to the pole, so
my abiding ponderings centre in one spot, that wonderful
journey of the future should it so be in the ordering of the
Lord, to whom, as with a burst of thanksgiving, I yet once
more commit voy way and my all."
At the close of 1886 he writes : "The last day of the
year, and with it comes a precious invitation :
' Let not thy heart fail thee ;
The vision is yet for an appointed time \ ' "
In April of the following year, we find the entry :
" Reminiscence of a powerful experience, which may
be faintly pourtrayed thus : I felt like being near the great
white Throne in a hemisphere of peace. . . . And then
I saw beyond the earthly and, as it seemed to me, in the
light of the heavenly, that ' Thy will be clone ' must
embrace a willingness to go or stay. . . . There was a
precious sense of deep, deep peace ; peace with God
through Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit bearing witness of it
wondrously with this added lesson, 'Abide in patience and
keep the watch, watching for the sign.' "
In May he records his attendance at the Friends'
Yearly Meeting in London. " A time of deep proving fell

152 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
to my lot, and of dimness in the absence of spiritual power,
a baptism of suffering, possibly a baptism for service.
. There is a baptism for speech and a baptism for
silence." As was often the case, he writes, " A day of memorial,"
in his entry for the 26th of July. He adds : " Forty-five
years ago this clay the words were fulfilled, ' until it shall
please the Lord by death to separate us.' " He quotes
from the sacredly simple words used in the marriage
covenant of the Society of Friends.
In August, 1887, when writing from Trevor Lodge,
Broadstairs, to his daughter, he says in reference to his
sister, "Dear 'Aunt Priscilla' has been apparently nigh
unto death, but has rallied somewhat once more. S. did
her part well, but could not watch night and day, so a
trained nurse from Dover came. This, as I understand it,
is just the case at present. P. may be with us for months,
or a severe attack might bring us to the end of the chapter
at any time. What she has been and is to me, and what I
feel, as I thus write, I do not attempt to pourtray in words.
So I pass on to say that for many weeks Scotland, the
General Meeting at Aberdeen, and other meetings in that
land were prominently before me. With a somewhat
heavy heart, but with a hopeful spirit and the cherished
trust that we might meet again on earth, 1 took my leave
on the 4th of this month. It was a touching time, but the
Lord was near as I knelt by her side and committed this
loved one in prayer to Him. Then I left with an easy
mind, knowing that He is over all, who doeth all things
well." It is like the writer of the letter that further on, after
giving some account of a meeting, he goes on to say :
" Tell Oswald and Lena what befel grandfather on the
way," and then gives an amusing description of the loss of
his hat.
In his next letter to his daughter in California, he
begins : " Eyes that have winked for four-score years and

DEATH OF HIS SISTER. 153
may have some winking yet to do, may well plead excuse
for a holiday and the absence of the use (to them the
familiar use) of midnight oil ; so my correspondence is
shortened. I say no more on this head, save that they are
the better for rest and treatment."
In September, he remarks in his journal : " Alike for
the earthly and the heavenly, the voice is still sounded in
the secret of the soul :
' Look unto Me
And thou shalt see.'
While pondering on the earthly last night, a lesson of
great power came before me, in the words of the Lord
Jesus, ' Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every
word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.' "
In allusion to his sister he writes : " How intimately are
the threads of our existence interwoven !" The parting was
near at hand.
On the 1st of November, while Isaac Sharp was
addressing a company of Friends at York, a telegram was
handed him to inform him of her death. He writes : " My
beloved sister was mercifully spared the ' swellings of
Jordan ' she had so much dreaded. . . . She slept the
sleep of death, 1 thankfully believe for a wonderful waking
in the shadowless land where there is 'no more pain.'"
The weight of sorrow was a heavy burden, but with him
there was never a burden which could not be brought to a
sympathizing Saviour. Soon we find some touching entries
in his little book, written too when suffering from physical
weakness: " Vitality low, mercy over all; grace and help
prevailing, with no belief that the end is very near.
Stricken, sorely stricken ; my loss is great but the Comforter
is near." Then five days later : " Desolation, loneliness,
severance, life's barometer low. Deep calleth unto deep
day by clay, but the Lord reigneth. . . .
" Deep, deep the travail of his soul within,
Wearing- the while the sackcloth next his skin."

154 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
It is pleasant to link with these extracts from his diary
a passage in a letter to one of his friends, in which he says :
" It is well that the Christian ever keep the watch lest Satan
enter in between the soul and Christ, presenting to the-
mind more fear than faith."
The large services to which Isaac Sharp felt himself
called did not lessen his belief in the Lord's guidance in
intercourse with individuals, and about a month afterwards
he writes : " Went to Croydon and called on Dr. W. H. R.
He is now more feeble than I had anticipated. I was glad.
to see him and he appeared pleased with the call and to-
converse on the Spanish New Testament Commentary. . .
I knelt beside the doctor and offered prayer, to which he
responded slowly and with feeling, Amen, Amen, Amen !.
and then supplicated on my behalf. I had felt a strong
attraction to go, and trust it was to both of us graciously-
granted as a ' brook by the way.' "
"A new home," he now writes, "is looming in the
future. . . . And in love and mercy there comes welling;
up, as a precious lesson for the day, ' The Lord will provide.'
In prospect of the coming change and varied claims my
pecuniary resources are slender. I believe the Lord would
still have me be as a servant in waiting. The prospect of"
foreign service as the months roll on diminishes not ia
brightness and clearness of vision. . . . ' He that
believeth shall not make haste.' "
Early in 1888 he writes : " Deep exercise of soul.
continues to be my lot ; frequent and deep, early and late,
oft in the day and at times by night are the blendings of
faith and patience, hope and trust, as in their varied phases.
they come and go, leaving through all, deep and full, the
will of the Lord is best, the will of the Lord be done.
The offer of a home at Ettington I feel thankful for,.
and peaceful in the acceptance of, whether for a longer or
shorter period."
Many other offers of a home had been made him and not.
by relatives only. The rooms offered him by his kind

I 11 1111 ? Illiiii mW

ISAAC SHARP'S HOME AT ETTIXGTON.

REMOVAL TO ETTINGTON. 155
friend Sarah Gibbins, and again at her decease by her son
and daughter, in an old and picturesque house at Ettington,
were gratefully accepted, and here he found his home to
the end of his life. In this village his brother Thomson
and his wife were already living, and were afterwards
joined by a niece and her husband. In this sequestered
hamlet is a quaint and stone-floored meeting-house, the
entrance into which is by a wooden-latched door more
than two hundred years old. It is surrounded by a shady
and beautifully-kept graveyard. In February, 1888, the
removal was accomplished. Frequent intercourse with his
brother was much enjoyed, as also with the Gibbins family,
whose home was always open to him. It was like " one of
life's dreams " to the brothers thus to be thrown together,
and there are many allusions to it in his journal. It was also
a mental stimulus. " Thomson called on me in the evening,"
he writes on one occasion, " and we had an enjoyable time
in reading and communing. Milton on Father, Son, and
Holy Ghost was one of the features of deep interest."
After saying how much he was feeling the cold weather,
he goes on : " But then ! three score and ten and ten, and
nearly two — in my 82nd year — the marvel is, my friends
still say, and often say, my vigour for the time of life is
wonderful, and lo ! T partly believe it."
A day or two later, on March 1st, he goes to London
to attend one or two meetings there before entering on
religious service amongst Friends in Ireland. His sym
pathy at one place was aroused for his host, whose sorrow
was very great in the loss of his wife who had died a few
months earlier. " He was kind and agreeable," Isaac
Sharp says, " and spoke of his youngest son — save the baby
— as being his shadow, following him wherever he goes ; a
frail-looking but almost fascinating face with a semi-ethereal
look. The father came with me into my bedroom, but my
heart was almost too full and deep for utterance. I almost
groaned aloud for him, after he left, with yearning
sympathy."

156 HFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
What a key to hearts such sympathy must have been !
" How precious," writes John Pulsford, "is human sym
pathy ! It proceeds from and reaches to the heart of
heaven." The latest entry in his journal for 1888 is the
following :
" Soliloquy. Eventide.
" ' Am I prepared to let this concern fade away ? '
"Response :
" ' I dare not give it up ! '
' Nothing to ask, but to wait,
To wait and the watch to keep,
Abiding at Wisdom's Gate.'
" Bring all into subjection, O Lord, and graciously keep
it there. " Thou shalt surely go and I will be with thee."

CHAPTER XII.
" Thy will and counsel, Shepherd true,
Have ever proved unfailing,
When, through Thy love prevailing,
My steps they onward drew.
So, if this new heart stirring
Comes from Thy love unerring,
Thy gracious purpose all fulfil ;
If not, prevent it by Thy will."
C. C. L. Von Pfeil.
" Father, as in Thy high heaven
So on earth, to Thy decree
Be our glad obedience given ;
Oh, fulfil Thy will in me." Ibid.

IN the latter part of 1888, Isaac Sharp had made the-
following record in his diary : " Pondering deeply
this day on the expected yet to be, although my eyes are
holden, ' Thou shalt surely go ' is much more in harmony
with my inner life than in any degree a call to surrender,
save in continuance of that which in wonderful grace has
been aforetime wrought concerning this thing, viz : ' Thy
will be done.' 1 have been permitted to glance at 1890 as
a probable period — when on the verge of four-score and
four — for entering on this work of faith. Meanwhile my
heart responds to the breathing : ' Thy judgments are a
great deep.' — Psalm xxxvi. 6. . . . Concerning the
intervening space it may be the Lord has His own fathom
less and hidden purposes to accomplish . . . and
157

158 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
for myself strength for the way and day. The lesson
comes home afresh to myself, heaven-sent as 1 thankfully
believe, ' Have faith in God.' So grant it, Lord, whatever
lies before me. Amen. Amen."
On the 24th of March, 1889, he writes : " With an
internal malady, held by one of the first physicians to be
incurable, and suffering from it from time to time night
and day, the prospect of long travel sometimes appears
very serious, and a shade of discouragement, like a shadow
of Satan, has, though very rarely, come over me, although
never to overwhelming, for the Lord is over all. Body,
soul, and spirit, that wonderful threefold union, are subject
to the word of the Great Healer, with whom moreover are
the issues of life and death." In a letter to Sir J. W. Pease,
he says : " While thus writing two brothers come to my
mind. They were widely apart in their location. The
one I learned to love in the wilds of Labrador, in his
mission labour there, the other in South Africa. They
were good men, and earnest, each in his own way, but
their lines were not parallel. So it has been (so I suppose
it still is the world over) ; witness E. and J. of D., of the
bygone generations, diverse exceedingly, yet of purpose
fully set, each holding his own with a grip. The South
African brother, Theodore Weiz, was quaint in simile, and
ready of illustration. As we walked along he called my
attention to a well-worn spade stuck in the ground. ' That
spade,' said he, ' was new once, and it did a deal of work,
but the wear of years reduced its power, for by degrees it
was more than half worn away ; not laid aside altogether,
but stuck in the ground, ready for any delving it could yet
accomplish ! ! '
" How often since those days in South Africa has this
simile been present with me. For my friends often remind
me that the remaining vigour of the clays exceeds the
common lot at four-score and two, and the clear Lord
raises a responsive echo in my heart that it is even so.
Possibly as a means to an end for some yet to be service

" SHADOWY POURTRAYAL OF A VIVID REALITY." 159
instead of suffering, till He bid me lay the harness clown
;and rest — ' The way of the Lord is wisest,
The will of the Lord be done.' "
In another letter to Sir J. W. Pease, "who was,"
remarks a near relative, "a most sympathetic correspondent
'to the last," Isaac Sharp says: "There is a service per
taining to earth and the passing away ; and a service for
'heaven. The clear Lord knew it well in that He cared for
the bodies as well as for the souls of men. He careth
: still, and lo ! herein there are many ministries for Him
which He graciously loveth to own with the benediction,
'' Ye did it unto me.' ... A sudden break clown of old
age may come at any time. But all this gives me small
¦concern. I have the strength and love to use it, and to be
thankful for it, for the Lord is pleased to own it still. 1
never was in Mildmay Conference Hall but expect to be
there to-morrow night by request, of my cordial free-will,
but not of my own seeking."
Two months later, in a letter to his only remaining
;sister, he remarks : " Sudden loss of vital power in old age
is commonly looked upon as a condition to be severely
watched. I am in degree in this state, but f fear it not.
To my belief the end is not yet. There is something more
to do for the Master, so I dare believe without (I do trust)
one dash of boasting, joyfully enabled to couple with it,
"' The will of the Lord be done.' "
Whilst writing in this strain to his friends, it is only to
"the pages of a little MS. book that he confides the secret of
his Lord until the time for its development arrive. What
lie writes there on the 5th of May, 1889, he calls a
" shadowy pourtrayal of a vivid reality ; a day of deep
feeling but of comfort and trust. A sense that the Lord
will provide has been vividly before me, and a wonderful
•ease of spirit. . . . The idea presented as of a shield,
ito be worn out of sight on the breast, with the inscription,
*' Action or acquiescence,' with a willingness that the Lord

l6o LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
should erase as it pleaseth Him the one or the other. A
more definite sense, moreover, took hold of me for 1890.
Four score and four with a definite purpose in it. So-
under a canopy of love and peace I retired for the night."
It has been well said that the secret of the blessing that
attended the life of Isaac Sharp was " his faith, clear,
strong, and simple. He did not ask for more than God'
was ready to give. He was content to wait through the-
years for the unfolding of God's purposes." And as we
ponder this fact we recall the remarkable words of George
Muller, in reference to the building of his second Orphan
Home : "There has passed scarcely an hour in which,
whilst awake, this matter has not been more or less before
me. I converse with no one about it, and deal with God
alone in order that no outward influence may keep me
from attaining unto a clear discovery of His will. . . .
1 continue to beseech the Lord that He will not allow
me to be deluded, but I may say I have scarcely any doubt as.
to what will be the issue, even that I should go forward with
this matter. I could wait for years by God's grace, were
this His will, before even taking one single step towards
this thing. And on the other hand I could set to work
to-morrow, were the Lord to bid me to do so. This state of
mind is the fullest assurance to me that my heart is not
under a fleshly excitement, and that if I am helped thus to
go on / shall know the will of God to the full. But I
do crave the glorious privilege to be more and more used
by the Lord."
In one of Isaac Sharp's letters, written about this time,
we find the following allusion to the late John T. Dorland :
" I met with him in 1883-4, and felt then, and rejoice now
for the gift that is in him. His massive, Spurgeon-like
head has a large brain inside, and below it a loving and
tender heart."
On the 24th of May he writes in his little book : " On the
verge of the ' Border Land,' but with less expectancy of
death than of life, and graciously enabled to breathe ' Thy

STRONG SYMPATHY. l6l
will be done ' in an atmosphere of peace and praise with
thanksgiving. In Psalm cxviii. is the record, ' I shall not
die, but live and declare the works of the Lord ! ' Even
as of old so now, O Lord."
Isaac Sharp was intensely sympathetic and of a very
affectionate disposition. He therefore took a deep personal
interest in his friends and in what concerned their well-
being. He liked for them to tell him about themselves
and their interests, and, with no unwholesome dread of
being thought egotistical, he would at times pay back in
like measure. In one of his letters, he says : " I
did get to the Warwickshire Quarterly Meeting, that
was the ' last nutmeg,' under the weight of which the
poor old camel broke clown." Then, after alluding to
sudden illness from an internal malady, he adds : " I felt
like H. P.'s mother, among the rapidly rising billows in her
husband's small trading craft, ' George, my dear, something
must be clone ! ' " As there was no doctor at Ettington,
Isaac Sharp, by the advice of Dr. Nason of Stratforcl-on-
Avon, took lodgings at the latter place with a skilful nurse.
Twenty-eight days had to be spent in bed. "The love of
God in His dear Son has been so mercifully and manifestly
round about me, even as a wall which Satan has no power
to break through :
'Oh to grace how great a debtor.' "
Two months later he left home for religious service in
Scotland. In one of his letters, he says that to him travel
was " no trouble, and as for strange beds I know them not,
although well aware of the difference between a feather
bed on a spring mattress and the ' open ' in winter
among the mountains in Mexico, lying on a rush mat
without the cover of a canvas tent, while the prairie wolves
were howling in the forest hard by, and, as 1 was told,
there were plenty of snakes, but I escaped unharmed.
Surely ' they who mark the hand of Providence will never
want a Providence to mark.' "

162 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
On the 30th of November, 1889, in a letter to Sir J. W.
Pease, he writes : " Finding some tendency to a partial
return of the internal ailment of six months since, I came
to town and placed myself under the care of a specialist,
which has necessitated a tarriance in London. I do not
regret it, although the benefit has been less marked than
anticipation indicated. I hold that while we have a body
to care for it is our bounden duty— seeking the while a
blessing upon it — to do the best in our power to keep it in
repair. My general health is good. ... At Ettington
my brother Thomson and I see more of each other than we
have ever clone before consecutively ; and, being closely
bound in a loving brotherhood, we enjoy it greatly when
both at home.
" For myself f am often on the wing. My eyes are
decidedly better ; Dr. Bell Taylor's treatment having, I
think, proved very successful.
" I have continuously good accounts from my daughter
and son-in-law and their five children, who have now
settled near to San Jose in California. . . . They attend
the same meeting as our dear friend Joel Bean, who wrote
a brief poem for New Year's clay, entitled ' No more sea.'
Two stanzas run thus :
' A little child once more,
Treading life's western shore,
A vast unfathomed deep stretches far out before.
Yet led by my Father's hand,
To the realm of the spirit land,
He will more and more reveal what I do not under
stand.' "
Again he writes : " All the particulars of thy home
circle interest me as they ever do, though a semi-sense of
fossilization comes over me when I hear of young life,
early manhood and womanhood, lovingly bound in a
tender and blessed union — during the days it may please
an allwise Providence to grant as ' heirs together of the

A VISION OF ANGELS. 163
grace of life ' — each other's joy. in the Lord. . . The
duration of my own married' life is soon told ; from 2nd
month 6th, 1839 to 7th month 26th, 1842. . . . While
often very sensible how soon this happy union came to an
end, I have also seen in it through the vista of years, the
tracery of the hand of the Lord therein with a wonderful
blending of this life and the next. . . . While lying ill
in Norway I had a wonderful vision of angels and of
their presence, self poised and balanced perfectly, resting
on nothing, a heavenly choir with a heavenly melody.
No pinion stirred, I saw no face, and heard no single
voice, but my beloved wife was undoubtedly among
them, a sweet evidence to me of her exalted happiness,
' enduring as the days of heaven.' I had never doubted it,
but this felt to me a very precious sense of its reality. My
mind at the time was perfectly clear without the slightest
trace of fever myth. I still look back with thanksgiving to
this vision, and with an abiding sense of her great joy."
While detained in London the opportunity was
embraced for attending some of the meetings in the
vicinity. After remarking that Dr. F. spoke wisely and well
on tenderness as a characteristic of Christianity so opposed
to the hardness with which it is in contrast, Isaac Sharp adds;
"We look in vain in the domain of Satan for tenderness,
hence the need of being translated into the kingdom of the
dear Son of Gocl. Some of the moments of our lives we live
•over again with joy and do well to cherish, and to feel the
nearness of the love of God, and the gracious help of His
Spirit in bringing to remembrance His tenderness and the
nearness of it in His beloved Son." After alluding to a
visit to the breakfast-meeting at the Bedford Institute,
Spitalfields, he acids: "Evidences are not wanting of a
blessing on this labour of love, and so the labourers toil on
in hope." In a letter of New Year's day, 1890, he remarks : " The
present year may be to each of us one of great issues, on
.my own mind there is a looming of it. Although four score

164 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
and four winters have passed over my head there is in
anticipation, more, for thyself and for me, more of life
than of death, natural and spiritual, the near future, if in
simple faith we truly follow the Good Shepherd and ever
live within sound of His voice."
On the 10th of April, in a letter to Sir J. W. Pease, after
alluding to a conversation they had had some time earlier,
Isaac Sharp continues : " f could not then say all that was
in my heart, and year by year the seal continued unbrokenly
set, ' Tell the vision to no man.' But the vision was for an
appointed time. The restraining hand of the Lord was
upon me and I dared not go forward till He gave me leave,
and on this wise the earliest opportunity has been taken
to-day." He goes on to say that at the Friends' " Monthly
Meeting," held at Darlington that day, a certificate had
been granted him for religious service in France, Syria,
Constantinople, India, Japan and America. " It has yet to
be seen how far the Quarterly Meeting on the 17th will
endorse the action of Darlington Monthly Meeting, and if
so, the like as regards the Yearly Meeting.
" But my feeling is strong on this wise, If the Lord
willeth who shall say Nay ? . . My heart rejoices
with thanksgiving in the ability graciously granted to say :
' My times are in Thy hand,' for life or death, for suffering
or for service. So to Thee, O Thou King and Creator !
Unto Thee, O Thou Ancient of days !
The Father, the Son, and the Spirit,
Unto Thee, unto Thee do I raise
The tribute of glory and honour,
And might, and dominion, and praise. Amen."
To the same correspondent he writes from London
during the Friends' Yearly Meeting in May : " At eventide
I pen a few lines to say that a deeply important day is
drawing to its peaceful close. . . . My ' concern '
(for foreign service) took hold of the meeting, and there

BY WAY OF THE GOLDEN GATES. 165
was a large expression of loving unity, not, however, with
out three dissentient voices chiefly on the ground of Anno
Domini. ... I am favoured to feel remarkably well
after the physical refreshment of a tramp on the Sussex
Downs with my brother, when we did our twelve miles, in
addition to six hours in the open air."
In a letter written shortly before the holding of the
Yearly Meeting, he remarks : " I am favoured to feel calm,
quiet, and peaceful, not without a sense of reliant
trust in looking forward to the 20th." Then with character
istic fairness he adds : " I find it difficult to realise what I
might have felt had it been anyone else ; so it behoves me
to feel tenderly for the views of any who may not see eye
to eye with me in this matter. My sheet anchor is, ' The
Lord reigneth ' ; He is over all, over all, now and for
ever." On the 1st of June he writes to his daughter in California :
" London Yearly Meeting for 1890 is now a thing of the
past, and it has been truly a memorable one. The presence
and owning of the Lord was realised from sitting to sitting.
. . . When, in the past, I wrote : ' Thou never need
expect me to cross the Atlantic for a visit to California,'
there was on my heart all the while a full expectancy of
entering the United States once more by way of the Golden
Gates ! Wonderful if this should still come to pass in the
year 18 — !
"Four years ago /was ready, but the clear Lord said not
yet, and moreover, gave the charge, the imperative charge,
Tell the vision to no man. I have faith to begin this long
journey, and faith to leave the issue, and here is my strong
hold of rest and peace. Among my dear friends, whom I
love and value, some are doubtful, some full of fear, and
others not less full of faith. As for myself, I am graciously
sustained by the Lord with a wonderful freedom from all
anxiety." A missionary from Madagascar, to whom reference has
already been made, and who. was now residing in England,

l66 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
when told of the formidable service contemplated by Isaac
Sharp, remarked : " If Mr. Sharp says so, I have not a
shadow of doubt that he is called to the work, and I am
sure he will be enabled to perform it."
When he was about to start on his journey, a severe.
illness confined him to a London Hotel for a month, but,
however it might be with his friends, his own faith did not
falter. He wrote : " A beacon light is still burning on the
coast of France, bright in mental vision with no cloud to-
obscure it. I saw it as I lay prostrate, and see it still,
burning with radiant brightness, fed with oil from the rock
by night and by day. I look forward in hope with joyful
expectancy, enabled with quiet confidence to go forth and
leave the issue, whatever the issue may be, without an
anxious thought."
It had been arranged that with Captain Pim as his
companion, he should set out for Syria in October. On
the 2nd of that month a Farewell Meeting was held at
Devonshire House. It was a pleasure to him to see so-
many young people amongst those present. He said it was
a comfort to him to have their company and loving
interest. He spoke in a clear, full voice, although in reality
not well enough to be out. For three clays and nights the
continuous return of severe spasms greatly reduced his
strength. For ten clays Captain Pim remained with him
without undressing, and Mrs. Pim was his efficient nurse.
" A canopy of peace," he writes, " was over all
and I felt happy, for the Lord condescended to be
very near me and faith was not permitted to fail whilst
looking ahead. ' Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not
all His benefits.' . . . Two evenings ago Dr. Hutchin
son startled me. . . . He suggested chloroform. . . .
My heart went up to the Lord for the grace of endurance
and my prayer was heard and graciously granted. I had
reason to remember the words, ' Before they call I will
answer, and while they are yet speaking I will hear.' . . .
I was exceedingly interested in watching the doctor's grave

IN PARIS. 167
countenance in reference to my allusion to the work before
me. He ' could not recommend or encourage a man
between eighty and ninety to start out on such a journey ! '
but promptly added with a semi-twinkle in his eye that
probably it would not be long before I was in Paris ! ! He
was most kind, gentle and sympathetic. . . . Just one
thing more the Lord has graciously enabled me to breathe
abidingly, 'Thy will be done,' and yet there has ever been
along with it a belief that the years of training in the school
of Christ for the service prospectively before me, would yet
in the Lord's own time break forth in gracious fulfilment."
Well indeed was it for Isaac Sharp that he could
" breathe abidingly, Thy will be done." The strong faith
was about to be yet more strongly tested. Hardly had he
reached Paris before there was' a return of illness and a
necessity for medical care. Then came a fall on the
slippery well- waxed floor of his bedroom, when he received
a heavy blow on his left side. Dr. Anderson bandaged the
ribs and wished a celebrated surgeon to be consulted,
M. Jalaguier. Although there was no fracture, there was a
laceration of the muscles. Valuable suggestions were made
by the surgeon with regard to the treatment of the various
ailments. " It is a serious case," he said. " You will never be able
to take the long journey. For the present you can only
stay where you are and you must not leave your bed for a
single minute. Captain Pim will not be able to do what is
needful in watching night by night and a male attendant
must be engaged." M. Jalaguier spoke favourably of
M. Anderson's skill and smiled when Isaac Sharp said to
him : " The Lord is able to raise me up and I believe He
will." " I did not tell him," he remarks in his diary, " of
the gracious assurance granted me at the outset of this
Parisian experience, when the words of David rose up
before me as he narrates so graphically the saying of some
of the outspoken, ' An evil disease, say they, cleaveth fast
unto him : and now that he lieth he shall rise up no more.'

1 68 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
But David's Lord said otherwise. Even so said the Lord
to me, as I venture to believe, in clear vision :
' Keep near to Me.
Use all lawful means,
Be patient, and I will bring thee through.' "
Meanwhile the summing up of the medical report, signed
by both doctors, is just such as one would expect under the
circumstances. It concludes with these words : " Dans
cette condition, il est tout-a-fait impossible que Monsieur
Sharp entreprenne un long voyage, et la prudence, la plus
elementaire commande que M. Sharp, des qu'il sera trans
portable, puisse rentrer dans sa famille."
On the same clay Isaac Sharp, in a letter to his friend
Samuel Purdie, of Mexico, remarks : "The Lord is able to
raise me up, and / believe He will. So here I rest happy as
a prince. Is it not written, ' Let the children of Zion be
joyful in their King' ? "
To his journal, he thus confides an account of a call
paid him by one whom he describes as being " vigorous in
physical and mental strength " : " He said that it may be
the Lord's will to bless the dedication unfulfilled more than
the completion of active service. He never asked me how
1 felt about it, or of the secret whisper of the Lord. He
remarked that I had had no service in Paris, a self-evident
fact, for 1 have been in bed all the time. Moreover, that 1
had apparently nearly got to the last verse of the chapter,
and evidently concluded that it would be best for me to
give up the residue. This is the voice of a man, dignified,
honoured, and blessed in his service for the King, but still
the voice of a man. But from the very depths comes
welling up, as 1 believe, the voice of the Lord with a ring
of the heavenly, bearing with it an odour of fragrance, and
whispering of the yet to be. Blessed be the Name of the
Lord." In a letter to his daughter, he says, in reference to the
time before he left England : " A beacon light lit up the
coast of France and it continued undimmed, and now I see

LETTER TO HIS COMMITTEE. 169
no light on the other side to beacon me back. ... I
am subject to the recall of the Committee, but it must be
their recall."
In a letter addressed to the London Committee, he
says : " I deeply feel the responsibility of my dear friends
of the Committee at this juncture. In the exercise of a
large and vigorous faith, a certificate was granted me for a
religious visit to many lands ; and lo ! at the very outset, I
am laid by. I cannot understand it, but that the Lord has
an unseen purpose in it I am well assured ; possibly as a
searching discipline for that which yet lies before me.
, . . Should the Committee, and the Meeting for
Sufferings, require my return I feel bound to follow their
instructions implicitly. . . . For myself there is light
ahead, but not one ray in the direction of the English
Channel. ... I am sensible of no discharge from the
errand of love in which, I assuredly believe, the Lord has
¦condescended to lead me forth. I am favoured with great
peace in looking ahead. Thereon no mental cloud is
resting, but over all a clear blue canopy of heavenly love
with quiet confidence. The first three days of my illness
were marked with continuous suffering, intensified by a fall.
- . . The waves and the billows passed over me, but,
through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ my feet
remained firmly on the rock. Then, in my need, came a
.gracious portion, an anchor for many days which still holds
fast : Abide with Me. Use all lawful means. Be patient,
and I, the Lord, will bring thee through. And it came to
pass that between the Lord and this gracious assurance,
Satan has had no power to pass. And so I believe in this
unfolding of heavenly counsel, and look forward with quiet
confidence. Hitherto I have told this vision to no one,
but it seems right now to share it with you. . . . Far
rather would I go forward and die in harness if such be the
will of the Lord, than die of a faint heart in my own land
with the harness laid aside." But it was to life not death
that he looked forward.

17° LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
" Little mother, " he would say to Mrs. Pim, who.
helped to nurse him, " they want to bury me before 1 am
dead, but I am not going to die yet."
" I felt him," she says, " to be such a loving personal
friend, remembering my interests and joys, and always.
ready to share them. I long to leave as the lesson of his
life the words, ' Follow him as he followed Christ.' "
It seems a proof of unusual energy that a man in his.
eighty-fifth year, ordered to lie in a horizontal position,.
should write as much as he did.
We get a glimpse of his thankful spirit when we read the
following words in his diary for the 8th of December, 1890 *.
" It is a great relief to sit up for a little space, supported
by pillows, and write these lines. This kind of exercise
has been of late with painfulness and weariness, but.
abounding are the mercies by which I am continually
surrounded by night and by clay."
It was now Mr. Anderson's desire that there should be
a consultation with a physician. Isaac Sharp graphically
describes the visit of this fresh doctor. " Dr.  came
about 5.30 p.m. Tall, pronounced in look, action, and fact,,
statuesque, not a facial muscle stirring, yet, with marked.
regard and attention, he respectfully listened to Dr.
Anderson as he narrated the case. Then came an
examination with prescriptions. Dr. Anderson told me
the specialist could not allow of my journeying."
He much enjoyed a call from Mr. Samuel Anderson,
brother of the doctor, which he describes as a" delightfully
refreshing visit. We conversed together and united
together in vocal prayer and parted with much love with a
kiss of brotherhood. I believe in the communion of saints."
On the following day we find him writing : " I was
rather taken aback yesterday on my kind friend J. R. Pim
telling me that he had written to J. B. B. to say that he did
not see his way to go with me out of France. My own
belief is that the doctors have thoroughly scared him with
their dictum. I am not discouraged ; the time is not yet,.

LOOKING HOPEFULLY FORWARD. 171
and when it comes the Lord will provide. . . . The
watches are not watches of weariness, for the peace of the
Prince of Peace is over all. It is marvellous to me to be
able thus to write, but not to do so would involve a sad
deficiency on the part of a witness-bearer to the tender
love and mercy of the Lord."
On the 14th of December he remarks in a letter to the
London Committee : " 1 gather from Captain Pim that my
dear friends of the Committee would feel greatly relieved
to hear that I had concluded to return to England. This
cuts very deep just now. . . . Although perfectly
powerless even to cross the room alone, 1 still look forward
hopefully to some improvement ere long. ... I
cheerfully accept, however, your implied recall. . . .
My hand trembles somewhat. With much love and a
renewal of my grateful thanks for all your solicitude and
kindness, I am lovingly, " Your affectionate friend, " Isaac Sharp."
Next day the old man's heart is cheered by a letter
from his friend Dr. Nason, of Stratford-on-Avon, which he
describes as being " valuable, kind, and Christian in its
character : a letter to do me good. My heart desponds
and I feel thankful for it as a word in season."
It was at this time a relief to him to remember that the
certificate for foreign service now in his possession had
been granted him by no less a body than the Meeting on
Ministry and Oversight of the Friends' Yearly Meeting held
in London in May, 1890, and although that year had not
yet run its course, he looked forward expectantly to the
Yearly Meeting of May, 1 891, and to its decision on the ques
tion at issue, when in solemn conclave met. Meanwhile he
writes : " I need a further revelation than any yet granted
me, voluntarily to abandon the post graciously assigned me,
as I still venture to believe, by the Lord Jesus, that Great
and Good Shepherd of the sheep. With Him we know is

172 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
the sovereign right in perfect wisdom to say : ' It is enough,'
and I know how He is able to grant me grace to hearken
and obey. But I no more dare or desire to ask for a release
than that the clays of preparation for the possible service
yet before me be shortened. ... So here I rest, not
knowing what the issue may be in the not far distant future :
for life or death, for suffering or for service. . . . The
feeling (amongst Friends) may be more extensive than I
am aware of : 'It is too late in the day ; he had better give
it up.' I abide in the unshaken confidence that He who
raised Lazarus from the dead is able, if it pleaseth Him, to
renew my strength as the eagle's and yet enable me to fulfil
my service or clearly release me from it."
About this time we find him confiding to his diary an
unusual state of mind : " I confess to myself feeling a little
on the sombre side, with the doctor's words, ' Three
months.' But I soon made up my mind that perhaps it
may be ordered otherwise by the Lord. Moreover my
shaky condition told of still being far clown in the scale,
but hope, blessed hope, was soon again in the ascendant.
I long to put an end to this costly Parisian daily
expenditure. ... As early as frost makes it reasonably
practicable I hope to re-cross the Channel."
Meanwhile his pen was busy still, and at times his
heart was cheered by letters of comprehending and
stimulating sympathy. One of these he thus acknowledges :
" My dear nephew, J. W. Procter, — It would not be easy
for me to express in words the real comfort thy long letter
gave me, and still gives me." On the 27th of December
he tells the London Committee that he hopes to reach
England as early in the following month as wind, weather,
and his physical condition would allow. " For this I wait,
unruffled by the daily discipline falling to my lot, assured
that all is well."
He enjoyed reading " Pax Vobiscum," and also a book
kindly given him by Dr. Anderson, which he calls that
"little gem, 'Thoughts on Union with Christ,' by H. C. G.

IN HEIGHTS OR DEPTHS. 173
Moule. ... I am better. The enemy knows it, and
seeks to enter in. Lord, by Thy favour, graciously enable
me to prevail by the lifting up of Thy standard against
him." For one of his friends he writes a verse for New Year's
Day, 189 1 :
Work in us Lord, according to Thy will,
Ever Thy gracious purpose to fulfil ;
By Thee, as hitherto, our need supplied,
In height, or depth, whatever may betide ;
In Christ made nigh, Thy Spirit, Lord, our Guide,
Yea, to the end of life, O King, and then
For ever, and for evermore with Thee. Amen.
In a letter to the writer he says : " Satan has been kept
at bay by a higher power than his or mine, and I have
been very happy. To the Lord be the praise."
His nurse had now left him, but he alludes to the kind
help given by " J. R. P. and his wife, always watchful and
efficient, . . active and energetic, very, beyond her
strength."

CHAPTER XIII.
Let me not think an action mine own way,
But as Thy love shall sway,
Resigning up the rudder to Thy skill.
# * # *
— since Thou canst not choose but see my actions,
So great are Thy perfections, —
Thou mayst as well my actions guide as see."
George Herbert.
" He who is in Christ confiding,
All his hope in Him does place,
Is upon the rock abiding,
Is a happy child of grace.
Happy, for his Lord is leading,
Christ, his Shepherd, guides his ways,
Grants him all that he is needing,
Fills his heart with wondering praise."
Author unknown.

ON the 5th of January, 1891, Isaac Sharp writes in his
Parisian diary : " Read in bed after breakfast the
Epistle of Jude, and felt comforted and refreshed in a
measure of deep communion. It took this turn. Would 1
prefer to be gathered up now or to stay and fulfil the
¦service so long in prospect ? And I felt, oh so preciously, I
would rather leave it to the Lord to decide than have any
choice of my own in it, and therein I felt comforted,
believing, nevertheless, that the end is not yet.
"Then came forcibly to mind my present condition
concerning the so-called incurable, and I felt that although
liitherto liberty to pray for healing had not been given me
174

IUSTINE DALENCOURT. 175
'(whether from lack of faith, or for my own deep teaching,
¦or both, 1 am not clear), yet, doubtless, He who made, with
whom is all power, can restore, and I was comforted, and
so I desire to await any further unfolding."
Five clays later, he says in a letter to his name-sake
nephew : " I am still progressing, and almost marvel at
myself in being so soon raised up from a very manifestly
¦low estate, lower than my kind friends knew, and perhaps
:a wee lower than I knew myself."
It was a joy to him to be able to attend the little
meeting of the Society of Friends in Paris, and to visit and
take part in some of the Protestant mission work of that
•city. Of Justine Dalencourt he says: " I was deeply interested
with a brief outline of the experiences of her early life.
Educated as a Roman Catholic and imbibing strongly an
adverse view of Protestantism, she nevertheless had a
thoughtful mind and remembers when, I think, not more
than six years old, praying in secret to the Lord. Her
"brother, a fine young Frenchman, Lieutenant Bellot,
perished in Arctic research. There is a monument in
England to his memory, and ' Bellot Strait ' perpetuates his
name in the icy north. Someone told his sister that he
was a Protestant ; at this she was unhappy for he loved the
forbidden book, the Bible. He left a manuscript narrative
written in English, and she thought she would learn that
language, and so be able to peruse it. As the sister of
Lieutenant Bellot, she was invited to a private gathering of
Arctic explorers. This was held at the house of a Protestant
and while Justine Dalencourt was praying in her heart for
the conversion of the lady of that household, that lady was
:at the same time yearning in spirit for the conversion of
her young visitor. By degrees light broke in upon her
mincl. Clearness of vision was granted her, rather with
heaven-sent tuition than by outward means ; and in
'process of time, having embraced the Gospel of our
Lord in its simplicity and in the fulness of her heart,
ithe Church of her early days was abandoned for a purer

176 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
faith. Ultimately she applied for membership in the
Society of Friends and was received. For many years she
has been a most diligent labourer in the vineyard of the
Lord." On the 23rd of January, 1891, Isaac Sharp returned
to England. We get a glimpse of a grateful heart when
we read in his entry for the 26th, the following words : "A
wonderful night for periods of undisturbed rest." He was
going at 11 a.m. on that day to the "Morning Meeting,"'
an important meeting of the Society of Friends held three
times a year in London, especially taking cognizance of
ministerial service in foreign countries. "About 10 o'clock,"'
he says, " I opened the Testament for a word of confirma
tion and help, and read, at a glance, and drank in as 1 read:.
' Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do Thou
knowest not now, but Thou shalt know hereafter,' and I
felt that in many things and in many ways the day of full
revealing has not yet come ! "
Later in the day, after telling his correspondent that
the " Morning Meeting " had been held that day, he adds :
" J. B. B. suggested my giving a little outline of recent ex
periences which I did, having previously knelt in prayer.
Friends listened with deep and loving interest and with no
small amount of sympathy. It felt right to finish off by
saying, ' So I return to Ettington, expecting to spend a
little time there in watching and waiting for the further
unfolding of heavenly counsel, and I do so in the entire-
absence of any anxiety, to the Lord be the praise.' . . .
The recovery has been so rapid that 1 brought back to
Cannon Street four pounds of muscle more than 1 took from
thence to Paris."
At his home at Ettington he had a call from Dr. Nason,
who was most kind in his inquiries. "He put his hand,"
says Isaac Sharp, " with a professional squeeze to the
calves of my legs to feel if they were flabby and lo, he
found them firm." A little later he writes : " Enjoyed the
perusal of ' Pilgrims in Palestine ' by Violet Hodgkin, this

THE STAFF OF FAITH. 177
second time fully as much as the first. On the frontispiece
is the following quotation :
' Give me my scalop shell of quiet,
My staff of faith to walk upon.
Sir W. Raleigh:
Behold I sorely need it all to-day ! A clay of searching, deep,
very deep. Oh, so deep. My help, O Lord, is in Thee.
Blessed be Thy name for evermore."
Early in March we find the following entry : " I feel
just now equal to face almost any amount of discouragement,
being manifestly sustained and upheld by the power of the
Lord. Of this I was made very conscious this morning,
while sensible in very tenderness of close communion, (as
I dare believe) by the power of the Holy Spirit, as brought
by anticipation face to face with the Yearly Meeting on
Ministry and Oversight. ' Thou shalt surely go ' is revived
with considerable force, unsought, and with it a reverent
sense that the Lord Jesus will be very graciously my Helper
then." Again he writes of how one of his friends, like many
others, would fain cut out work for him nearer home. A
propos of this he says : " Were 1 a husbandman and sent
my man into the fields to scare the crows, and he thought
it would be better to go and plant potatoes, surely
small thanks would he be entitled to at eventide." In
April he writes : " I am still in the plastic state, not having
been overtaken altogether with the fossiliferous from
which I desire preservation while anything further, in the
merciful ordering of the Lord, remains to be accomplished.
To the surprise of the doctors, I am in general health
wonderfully well. I am looking forward to next month
with solemnity, yet in the loving-kindness of the Lord, free
from anxiety. My committee do not feel warranted to
say — as to any further foreign travel — either 'go' or 'give
up! The ' Meeting for Sufferings' with all its power would
scarcely incline to veto the decision of the Yearly Meeting

178 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
on Ministry and Oversight of 1890. So it seems likely that
the said assembly for 1891 will confirm or cancel. Looking
unto Jesus, I await the issue fearlessly."
Again the God-given strength of faith was to be strongly
tried. The meeting to which he alludes as the time of
decision was to take place on the 19th of May. On the
13th he writes : " For more than two weeks I was
held fast in the influenza trail, and for ten days could
neither read nor write without distress. . . . To
day for the first time I have been fully dressed and out
in the fresh air for a little space. At present I cannot bear
much, but right over the head and shoulders of the doctor
I have all along cherished the expectancy of being at
' Devonshire House ' at 10 a.m., on the 19th, at the Yearly
Meeting on Ministry and Oversight when my certificate
will come under revision. I deeply feel the intensely
unique individuality of my position. ... I am wonder
fully easy in spirit. The Lord is on the watch and He,
sitting on the flood, is over all, King for ever. Oh what an
amount of discouragement has arisen ; two severe illnesses
in twelve months, physicians in severe antagonism, a short
journey, say they, and a long sleep. But all this grows pale
when face to face with the query, What saith the Master ?
From Him I catch no bugle note from the heavenly
armoury to surrender, to lay the armour down."
The day of decision drew near, and on that preceding
it, the 18th of May, Isaac Sharp wrote from a London Hotel
to his daughter : " I left Ettington four days ago. I did
not feel strong enough to travel alone, so I took Nurse C.
with me, to help me on my way, and her night watch
was continued till the 16th, when she returned to Ettington,
and my brother arrived. I am very glad to have him with
me, and we both enjoy it. I did not cross the threshold
yesterday. ... I have felt a determined effort must
be made to be in my place in the meeting. A written
appeal is a very different thing from the living voice, and I
am well satisfied my absence would, with some, have run

IN THE YEARLY MEETING. 179
the thermometer clown to zero. A few more hours and we
shall see. Meanwhile I am wonderfully easy in spirit.
" Curiously enough I enjoy London and it suits me.
Generally I feel more buoyant there than elsewhere.
. . . As I write my grandsons, major and minor, rise
up before me. My dear love to each and all ; my grand
daughters having a large share in my often remembrance.
If it be for the best we shall meet again, and there I
peacefully leave it in loving expectancy. . . As for
myself there is plenty before me in preparation for a long
journey, should it be so. I ought to go (they say) prepared
for sudden illness, and sudden return of my local ailment.
. . It is very wonderful that I am looking forward in
joyous expectancy without one anxious thought."
On the 20th of May he began a note with the
words : " Feeble and faint and tremulous from in
fluenza and the watches of the night, I stood before
the Yearly Meeting yesterday. The Lord was graciously
near, and the words were once more fulfilled, ' My God
shall supply all your need,' and my heart rejoiced in the
renewal of strength as for well nigh half-an-hour I pleaded
with the gathered church."
Early in the meeting a member of the committee, with
Isaac Sharp's concurrence, read a letter from a well-known
English doctor expressing views strongly adverse to his
starting on a foreign journey, and also alluded to the
•similar opinion of the French physicians.
Then the aged man arose. One who was present
writes : " I was well aware how the late attack of influenza
had taken hold of him, but was also aware of the hopeful
way in which he regarded the issue, and to-day's decision,
and how calmly he awaited its probabilities and possi
bilities. Beginning with the words, ' Tremulous and feeble
I stand before you,' he went on from first to last with a
vigour and eloquence of style that 1 have never known him
surpass. There was no feebleness of voice excepting now
and then when, checked by rising emotion, he brought out

l8o LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
the salient points of his well-connected, well-woven fabric
of narrative and argument with an earnestness and
emphasis that little betokened the weight of years of the
speaker. He alluded to the discouragements heaped upon
him from every direction, ' line upon line, precept upon
precept,' here a little, and there a great deal, but, through
all, his faith had not wavered. He was loyally ready to,
hand back the certificate he held in his pocket if the
meeting chose to withdraw it, but voluntarily he could not
surrender." Another friend writes : " No one could withstand the-
eloquence, zeal and devotion of spirit of the aged apostle,.
as he poured forth in impassioned language his firm
conviction that the call to go forth on his great missionary
journey was still sounding in his spiritual ear, and that he
had faith to believe that all would be over-ruled to this
end. It was a time of intense interest and solemnity ; and
the setting forth of his trust in God, of his experience of
the Lord's dealings with him, of the blessed assurance of
His love and tender communion with Him, will never be
forgotten by many who heard his appeal."
The close of his address was a thrilling one : " Among
other things it has been said, ' He would be a bold man
who would go with me as companion. . . . Friends,,
rather than be delayed for want of a companion I would
go forth alone. The Lord who has given me a shield
of faith, and not a very small one, would give me a girdle
too, and place a helmet on my head, and then would lead
me forth and give me in measure to realise the words, 'the
Father is with me.' You are about to enter the presence
chamber of the King. May He give you a judgment there,
and, whatever the outcome, it is my earnest desire the
decision may be to the honour of the Father and to the
glory of Christ."
In meetings for the affairs of the Church the ideal of
the Society of Friends is that the subjects which come
before them for decision should not be mere matters of

"A STRIKING OBIECT LESSON." l8l
discussion ; but that, unitedly and prayerfully, the will of
the Lord should be so sought that the experience of the
Early Church may be realised, " ft seemed good to the Holy
Ghost and to us."
The Editor of " The Friends' Quarterly Examiner,"
thus describes the scene : " So strong and triumphant
was his faith that he carried the meeting with him ; and it
was felt that nothing had really transpired to cancel the
¦certificate granted a year ago. Reference was made by a
Friend to the case of Paul and Silas who 'essayed to go
into Bithynia but the Spirit suffered them not,' with the
suggestion that this might be a parallel case. . . But
we were also reminded of another instance in the life of
the Apostle Paul when he remonstrated with those who
would hold him back from the path of duty: 'What!
mean ye to weep and to break mine heart, for I am ready
not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the
name of the Lord Jesus.' Such was the attitude of our
aged Friend who was prepared to go on, come health,
come sickness, come life, come death, in the service of
Him who he believed had called him to the work. . . .
The whole scene was a striking object-lesson on the truth
¦of individual guidance.
" As one said, it seemed to take us back to the times of
George Fox and the early Friends, when such incidents
were common, and when, like the disciples of old, they
counted not their lives dear unto themselves."
The Head Master of Ackworth School spoke of what he
should have to tell the young people under his care of the
faith of the aged brother, more than twice his own age.
The author of " Quaker Strongholds," speaking only on the
spiritual side of the matter, being, she said, quite incapable
¦of dealing with the physical, told of the ray of light that
beamed upon her soul when the matter was introduced a
year earlier and often times since. One after another rose
and said it was their judgment that the meeting dare
not take upon itself the responsibility of holding him back.

102 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
To quote again from a letter written on the following
clay : " There were some beautiful sentiments uttered as
the dear man sat with his face buried in his handkerchief
as he felt that the way was clearing for him. So now he is
left in the Lord's hands, and we shall see how things go
with him."
An admirable minute was drawn up by Jonathan
Backhouse Hodgkin, and the certificate of 1890 was
endorsed with a copy of this minute, which suitably alluded
to the objections raised, and very properly embodied the
exercise of the meeting. Dr. R. H. Thomas, of Baltimore,
said he thought there had been in that meeting a striking
illustration of the leading of the Holy Spirit, and hoped it
would impress the minds of the young.
The view taken by doctors was one that no one could
be surprised at. They said that at any time he might
need the aid of a skilful surgeon and of a trained nurse, and
that the strain of travel might cause a complete break
down. But, as Isaac Sharp pleaded, while they did well
to give their professional prohibition, they did not and
could not add, "It seems good to the Holy Ghost and to
us." Much of what they anticipated came to pass. Life
was to tremble in the balance, and while the broad ocean
lay between the old man and his native land. But where
was this ? Not in Turkey, not in India, not in Japan, not
in Mexico, not in China, but of all places in the wide world
it was at the house of his daughter in California. Surgical
skill was needed, and imperatively needed, but it was at
hand ; a trained nurse was wanted, and a trained nurse
was supplied. To the praise of God be it said, " There
failed not aught of any good thing which the Lord had
spoken ... all came to pass."
To his daughter he now writes : *" What if the ideal
should some clay give place to the real in the year of
uncertainty, 189 — . ffit be for the best we shall meet again.
. . . It is very wonderful that I am looking forward in
joyous expectancy without one anxious thought. Kindly

FEAR NOT ! 183
say so to my dear friends Joel and Hannah Bean." Soon
afterwards he makes a poetical entry in his journal :
For this, O Lord, I pray,
Preserve me all the ivay,
And with a heaven-sent ray —
Jesus my strength and stay —
O, guide from day to day !
Lord Christ for this I pray.
In familiar correspondence with his niece S., who had
filled a daughter's place in the home of his sister, Mrs.
Dunning, at Broadstairs, he writes in reference to his
journey : " Some of my friends still look drearily at it.
Others say, ' And dost thou realty think of going ?' ' Why
not?' is my Quaker rejoinder. One thing is quite clear, if
the old hull fails to sail steadily it will not be for want of
ballast. But the watchword lovingly given fails not :
' Set thy face as a flint,' and 1 need it still. But in the inner
depths there is a calm, placid and deep, and over it in the
clear blue I read, ' Fear not.' To the Lord be the
praise. . . ."
It was arranged that Dr. Henry Appleton should be his
companion as far as Constantinople. Notwithstanding his
executive habits, he found the pressure of preparation
and correspondence great as the time for departure drew
near ; but he writes : " A sustaining power is over all, and
the secret utterance arises in my heart, ' Thou art in league
with me, O Lord ; graciously help me to be abiding in
league with Thee, that so all may be well now and for ever.' "
As the day of departure was at hand he wrote :
We meet and part
Hoping to meet again ;
But when and where
Who may declare ?
Meantime, deeper by far
Than human ken,
Breathe we our loving part,
Each from the other's heart,
Farewell, farewell till then.

184 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
On his " Farewell Sabbath," the 13th of September, he
writes in his diary : " At this eleventh hour comes welling
up the query, After all am I really willing to be laid aside,
and the vision of many clays be made to fade away ?
Honestly I believe 1 am, but only under the subduing and
sanctifying power of the Lord. . Then arose a
deeply solemn thought : Art thou willing to be snuffed out,
like the snuffing out of a canclle-wick in the darkness, and
leave no likeness of a trace behind in the utter extinguish
ment for angels or men, whereof to take knowledge ? and,
lo, the prompt response arises in my heart, ' Yea, Lord, if
it be for Thy glory ! '"
A quiet farewell meeting was held at the house of
Joseph Bevan Braithwaite, in which allusion wasi'made to
a letter received from Isaac Brown, written in almost
apostolic language, in which he spoke of Paul being
accompanied by " the beloved physician," and expressed
his joy that Isaac Sharp was to have a medical companion.
From Vienna Isaac Sharp writes : " We gotj to this
hotel through adventure and mis-adventure, and I was glad
of a roost, among the small hours, after a journey clay by
clay of considerable stress and strain, which I was enabled
to bear without a flinch. Yesterday morning we had a
very nice meeting with about eight of the forty colporteurs
of the British and Foreign Bible Society, men of sterling
worth. It did me good to see them, and offer from my
very heart words of hope and consolation, and to greet
them as fellow-labourers in the Lord. The Superintendent
kindly suggested that they should meet this evening at the
Young Men's Christian Association Rooms at the hour of
seven, when the young people assemble, and that a few
Christian people should be invited to join them. I pray
the Lord to own and bless the gathering, and have faith to
believe that in mercy and heavenly love He will ! I am
favoured to feel singularly well."
At Philippopolis, Isaac Sharp and Dr. Appleton were
the guests of Mr. and Mrs. Tonjoroff, the latter an English
lady and a member of the Society of Friends.

PHILIPP0P0LIS. 185
Isaac Sharp writes : " Her ability and mental and
physical power are very remarkable. Her hospital of
thirteen beds and hundreds of out-patients, and her well-
known work in other ways, have won for her the unique
consent of the Government in allowing her to administer
what is needful direct from her dispensary. No other
practitioner, however eminent, has power to do so, but
must prescribe and then go or send to the chemist to have
the prescription made up. She has had some wonderful
cases, and the death-rate is remarkably low. John
Tonjoroff took us to see the prison, to which he has access.
Many prisoners wore a heavy chain on one leg. Some
were sentenced for short terms, others for from three to
fourteen years, or for life. It was very striking to see how
their countenances brightened as he spoke a few words to
them and gave them a hand-grasp.
" At 4.30 p.m. we went to the Friends' meeting. About
six months ago it was found desirable to gather together
under closer fellowship some of the attenders of the
Morning Gospel Meeting, and to identify them more
closely as in sympathy with the doctrines of Christianity as
held by Friends. Thousands of Henry Stanley Newman's
tract, "The Friends," were put into circulation before they
were interdicted, the very interdiction making all sorts and
¦conditions of men the more eager to read for themselves.
When the Government officers came to seize the residue,
very few were left. . . . J. A. and E. B. Tonjoroff were
profuse in their expressions of thankfulness for the visit,
the latter kindly saying, in effect, ' If as refreshing in other
places as the visit has been here, many will have cause to
be thankful, for it was of the Lord.' . . . She is a
remarkable woman. Once in Macedonia, in a time of great
excitement and blood-thirstiness, she was instrumental in
the hand of the Lord in saving the lives of twelve of the
principal men of the place when about to be slaughtered by
misguided Turks. In the midst of a Turkish council she
stood fearlessly, pleaded for them and prevailed, backed by
documents from headquarters."

l86 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
At Constantinople, he writes : " Here much might be
said, leaving more untold. At the home of Dr. Dobrashian ,
and his wife (daughter of Charles Gillett) we are most
kindly tended. . Of oppression and depression, I
have rarely known the like, possibly a heaven-sent
discipline for the work before me. There may have been
a good deal of the physical in it. But I am better now..
No one about me has gauged the depth, nor was it needful.
1 have never felt for one moment like turning back or
' caving in.' All this I accept as of the loving-kindness of
the Lord."
In a letter to J. B. Hodgkin, written a week later, he
says : " I have been wonderfully and very graciously
sustained amid very deep proving by night and by day..
To the Lord be the praise."
In his diary he writes of going " with May Dobrashian,
baby, and nurse, to Yenimahli on the Bosphorus, a fine
clay, warm and breezy. The little ones were rusticating
with their grandfather Sukias Dobrashian. We were most
kindly welcomed. I went for a walk with him and had a.
fine view of the Bosphorus nearly to the entrance of the
Black Sea. As I walked side by side with one of the
chosen of the Lord, at one time buffeted, boycotted,
imprisoned, for his Master's sake, fifteen years my junior,
but not with fifteen years more apparent vitality, deep.
thought came over me with deeper feeling as my eye
rested on the blue waters before us and the deeper blue
above, and over my spirit came a sense of the still'
deeper blue above the floating clouds and the boundaries of
time, to which I could humbly and thankfully believe we
were journeying."
After an allusion to Dr. Baedecker's visits to Russian-
prisons and to Siberia, Isaac Sharp writes in his diary :
" The terrible cruelty, oppression, and wrong is enough to
raise the cry, ' Lord, how long ? ' The groans of a
groaning creation, like the waves of the sea, appear to rise
and fall through the long centuries, and still they rise and

CONSTANTINOPLE. 187
fall with sadness evermore. But there is a limit, for the
Lord reigneth and He is over all."
In a letter to a nephew he refers to a cold, which
" culminated in a chill after a delightful visit to Dr.
Dobrashian's father. . . Taking my breakfast in bed
and remaining there till after dinner, I was quite able and
willing and ready to rise and meet the officers of the
Medical Mission, who came by invitation, took afternoon
tea, and then sat down in silence, broken by an Armenian
Christian (I think) in prayer. I followed with considerable
freedom and was interpreted for by Dr. Giragoshian,
honoured and beloved. I spoke for some time, and after a
short silence Dr. Giragoshian knelt in prayer, the spirit of
which I believe was graciously over us. Thus far, oppor
tunities have presented for religious engagement more than
equal to my expectancy. I feel deeply the grave character of
such an undertaking at eighty-five, 'but the Lord reigneth.'"
The prevalence of cholera in Syria was soon to
necessitate a change of plans, and this disappointment
came to Isaac Sharp when he was ill with a cold. He
writes : " The shutting up of the route to Beyrout by the
enforcement of the quarantine hung over me as a
pall. . . . Shortly before rising, came as a gentle
whisper, alike soothing and refreshing, ' Call upon Me in
the day of trouble, I will deliver thee, and thou shalt
glorify Me.' With it came a renewal of hope with quiet
confidence and I was comforted."
In his diary he writes of a call on the son of an
Armenian Roman Catholic priest, Pastor Stepamian, who
had forty years earlier been one of the first to form the
nucleus of Armenian Protestant dissent. " He informed
me," writes Isaac Sharp, "that when, I think, not more
than eleven or twelve he found among his father's books a
New Testament. This appears to have taken the boy by
surprise. He read Matthew x. and xi., and light broke in
upon his mind, ' not,' he said, ' by preaching, not by
discoursing about the things of God, but by the unfolding

188 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
of the Spirit of the Lord.' It is noteworthy that his father,
the priest, received that New Testament from a colporteur."
When writing in his diary of one of his visits to the
Friends' meeting, Isaac Sharp says : " Dr. Giragoshian sat
beside me, and, when the time came for it, was my able
interpreter, ' in the life,' so it felt to me, and I was thank
ful for it. 'Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O
Jerusalem.' This was the rejoicing expectancy of old when
the children of Israel went three times a year to the city of
the great King for worship and thanksgiving. Shall our
expectancy be less concerning the heavenly Jerusalem, the
everlasting dwelling place of the King of kings ? Shall we
not rather so walk before Him clay by day that we may
look forward in expectant faith and say of the holy city, in
all lowliness, yet triumphantly, ' Our feet shall stand within
thy gates, O Jerusalem ' ? "
When visiting " Robert College," in an address to the
students, he said : " It is a good thing for all of us to begin
the day with Gocl. . . . But if you and 1 have begun
this clay with God, it was before we came together here.
It is good to begin the day with God, before Satan has time
to enter in as he seeks to do, and to interpose between us
and Christ. The command and promise are often found
together in Scripture, ' Draw nigh unto God and He will
draw nigh unto you. Resist the devil, and he will flee from
you.' "
In a letter to a nephew, some ten clays later, he says :
" A few days ago I had a terrific fall. Dr. Dobrashian
looks at it as a remarkable escape without a broken limb.
In coming clown the stairs, which are winding, five steps
from the floor I heeled over and came with a heavy thud,
head first, on the last step, probably, and then rolled for
ward on to the floor. My forehead was grazed, a skin-
deep cut on the knee, and my hand was severely bruised
and became swollen. There was also a strain."
Dr. Appleton now returned home, and Dr. Dixon
soon arrived to accompany Isaac Sharp to India and Japan.

TRUST. 189
In his next letter, again alluding to his fall, he says : " I
have wonderfully recovered, and there is nothing to prevent
my friend Dr. Dixon and myself setting out to-morrow and
steaming away for Port Said, en route for Bombay."
In his diary, he says : " Dr. Giragoshian has been my
able interpreter from week to week. I alluded to the
Syrian flock and the inability to get there. He expressed
his belief that my detention here was providential. He
could not explain it altogether, but signified that some of
their best members had been very desirous that someone
would come to tarry awhile with them."
To a nephew he writes : " 1 am thankful to be in good
case. It is my joy and strength and solace to remember,
'The Lord reigneth and He is over all, so undaunted and
hopeful I venture on and Trust 1 ' "
" Trust " meant so much to him, that he frequently spelt
the word with a capital " T."
" Thrice blest is he to whom is given
The instinct that can tell
That God is on the field when He
Is most invisible."*
He does not forget to ask his nephew to get a Noah's
ark to send to the children of the home where he had been
a guest at Constantinople.
Their mother, G. M. Dobrashian, writes : "We felt it
a great privilege having him with us so long. We were
much needing cheer and comfort in many ways just then,
and he was a most kind sympathiser. It was specially
pleasant to me having him, as he knew and had travelled
with my grandfather, Edwin O. Tregelles, and one day
after going with me and the children to see their grand
father Dobrashian, he wrote in my album a little account
of how and when and where he met the four generations,
which will be very interesting to the children when they
are grown older. Almost every evening he enjoyed a

190 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
Turkish bath, and he would come home about ten o'clock
so bright and up to anything, and used to ask Dr.
Dobrashian if he was ready for a three or four-mile walk,
and during supper he would tell stories of his travels and
visits to other lands, and often used to say how much he
thought of woman and woman's work, and how highly he
estimated womanhood."

CHAPTER XIV.
"'Teach me to do Thy will, 0 God.' A whole life can be
built up on that one vertebral column, and then when all is over,
' he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.' " — Professor
Drummond.
" Nothing can make life pleasant but some kind of acquies
cence in the present hour, from the consciousness that we are in
it according to the order of God, either doing or suffering His will,
•or, at least, not acting contrary to it." — Thomas Adam.

ON December ioth, 1891, Isaac Sharp writes :
" It was a wonderful passage from Constanti
nople to Alexandria, lake-like and beautiful exceedingly.
The Red Sea has been aptly described or likened to
a lapis lazuli blue. I had been feeling remarkably well
and very happy, but soon after embarking on board
the Anchor Line Steamer Arabic, I became seriously
ill, of which 1 do not mean to say much, but leave my
dear friend Dr. Dixon to give his medical version of
it. But I may say, that, during the eleven or twelve
days and nights in my horizontal position — the cabin
being between 8o° and 900 plus hot fomentations night
and day — I was graciously enabled to hold the fort with
a flying banner, No surrender, and I do not think the
dear doctor saw much trace of the proverbial white feather.
Blood temperature over 1030 for a short time, pulse eighty,
and sometimes feeble, appetite nil. In the providence of
our Heavenly Father we were able to secure the cabin of

192 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
the stewardess, just then vacated by two ladies who landed
at Port Said. ... It was a sudden return of the Paris
attack." . .
From a Bombay paper we quote the following account
of a meeting : " A very pleasant gathering was held on
Tuesday evening on the premises of The Bombay Guardian,
to meet Isaac Sharp, a venerable minister of the Society of
Friends, and his travelling companion Dr. Dixon. After a
social hour Mr. M. Mody took the chair. Isaac Sharp gave
an account of the Lord's leadings with respect to this
journey, and of his prospect of further service, with some
interesting incidents of providential leading in connection
with the Moravian Mission in Greenland. He desired to
impress upon those present the deep importance of so
dwelling in the love of Christ as to hear His guiding
voice constraining or restraining in all the affairs of life."
On the last day of 1891 Isaac Sharp writes : " I am
greatly blessed in the assured belief of being in the lot of
the Lord's appointment. But at home or from home, the
saying is true, ' we walk by faith and not by sight.' In this
wonderful India, the way and work of Satan are largely
manifest, and so are the way and work of the Lord. Dr.
Dixon has been a great comfort to me, and a valuable
fellow-labourer." From a Calcutta paper, The fudian Witness, we learn
that, " Among the young men at the Missionary Conference
was a Missionary of the Society of Friends, who is above
eighty-five years of age. This gentleman having visited
extensively among missions in different parts of the world,
is at present passing through India. Though acknowledg
ing to eighty-five years, his personal appearance is not
more venerable than some men at fifty-eight, and when he
stood up to speak it was evident that the stiffness of age
had reached to neither tongue, nor brain, nor heart."
With respect to the visit to Sehore, Charles D. Terrell
of the Friends' Foreign Mission wrote: "We have very
much enjoyed the visit of Isaac Sharp and Dr. Dixon, and

INDIA.

-•¦93

feel it has been a real help to us in our spiritual life, as
well as in our mission work. Isaac Sharp spoke to the
lepers, as well as to the prisoners in the gaol, and to our
children in the schools, also at an open-air meeting, whilst
I did my best at interpreting for him. The lepers were
specially pleased with his visit. As he told them of the
love of God offered to each of them, and gave his testimony
to the faithfulness of that love, several were much touched.
Altogether, his visit to us, and his messages of God's love
and salvation cannot fail to bring forth some real fruit.
The universal feeling amongst the natives seemed to be
that of surprise and pleasure, that God, our Father, had so
wonderfully upheld and blessed His servant, and enabled
him to travel so far in service for Him."
Mrs. Terrell writes : " On the day Isaac Sharp and Dr.
Dixon arrived, my husband went to meet them at the
Bhopal Station. He had hired a native cart for his drive,
but the horse and the trap both gave out when about nine
miles from Bhopal, and my husband was obliged to
shoulder his coat and walk the remaining distance. About
a mile from the city he met our expected guests driving
towards him, and stopping them explained the reason of
being late. Dear old Isaac Sharp was so concerned at my
husband's evident fatigue, that he insisted on driving back
to the station for him to have some refreshment before
making a new start.
" No very special incidents stand out in my memory in
regard to his visit to Sehore, only the general impression
of his genial, loving words, and bright way of acting and
speaking. He was so pleased with the ease with which
one of us could interpret for him. He knew just the
length that sentences should be, and used simple phrases,
so that it made the work of interpretation a delightful one.
I can see him now as he sat in the verandah of the School
Mission House, early in 1892, distributing the prizes to the
girls of my school, gifts sent out by the Missionary Helpers'
Union. I remember when once at dinner the lamp was

194 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
too strong for his eyes, he seemed so sorry to have to ask
us to remove it to a little distance, as if he feared that such
a tiny thing as rather less light on the table should be a
sacrifice for his sake. . . . All this loving thoughtful-
ness for others endeared him wherever he went. He was
so free from anything of self."
At Hoshangabad, the travellers were kindly entertained
by Samuel and Anna Baker. Amongst other portions of
the mission work the Jumerati Day School for native girls,
conducted by Anna L. Evens and the late Elizabeth
Jackson, was visited, and is described as " a grand work."
In the Friends' meeting Isaac Sharp spoke from the text,
" He shall save His people from their sins."
On the 16th of January the Friends arrived at Sohagpur,
where they received a warm welcome from John H. and
Effie Williams.
In a letter, dated 18th October, 1897, the former writes
in reference to this visit : "The recollection of it forms a
very bright and happy memory, and will long continue to
do so. Isaac Sharp's cheerful and always ready testimony
for his Divine Master, so simply and lovingly told, carrying
with it power because of its simplicity, soon won the hearts
of all who came in touch with him, European missionaries
and native Christian mission helpers as well. Soon after
the Friends arrived at Hoshangabad our Quarterly Meeting
was held at Seoni Malwa.
" It is our custom at such times, when all our
missionaries who can come are present, for our European
members to gather together to spend a time in prayer,
thanksgiving, and praise. That night we met in the sitting-
room of Joseph and Kate Taylor in the mission-house. Our
aged brother sat with the open Bible before him at the
head of our little meeting, and I think none of us will ever
forget the blessedly solemn feeling which came over us, and
the sweet sense of a divine overshadowing felt by all, as
our venerated friend, with much emotion, read the 103rd
Psalm. He had a message of loving encouragement for the

MISSIONS IN INDIA. I95
little missionary band, and his words of sympathy and
fatherly counsel were stored away in hearts, long to be
remembered. " He did not spare himself. All our mission stations
were visited, several days being usually devoted to each.
Social opportunities were always very enjoyable, Isaac
Sharp's wonderful fund of anecdote and varied experience
in many lands securing for him eager and attentive
listeners. How delighted our Christian native brethren
were with opportunities frequently made for them to
gather together to hear their kind friend tell some of , his
truly wonderful experiences in Labrador and other far-off
lands, always giving God the praise, and ever gratefully
remembering His never-failing willingness and power to
keep all those who trust Him fully. Isaac Sharp's voice
was often heard in our meetings for worship. Availing
himself of the willing services of a missionary or of one of
our educated native helpers, as an interpreter, he would
have some stirring, helpful, and preciously-inspiring truths
to lay upon the hearts of his hearers. And how eagerly
they would drink in his utterances.
" Not to the Friends' Mission did he confine himself.
His true missionary heart was large enough to embrace all
missions. It was my privilege to take our friends to visit
the missionary brethren of the ' Disciples of Christ '
Mission in Harda, about ninety miles to the west of Sohag-
pur. What a warm reception there was for dear Isaac
Sharp and his companion, and how eagerly the wise and
loving words of the patriarch were listened to ! When the
parting time came, hearts were too full for utterance, and
the eloquent grasp of the hand said what the lips refused to
say. Many missions were visited by our dear friends.
Wherever they went a warm reception was accorded them.
The Gospel of Christ Jesus was lovingly proclaimed, and
the hearts of many weary workers were cheered and com
forted by the loving, bright, and sympathetic words of our
aged friend and his companion.

I96 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
" From Calcutta and several other places I have received
assurances of the great benefit experienced spiritually from
these religious gatherings. I believe many of the native
brethren will never forget the sight of that happy, earnest
face, and the sound of that voice which pleaded with them
so eloquently many a time. They often speak of him still,
and always with the deepest respect, veneration, and
affection." These letters from missionaries give us a clearer idea of
his service in India than mere extracts from his diary would
do. In one of his sermons at Calcutta, where he had been
interested in interviews with the " Calcutta Friends," he
remarked : " Many seek to know the doctrine of Christ
before they have surrendered in all things to His will." In
reference to a social visit, he says that " after tea a few
hymns were sung, and among them the striking, ' Oh ! to
be nothing,' which I never tire of hearing."
Isaac Sharp and Dr. Dixon attended the Monthly
Missionary Conference in the Union Hall, where Dr.
Macdonald gladly made way for the former to address those
assembled. When called upon by the Chairman to come
forward, he asked for a " short time of silence with hearts
turned to the Lord for a realised sense of His presence."
He adds : " I had not long to wait. I then proceeded to
explain my simple mission of Christian love, and of how I
was led into it, as I believed, by the Lord, and that it was
to the rejoicing of my heart that way was made for my
addressing the company then before me, with a message
from the heart, for I had nothing definitely prepared. The
Society to which I belong set forth before the people at its
rise, the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and the immediate
communication of the Divine Will. This has now come to
be a matter of almost individual belief ; it is held by those
assembled here to-night. But the nearer we live to the
Saviour, the more shall we know of His guidance, when
the spiritual ear is open to hear, ' This is the way, walk in
it,' or ' This is not the way, depart from it.' . . . The

FRUIT AFTER MANY DAYS. 197
receptive power needs cherishing. A popular preacher of
great power was undergoing a season of comparative
unrest. Just then he saw a woman returning from a well
with a broken pitcher, but he beheld when she set it clown
that the poor broken vessel was full to the brim, and then
he beheld an image of receptive power and was satisfied.
The words of the Lord Jesus are very precious, ' Lo, I am
with you alway ' — in hope or fear, in triumph or trial.
. . . A gentleman, who was present, said to me, ' I
remember some of your Friends coming over here many
years ago. I heard them speak ; I was not a Christian
then. They did me good.' It is refreshing to hear now and
then, after so many days, of the visit of Russell Jeffrey,
William Brewin, and Henry Hipsley."
In reference to some of the great changes of tempera
ture encountered in India, Isaac Sharp quotes a doctor's
adage : " Old age and warmth and life ; old age and cold
and death."
About this time he writes in his diary the words,
" China is much on my heart this morning, and it feels as if
I should go there, probably through a strift, but go
nevertheless." In a letter, written on February 22nd, 1892, he
says : "I am devoutly thankful for the measure of
vitality still remaining, and have faith to believe that
this, in very love and mercy, will still be granted so
long as the need for it shall remain in this service of love ;
a marvel and a mystery to myself as well as to my
friends." When parting from a fellow-passenger during the
voyage to Japan, Isaac Sharp gave him a loving watch
word : " Paul says, ' Lay hold of eternal life.' With the
mind we lay hold of earthly things ; with the spirit the
things of the heavenly Kingdom. ' The gift of God is
eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.' ' Lay hold on
eternal life.' May this be thy portion."

I98 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
The discomforts of a voyage are treated lightly, as when
he says : " The air of the ship continues unsavoury, and
the water is far from sweet ! ! " Again he writes, and, let
us remember, in his eighty-sixth year : '' I have often
thought that many at home are doing more for the Lord
than falls to my lot. But for each and all is the message of
the Lord, 'Follow thou Me.'
" This morning early, as I lay in my berth, pondering my
position somewhat deeply, in view of the present and of
that which lies before me, a solemn impress with much
tenderness came over my spirit in the consciousness that,
however small the service, it is in the appointment of the
Lord, and of His ordering, and not of my own devising.
. . . A humbling and blessed fulness came with the
words, 'For Christ and His Gospel.'"
A week later he writes : " Never had I so great a sym
pathy before with John when he sent his disciples to Jesus
with the query, 'Art Thou He that should come, or look
we for another?' My portion being one so altogether
singular and strange, and yet the clear Lord does not suffer
me to doubt, as Satan would fain have me do. Blessed be
the Name of the Lord ; I have faith to believe, that, amid
all this, He will not suffer me to fail, as I look from self
to Him ! "
In reference to a meeting in the saloon of the steamer
he says : " I remarked that whilst some ignore the Bible,
and do not believe in it, thousands like-minded have passed
away, and the Bible remains. Their unbelief does not
make the Bible less true. There are mysteries in this
one Book our Heavenly Father has given to His children ;
but that which is needful for man's salvation, he may run
who readeth it ! The Lord Jesus said, ' No man cometh to
the Father but by Me ' ; and His invitation to-day is the
same as when He was on earth, 'Come unto Me.' WTe may
come for pardon and for peace ; we may come for all we
need."

" A THREE-FOLD CORD. 199
Again he writes : " In the course of this clay's medita
tion, it has come before me with convincing clearness that
we have in the following a three-fold cord, strong in its
entirety — Believe, Receive, Obey."
In a letter to Martha Braithwaite he remarks : " Much
lies before me in spiritual vision, which I have faith to
believe will yet be accomplished in the ordering of the
Lord. Whittier speaks of ' a voice without a sound ' ;
wherein, it seems to me, China is embraced and Syria too.
Hath not the Lord said, ' Is anything too hard for Me?' I
do not forget that Peter Gardiner died within sight of
Scotby on a journey of wonderful experience, nor that
C. H. Spurgeon quite expected to proclaim once more
from his place in The Tabernacle the Gospel of the
Kingdom, but was taken up higher, yet the word of cheer
given me fifteen years ago still lives in my heart —
' Forward and fear not,
Let thy faith be firm.'
Herein 1 humbly trust is no trace of self-confident boasting
but rather of reliant trust. For lo ! on this wise, a limit to
the limitless I may not seek to set in word, or deed, or
thought." On the 16th of March, 1892, the travellers arrived at
Yokohama, Japan. Isaac Sharp writes : " George Braith
waite came from the shore in a boat and invited us to his
house  In the course of conversation he told us of
having handed the little tract, ' John Three, Sixteen,' to a
Japanese on a rainy night. The man, it appears, read it
eagerly, and notwithstanding the inclement weather, set
out and found George Braithwaite, and wanted to know in
what book 'John iii. 16' could be found and where he
could get it. He was told where he could get a Testament,
and there is reason to believe that this singularly interesting
tract was blessed to a Buddhist in setting before him the
Truth as it is in Jesus. George Braithwaite has circulated

200 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
this tract widely. It was issued in Japanese by the Religious
Tract Society." On the following morning the Friends
went on to Tokio, where they were met most kindly by Dr.
Whitney, who took them to the Legation House, his home,
" where," writes Isaac Sharp, " a cordial welcome awaited
us from Mary Caroline Whitney, and we felt most comfort
ably at ease."
Four days later in the diary we come across the words,
" China is with me in mental vision abidingly."
In reference to the Scripture Reading Union, in which
Mrs. Whitney takes a deep interest, he writes : " It has a
membership of over 13,000, who read the portions arranged
for the course, and it is probable that 5,000 to 10,000 more
follow the same reading although not enrolled as members.
Local secretaries are scattered among 800 different places
throughout the empire." M. C. Whitney writes : " Isaac
Sharp and Dr. Dixon were with us ten clays, and a most
delightful time we had. Isaac Sharp so cheerful and Dr.
Dixon so careful of him. . . . We had our Swedish
friends up to tea to meet them and had such a good time.
Isaac Sharp spoke most beautifully and appropriately to
them, and their hearts and voices re-echoed almost every
word he said. There was also a social gathering for the
Japanese connected with the Friends' Mission.
About forty secretaries of the Scripture Union came here
to meet our Friends, and both of them spoke through an
interpreter very forcibly and feelingly and we sang the two
new hymns that George has had translated with Japanese
tunes. I helped M. A. Gundry to prepare for the large
company of missionaries we had invited to meet our
Friends there. About sixty responded. Willis* made a few
introductory remarks and then read Isaac Sharp's certifi
cates from the Monthly, Quarterly, and Yearly Meetings,
which seemed both interesting and impressive to the
company. Then Isaac Sharp spoke most beautifully and
at some length, and Dr. Dixon followed with a few of his
* Dr. Whitney.

ISAAC SHARP AND DR. DIXON IN JAPAN.

IAPAN. 201
bright, encouraging words. Everyone thanked us most
warmly afterwards and said what a real refreshment and
treat it had been. . . . The time seems all too short
for all they want to do and the weather is so very cold
that it makes it more difficult for Isaac Sharp to get about.
We shall not want to part with them when the time comes.
It has been a real privilege to have them under our roof."
More than five years later Miss Gundry bore testimony
to the extreme value of Isaac Sharp's visit to Japan, which
took place when the mission was in rather low water. "The
school-girls all loved him and have grieved over his death.
He came to the mission buildings one morning after a fearful
fire, when four or five hundred houses had been burnt and
the mission premises only just saved. His looks of sympathy
as he walked round amongst the refugees, though he could
not speak their language, had caused him to be remem
bered ever since."
On April 2nd Isaac Sharp writes : " At three o'clock
twelve of the colporteurs assembled at the Bible House at
Yokohama as kindly arranged for by George Braithwaite.
They came in from their separate districts and a very
interesting occasion it proved to be. Dr. Whitney came
clown from Tokio to be present, a most welcome addition.
The portion for the day in ' The Three-fold Cord ' — the kind
gift of my dear friend Martha Braithwaite — appeared
singularly appropriate, and it was read to them in their
own language from the Japanese Scriptures.
" ' Rejoice inasmuch as ye are partakers of. Christ's
sufferings, that when His glory shall be revealed ye may
be glad also with exceeding joy.'
" ' If ye be reproached for the name of Christ happy
are ye, for the spirit of glory and of Gocl resteth upon you.'
" ' Thou hast girded me with strength unto the battle.
Thou hast subdued under me those that rose up against
me.' . . .
" Each one as his turn came had his tale to tell, and
not a few of them could make mention of trial and triumph

202 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
too ; reviled and beaten, stoned and persecuted, the Lord
fulfilled His ever present promise, ' As thy clays so shall
thy strength be.'" After relating other services of one kind
and another, he writes on the 12th of April : " Closely
engaged in packing. Then we went into the drawing-
room for a farewell interview with Dr. and M. C. Whitney.
Little Bevan was with us. The Lord graciously granted
His blessing, for the sense as of a halo of peace and love
was over us. It was to me like sitting in heavenly places
in Christ Jesus. Words came freely, . . and I have
a hope, will remain with them in refreshing remembrance.
After this, I knelt in prayer, in which little Bevan and his
younger brother were brought before the Lord, and His
favour entreated for them, and for their dear father and
mother and household. It was a season for which to be
devoutly thankful in the nearness of the love of God in
Christ Jesus." On the next clay he writes : " Dr. Whitney
did us good service in getting our luggage passed without
examination, and arranging for a steam launch to convey
us to the steamer Belgic, whither he, George Braithwaite,
and M. A. Gundry kindly bore us company. They
inspected our comfortable cabin, and remained a while
with us. Then came the inevitable last moments when our
farewells were spoken. . . We watched and waved
so long as recognition allowed, and our stately sea-girt
citadel set out on her voyage of over 5,000 miles to San
Francisco. We got our luggage arranged, and soon began
to feel at home. Then 1 set to work to balance my cash
which was successfully accomplished. Many thoughts.
came welling up concerning the recent past, and as regards
China, the possible yet to be. I am favoured to feel calm,
with spirit and mind at rest, being wonderfully free from
anxiety." In a letter, he says : " I could write much, oh, so
much, of this wonderful Japan, and leave the half untold.
Five-and-twenty years ago it was a death penalty to profess.
Christianity. Now it is open to any and to all to do so.
openly and unmolested."

SUNDAY ON SHIPBOARD. 203
On the following clay he writes : " Wind ahead, but
with very little rock or roll, nevertheless two missionaries
from China, man and wife, are bed-fast. Their nerves
were highly strung in that land, in the recent troubles
there. They could not undress, but slept with their clothes
on, amid almost overwhelming anxiety. I just looked in
to inquire after them, with which they were pleased, and
so was I. 1 read a portion of Scripture, then knelt and
commended them to the Lord. Said the wife : ' That is
just what I have felt to need all the day.' I read also a
portion of Samuel Anderson's vision of Heaven. I feel
much for them."
One of the Sunday meetings on ship-board is thus
described by Isaac Sharp: "A bell was rung for gathering
together in the saloon. The purser beckoned me towards
him. Before him were pillows over which a flag was spread,
and upon it a Bible was placed. The purser read the
portions for the clay, including the accustomed prayers. 1
then rose and said : ' Fellow voyagers on the mighty Pacific,
I greet you in the love of Christ on this Easter morning.
But there is another voyage with eternity for a landing-
stage. Are we prepared for the kingdom and the crown,
willingly offered for our acceptance, with power on our
part as free agents for acceptance or rejection ? We have
been reminded that the Father is God, that the Son is Gocl,
that the Holy Ghost is Gocl, — incomprehensible, but one
God over all ! Jesus said when on earth, ' Come unto
Me/ and now the gentle voice of the Holy Spirit may be
heard saying, ' Come unto Me.' We may come for pardon
sealed with peace through the blood of the covenant. The
Lord is willing ; may we be willing too ; so shall it be well
with us now and for ever.' "
The diary gives many records of fluctuations in health,
need,- for nursing himself, and for the medical aid of his
companion. One day he writes: " We walked on deck;
the wind was too strong for my chest, and I had to
surrender ; a reminder of John Pearson's version of his

204 LIFE 0F ISAAC SHARP.
trouble from an old-fashioned disease called Anno Domini."
Again he playfully writes : " Some cayenne pepper
improved the circulation. This old and valuable remedy,
the benefit of which I have often proved, once more came
to the rescue. I did not tell the doctor till after, as he
does not believe in cayenne pepper ; but what of it ? His
idea concerning cayenne is the logic of theory ! Mine
concerning cayenne is the logic of fact."
Cayenne seems to have been a very favourite medicine,
for a week later he says : " Dr. Dixon has little faith in
cayenne pepper, and thought I had better try something
else. ' The idea of knowing better than the doctor ! ' So
I yielded ignominiously, and suffered for it, taking a dose
of camphor instead. Doctor thought ginger would be a
good remedy, and most kindly went to order it. One of
the waiters came with a tumbler full of a dark-coloured
liquid as a substitute, and lo, it was ginger ale ! I got him
to pour away about four-fifths of it, put in a dash of
cayenne, genuine cayenne, and drank it off. Relief came
promptly." On the 21st of April he writes : " China is much before
me still ; not, I honestly believe, from the working of my
own mind and will, but under the guidance of the Lord,
by His Spirit, who divideth to every man severally as He
will. Possibly even now my committee may be pondering
over it. On my own mind there is no sense of
discharge from this labour of love. Should the Lord so
order it, I am made willing to go thither and never return,
although not anticipating such an issue. Sweet is the
clothing of my spirit to-day."
In allusion to a valuable Sunday address from a Baptist
minister on board, on the text, " Thy will be done," he
says : " Profound attention was manifested. My heart went
with the words he spoke, and I felt thankful for them."
About this time Isaac Sharp had a good deal of incon
venience from his ailing sight. He much enjoyed hearing
" Mackay of Uganda " read by Dr. Dixon during the

CALIFORNIA. 205.
leisure of the voyage. He still persevered in diary keeping,
and writes on the 29th of April : " We crossed the ' Bar '
quite early, ruffled but not rough. For the second time
through the Golden Gate to California." On the following
day he reached Creek Orchard, Berryessa, the home of his
daughter, Elizabeth Hjerleid Shelley. Of the parting with
Dr. Dixon he writes : " A day of memorial. Rose at
six a.m. ; breakfasted at about seven. Then setting aside
all pressure for a little space, my dear companion, friend,
and adviser and I sat clown for our farewell blending. We
could praise the Lord for all His goodness and watchful
care over us, and with lively faith and hopeful trust, we
commended each other to the keeping of the Lord. I
went with him in the steamer across the Bay of San
Francisco, and bore him company till the last waving of
hands gave way to the inevitable sundering." A day or
two later he writes : " Dr. Dixon is much on my mind and
in my heart with the upspringing, ' The Lord bless thee,'
and I thankfully believe He will. In the midst of my own
kith and kin, and many kind friends ; in the midst, more
over, of young life, the severance is less keen, less severely
felt. Yet the sundering of a most helpful companionship
is continuously with me. Lizzie drove me to the mid-week
meeting. I took my seat and felt the deep solemnity
pervading, and the presence of the Lord graciously made
manifest in our midst. It was not long before the silence
was broken. My spirit was brought into sympathy, as I
believed, with some who needed a word of cheer. The
devices of Satan were alluded to, in seeking to cast clown
unduly. Watch ! for the enemy is ever on the watch.
Watch and pray lest he prevail. The Lord still says in the
secret of the soul, ' Come unto Me,' so we may come under
all circumstances, of joy or sorrow, hope or fear, for He is
ever present who said, ' Lo, I am with you alway.' Z.
followed in a remarkable utterance. . . . Ten years
ago he was present at a Yearly Meeting ; our aged Friend
Isaac Sharp was there, and what he said was still remem-

206 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
bered — ' Looking unto Jesus.' He had then only joined
the Society a year or two before ; he had witnessed the
pardon of his sins, and was in possession of peace with
God through Jesus Christ, but the need of continually
looking unto Jesus came as a helpful reminder, and he had
been helped again by the ministry of our aged Friend
to-day. Then he knelt in prayer."
On the next day, Isaac Sharp writes of various occupa
tions, adding : " Called with Harold on Dr. Brown, the
chronic cases specialist. He prescribed for me and I got
the preparation made up instanter. I asked as to his fee.
" ' Oh, nothing,' said he, ' nothing.' I thanked him and
accepted his kindness."
Isaac Sharp was invited to meet the pastors of the
¦different churches in San Jose, in their weekly meeting in
that city, at the Y.M.C.A. Rooms, and believed that in this
he should find right opening for service. " In the provi
dence of our Heavenly Father," he began, " I find myself
in these walls to-day. I say in the providence of God, for
within many lands, and among many people, I have loved to
quote in their hearing ' They who mark the hand of Provi
dence shall never want a Providence to mark.' There are
two things I desire to leave with you ; the Perpetual Pre
sence of the Lord Jesus, and the receptive faculty we have
need to use. The widow's cruse and barrel failed not ; the
receptive power was there. As many as received Him, to
them gave He the power to become the sons of God. . . .
The indwelling power of the Spirit of God was well under
stood by Paul, who spoke of the mystery hid from ages and
generations, but now made manifest to the saints ; which is
Christ in you, the hope of glory I . . . The time passed
rapidly. 1 asked for a short period of silence as in the
presence of the Lord, and then knelt in prayer."
As we read of his asking for a little time of silence, we
recall a few words in " Tom Brown's Schooldays": "One
of those blessed short silences in which the resolves that
•colour a life are taken."

OREGON. 207
At the conclusion of the meeting most of the fourteen
ministers who were present came forward to give their
aged visitor a hand-grasp.
A few days later Isaac Sharp, after saying in his diary,
that " Sivert " (his son-in-law) had pointed out to him a
newspaper paragraph on disturbances in China, from mili
tary students showing opposition to British missionaries,
he adds : " Should any of my friends at home see it, their
solicitude will not be lessened in all probability. But in
the face of all this, I am enabled to breathe with quiet con
fidence, 'None of these things move me.' The Lord is
over all. He reigneth King for ever."
A visit was now paid by Isaac Sharp, accompanied by
his clear friend Joel Bean, to Oregon. " The travel," he
writes, " was searchingly severe and culminated in an ascent
up the mountains, 3,000 feet through the primeval forest in
a wonderful solitude. We were present at the two Quar
terly Meetings of Newberg and Salem, and at the different
meetings composing them. . . . What the eventual
outcome may be, we know not ; but there is an ever-increas
ing tendency to the outward and visible, rather than to the
inward and invisible reality of the perpetual Presence of
Christ, His dominion in His Church, and silent communion
with the Father and with the Son ; the Holy Spirit being the
witness the while to its reality. Nevertheless, as said Paul,
*¦ Christ is preached, and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will
rejoice.' " Again, he alludes to the " ascendancy of singing
in meetings, brought in head and shoulders, and the lower
ing effect produced in the almost entire ignoring of silence."
After the mountainous ascent, to which reference has
been made, the travellers met a little company in a meeting
for worship, and were thankful to be present. The next
day they held a meeting at Marion, and that night took the
train for San Jose, spending two nights on the road. Joel
Bean then brought his aged friend to his temporary home,
with his " dear daughter and son-in-law." It was well that
he had reached this resting place, for a dangerous illness
was at hand.

CHAPTER XV
" Have Faith — where'er thy bark is driven,
The calm's disport, the tempest's mirth ;
Know this — God rules the hosts of heaven
And the inhabitants of earth."
Translation from Schiller.
' My unassisted heart is barren clay,
That of its native self can nothing feed :
Of good and pious works Thou art the seed,
That quickens only where THOU say'st it may :
Unless Thou show to us Thine own true way,
No man can find it." Wordsworth.

TOO ill to write himself, on the 30th of May, 1892, Isaac
Sharp dictated a letter to his namesake nephew.
Whilst admitting that " a wave of depression " is over him,
" like the trail of influenza, yet no way connected with it,"
he comments on the blessings of the present and looks
hopefully forward : " I rejoice to be here instead of in the
wild places of the earth, and am glad to find myself so well
situated for nursing and help, and medical aid. . . .
Severe local suffering has brought me low. I am more
than willing for a while to be so, as a preparation for another
campaign. In severity and prostration this attack is like
that of Paris, but I feel assured the end is not yet. The
passage rises up before me with great assurance and sweet
ness as out of the depths, ' I shall not die but live, and
declare the works of the Lord.' I am expecting some

VERY SERIOUS ILLNESS. 209
amelioration of the sufferings ere long ; meanwhile, the grace
of endurance is mercifully granted me by night and by day."
On the 9th of June, his daughter writes : " My beloved
father has had a very alarming attack of prostration. . . .
He said, ' I am supremely happy through the loving-kindness
of my Lord and Saviour. I am not afraid, and am resting
upon Him. If it be His will that I should enter through the
portal, I am ready. I have never felt so low. And yet I
still look forward to recovery.' . . . My father seems
very pleased at S.'s developing such excellent nursing
capabilities and his strong arm can often give assistance.
. . . The nurse continues to do exceedingly well."
During this suffering illness the invalid was tried by a hot
spell, the thermometer standing at about 980 in the shade,
and one day at 1040. The doctor now sometimes looked
very grave but endeavoured to keep up his patient's spirits
as much as possible. Any little progress made one hour
was perhaps lost by pain the next.
Meanwhile the word " China " was graven more and
more deeply upon his heart, and so clearly did he see
himself engaged in a labour of love to the missionaries
there that, even when the doctors had no hope whatever of
his recovery, he said he believed the Lord had further
service for him. He would, indeed, often say, that he saw
a "clear light shining in the direction of China !" and it was
a great cheer to receive an official letter from the committee
at home — written, albeit, before they knew of his critical
condition — giving him full encouragement to go to that
far-off land.
On his eighty-sixth anniversary he was extremely weak
and said he felt " like a ship stranded at dead low water."
But, in reality, the worst was over then. A few clays earlier
Dr. Pierce took a very unfavourable view of the case, and
fearing poisoning of the system had a consultation with
another physician. To his patient he said :
" I have seen all along that you are not afraid of death.
You are far from home. If you have anything to arrange,

210 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
documentary or otherwise, do it to-day. Do not delay.
To-morrow you may be in delirium." " I love him for his
honesty and kindness," remarked Isaac Sharp, at a later
date. " I felt conscious that the angel of death hovered over
me, but was restrained from descending. Even at my
lowest ebb, I did not feel that my work on earth was done,
for while in the deeps the Lord was graciously pleased to
reveal to me that the commission He had given me for
China had never been cancelled, and that thither He would
have me go."
His rapid recovery was a marvel to all who saw it.
" Last Thursday," writes his daughter, " my father felt
well enough to be dressed and to sit up a little with the
doctor's permission. The nurse said, ' Patients never go
out of the room the first time they are up.' ' Oh, yes,' he
was going, not only into the parlour, but into the porch.
He sat there a little, and did so enjoy the fresh air and the
scent of the flowers. ... I could not have believed
that anyone so weak as he was, and at such an age, could
have picked up as quickly as he has clone."
Soon, as we might imagine, his own fingers hold the
familiar pen, and he tells a nephew of his prospect of
soon sailing for Japan, en route for China. He adds :
" ' You are a wonderful man,' said the doctor on his last
visit. ' They tell me so,' I replied, ' and I partly believe it.'
Again and again he has said, ' Your vitality is great at
eighty-six.' And behold, he no longer stumbles at China,
but quite expects me to go. . . . The Lord is as able
to bring me back as to take me thither. I love to feel that
the issues of life and of death are with Him."
He refers about this time to "a most welcome call from
our dear friend Samuel Morris."
On the 18th of August he writes : " My dear daughter
and 1 have greatly enjoyed a week at Pacific Grove. We
managed to walk fully five miles one day." He thought it

MARVELLOUS RECOVERY. 211
right to propose that a religious meeting should be held on
the Sunday spent at this place, and on the preceding clay
his mind was " closely exercised " in reference to it,
although, he adds, " not without a solacing trust that ' the
Lord will provide.' " His daughter had placed a notice of
the meeting at the entrance of the boarding-house, and the
proprietor was amongst the first to come.
Isaac Sharp writes : " After a time of silence, I
addressed the little company at some length with decided
freedom of utterance. This was followed by earnest vocal
prayer. Then a little time of silence. Afterwards there
were several expressions of satisfaction at having been
present. Z. said : ' You have certainly been influenced
"by the Holy Spirit in what you have spoken to-day.' "
Isaac Sharp was much interested in Frank, a Japanese
waiter at this boarding-house, who was earning what he
•could during the vacation of the university at which he was
studying, intending to enter the field of mission service
among his own people. On leaving, Isaac Sharp, who felt
" an inward sympathy " with him, gave him a five dollar
note in a folded paper, on which he had written the words,
" The Lord loves to be near to them who love to be near to
Him. ' The Lord will provide.' "
" We were just leaving the house," adds Isaac Sharp,
" when he rushed out and placed a little piece of paper in
my hand with his name and where he hailed from in
Japan. He was in look more grave than the generality of
his people, possibly from the daily tax on his physical
ability. . . . Sivert and Elsie met us at the station,
and on our arrival at Creek Orchard, Rover gave us a lively
salute of recognition and was as pleased as any dog need
be in giving a welcome home. . . . We called on Dr.
Pierce yesterday. He had paid me about forty visits. He
speaks cheerily of China, expressing his full expectation
that I shall come back to California ' all right.' He looks
on my restoration to health (not to say my recovery) as
very remarkable. So it is, but the Lord hath done it.

212 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
'' I remarked to the doctor, ' I hope to call on thee
should I live to return from China.' ' Which,' rejoined the
doctor, ' you surely will ; I have no doubt about it.' And
so we shook hands and took leave very cordially."
To his daughter, he said : " I do not speak boastfully,.
but I hope" and expect to see you all again."
Meanwhile, his committee in England wrote again, and
the view they now naturally took was a further trial of faith
to him. We quote from their own report : " On hearing of his
serious illness, his committee, having regard to the grave
contingencies incident to the long river journey in China,.
thought it right to suggest, with the concurrence of the
Meeting for Sufferings, the postponement of his visit to
China. . . . But in making the suggestion they could,
of course, do no more than place the subject very seriously
before the mind of our dear friend, leaving him to act
under his own sense of responsibility to his Lord and.
Master. It was to Isaac Sharp a time of solemn proving,.
but our dear friend felt ... it was his duty to go-
forward to China."
In reference to this period of his life, his friend, Joel
Bean, whose home was not far from Berryessa, writes ::
"There were peculiar circumstances and providences.
attending his later mission which rendered more impres
sive his witness and service for his Lord. He was bearing
the weight of more than four-score years, and the physical
strain of many a siege. Then we saw him stricken down
and permitted to endure long weeks of suffering, with life
trembling in the balance. We could not believe it was for
himself alone. There was a lesson for us all in the example
it was his to show, not only of submissive trust, but of
heroic faith. As the vision continued with him of service
yet to be accomplished, and necessity was laid upon him
by a command renewed in the depths, he was raised up,
and we saw him embark, without a companion, on a
journey of seven thousand miles to the interior of China.

ON THE WAY TO CHINA. 213
The courage of his friends at home, whose sympathy had
not been wanting hitherto, had wavered. He was now
¦entering on an adventure which they had not dared to
encourage. " We cannot forget the scene in the state-room of his
¦cabin on the great steamer, to which some of us accom
panied him, when our hearts committed him to the
unslumbering Shepherd's care, and our spirits were given
to feel the uplift and the strength by which he was
sustained. Confidently, calmly, peacefully, joyfully, he
went out upon the waves, signalling his farewell from the
deck. It was by devotion like this that for many long
years he served his generation and his God. I have
travelled with him when few men in his bodily condition
would venture to leave the comforts and rest of home. In
Oregon, when most of the meetings had been visited and
he was on the verge of a severe illness, in weariness and
pain, he undertook a journey of twenty miles over a rough
road rather than miss a little mountain meeting. The con
secration of his remaining strength, the diligent pressing
forward, deterred by no obstacles, in order to finish the
work given him to do, were an inspiration to others to gird
themselves anew for their appointed way and work.
" In Isaac Sharp's public ministry, abounding as it did
in poetic phrases, the melody of which will linger in the
memory of thousands who heard him, there was a remark
able freshness and fitness in his messages. In the meetings
of Friends of different types in all sections of our country
I had the opportunity to notice and admire the adaptation
of his discourses to various conditions and to feel their
impressive force. In our own meeting particularly was
there from time to time the opening of a fresh spring and
the utterance with tenderness and power of words suited
to the deepest wants of our souls. Memorably on some
occasions was this the case."
It was on the Gaelic that Isaac Sharp embarked on the
6th of September, 1892, for Japan, en route for China. An

214 LIFE 0F ISAAC SHARP.
appointed surgeon was on board, and our traveller and he
soon became friends, not that much professional aid was
needed, for he had a sea-breeze appetite and no trace of
mal-de-mer. " The doctor appears to be a deep thinker,"
he writes, " he invited me into his well supplied labora
tory, where we had a long and interesting confab. Amongst
other things he told me of salol as a little-known remedy
and a perfectly safe one, which he thought might be useful
to me. . . In view of the cholera having proved fatal
at Chung King, I asked him at another time what was the
best remedy in case of need. ' Salol,' he replied, ' nothing
better for killing the germs. Half a teaspoonful to a tea-
spoonful for a close. It is very powerful, but perfectly
harmless.' "
The doctor had to tell his active patient that he had
seen him moving about on deck too vigorously. " Re
member you have only recently recovered from a very severe
illness. Wait awhile, rest ; it is rest you need."
Soon we have the record of a day in bed, followed by
the words : " From past experience and present assurance
most mercifully granted 1 believe that soon ' this too will
pass.' Three missionaries came to my bedside to inquire
for me. I was glad of this token of sympathetic regard."
He ventured to suggest to a fellow-voyager, a missionary
in Japan, the plan for a daily meeting together of such
as were so inclined for Bible-reading and comment, free
from argument. He pleasantly responded and passed on
the proposal, which found favour. " Surprise continues to-
be felt," he says, "at the physical strength falling to my lot ;
not a trace of sea-sickness and very ready for meal-time as
it comes in course."
To a nephew he writes : "I doubt seeing Creek
Orchard (the residence of his son-in-law) again before the
buds of spring are ready to burst. If only in the Lord's.
own time, all will be well. 1 go as with my life in my
hand, but not forgetting Joseph Sewell's silver tone :
'Thy life shall be given thee for a prey in all places

DR. MACDONALD. 215
whither thou goest.' This has "been singularly verified up
to the present. We have a specially nice company of
passengers ; two D.D.'s on board, but they are very access
ible, and altogether I am getting along very agreeably and
feeling by no means lonely." About a week later he
announces his arrival at Japan " wonderfully well, a great
joy and cause for devout thanksgiving."
A few clays later, however, when he consulted Dr.
Whitney about swelling of the legs he pronounced unhesi
tatingly that it arose from weak action of the heart, and
said he should like to have a consultation with Dr.
Macdonald. "This does not distress me," says the trustful
patient, "though I cannot but regard it with some solemnity
in prospect of sailing next week for Shanghai. Better die
in China or on the way thither, or whilst returning from
thence in the service of the King, at His blessed bidding,
than die at home. 1 accept the words as they rise before
me— while penning these lines of record — with peace and
with praise, ' Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine
eyelids look straight before thee."
On the following clay Dr. Macdonald called by appoint
ment and after a careful examination said :
" Could you not go home instead of going to China ?
You have strength for this and could be under medical care
if needful." When Isaac Sharp told him of the call of the
Master to go to China, the doctor added :
" I give you my professional opinion ; this duty devolves
on me, but I do not interfere between the Lord and you."
" Faith is once more on the trial," writes the patient,
after confiding the story of this interview to his diary.
" Meanwhile I ask the Lord for help, and strength, and
clear vision. 1 say not for the renewal of faith, for of His
great mercy, faith has never been permitted up to this
present to fail."
To a nephew he writes a few days later : " Some of
my friends are greatly exercised about the journey to Chung
King ; exposure, difficulty and possible danger in the

2l6 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
rapids, with 400 miles to travel in a native boat (which a
returning missionary described to me by saying, ' the boat
is naked,') have in their estimation a good deal of the shady
side. In the loving-kindness of the Lord these things have
no prohibitory fears for me. ... I go forth in simple
faith and trust, and with the sealed assurance that the Lord
will graciously care for me for this life and the next."
Again he says when writing on the 29th of September :
" On taking my ticket this morning not a single misgiving
rose up to mar the sense of rest upon my spirit." He
writes of his enjoyment in meeting with Samuel Morris, of
Philadelphia, and Jonathan E. Rhoads.who were in Japan on
religious service. On the clay before his embarkation for
Shanghai he says : " At the breakfast table Samuel Morris
offered prayer, and made tender mention of that which
lies before me. After breakfast, we conversed on Australia
and various subjects. I spoke a few words lovingly to them
and felt comforted." On the following clay George Braith
waite accompanied him to the steamer Sakio Maru, and saw
the nice cabin he would have. In the parting there was a
" blending of joy and sorrow, joy being in the ascendant,
with a sense of the unique, as bound for the Chinese waters
at eighty-six, ' alone yet not alone.' Some of my dear
friends may not fully comprehend my position, while
others will, 1 am well assured, grasp it with faith, and
rejoice that the Master, in wonderful love and mercy,
condescends consciously to bear me up and enables me to
rejoice in Him."
As usual, he soon found companionship, and in reference
to a fellow-voyager he writes : " On deck and under the
light of the moon we had a long and free conversation, in
which I spoke plainly on his habit of smoking as endanger
ing his own health, and being on the wrong side of those,
younger than himself, who might be influenced by his
example. . . . He asked on what authority I went
forth on my mission. I was glad to say in effect, on the
authority of Christ and at His bidding — the Annual Meeting

NEARING SHANGHAI. 217
held in London giving its sanction, when, after solid deliber
ation, they had sought to know the mind of Christ. When
we parted for the night he kindly said that he had been both
interested and edified."
In reference to the captain he says : " We had some
conversation, among other subjects on smoking. He owned
to being a, constant smoker. I told him I gave it up, and
with it all intoxicants half-a-century ago. 1 told him the
heart was affected by smoking.
" ' Oh,' said he, ' I cannot lie on my left side for a
minute.' "
The passage to Kobe was an excellent one. Isaac Sharp
went on shore to call at the Seamen's Mission. As he was
about to leave, Montague Beauchamp, a nephew of Lord
Radstock, came in. Isaac Sharp introduced himself as a
Friend. "My wife is a Friend" (Florence, nee Barclay)
was his reply ; and when he found that Isaac Sharp was
bound for Chung King, vid Ichang, he added : " The Lord
be praised ! we shall travel together. I have secured the
only remaining berths on deck." This companionship was
very cheering to Isaac Sharp, and Mr. Beauchamp was
able to give him valuable hints on travelling in China.
"They are most kind," he writes, "and I feel it a happy
¦circumstance and a privilege to be travelling with them. I
read to them my two certificates, to which they listened
with decided interest." At another time he read them
two of his favourite poems, " Rhythm of St. Bernard" and
'" Coming," by B. M. It was a relief to. him to learn from
Mr. Beauchamp that the climate at Chung King is mild
throughout the winter and that steamers can ply from
Ichang to Shanghai all the winter through.
On the nth of October he writes : " As we neared
¦Shanghai, cotton mills and paper mills were a surprise, as
was also the large extent of shipping of Chinese and other
ports. The bar was successfully crossed after we had
waited for the rise of the river in neap tides, and not long
after the Sakio Maru was moored at the quay, whereon a

2l8 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
large crowd was waiting. Edward Evans from his Mission
ary Home and Agency came on board and took me with
him. Tea at 6.30 was followed by family worship. While
moored in still water about half-a-dozen of us had spent a.
brief period in my cabin. . . . Montague Beauchamp
made some very helpful remarks and I felt it right to kneel
in prayer that the Lord would graciously own and help.
each one of us according to our individual need, and bless
His servants in the varied mission fields wherein was their
service for Him."
On the following day he called on Montague Beauchamp
at the China Inland Mission Home, where an opportunity
was given him for addressing about forty missionaries and
to offer heart-felt prayer on their behalf. A few clays later
he writes in his diary that he has been " greatly exercised
in spirit from early morn — as it were in the valley of the
shadow of death, yet fearing no evil, for, though greatly
humbled, the Lord is over all the cypress shade with the
assurance that my little work is not yet done."
Isaac Mason, of the Friends' Foreign Mission Associa
tion, who had just arrived from England, was to be his
companion on the long journey to the Interior.
On the 19th of October Isaac Sharp says in a letter to a
nephew : " Isaac Mason and 1 were to have sailed last night,
but there was a hitch in the Customs. We look to proceed
this week, possibly to-night, and to commence our voyage
on the Yangtse from Shanghai to Hankow, where I hope
to see that dedicated servant of the Lord Jesus, Dr. Griffith
John. For years I have felt a strong and loving sympathy
for and with him. Outwardly we are personally unknown
to each other. I suppose my friends in England are far
more thoughtful and possibly far more anxious as to the
result of the journey — so to speak, for life or death — than I
can be. Lo ! it is well. I have had my deep ponderings
as it is meet, and some of them very deep, but no ponder
ings of doubt ; from these I am mercifully free. I meet
with many missionaries and love to grasp them by the

ISAAC SHARP'S JOQKNKY U1J Ilit YA NG I SK KIAN't 1

chang, 4/X1/1892.
ii return, 14/11/1893. I Reach* d Chung King, 5/xii/i8<
Left Chung King, 3/1/1893.

.jibi.:',:j^L La. ILL1" ji |ir-"-*3Tmjfc
J£ng Lu, h. Milz.3
uT~ r- to IO& 750 2G0

DR. GRIFFITH JOHN. 219
hand. At the China Inland Mission I had an opportunity
for saying a few loving words to about forty ; and by
invitation went again next day to tell them of what
I had seen of the work of the Lord in many lands. I spoke
for an hour and a half. I was not weary and the audience
listened very attentively. My message of love to the
evening congregation at the Mission Hall was warmly
acknowledged by several who grasped me by the hand, not
without a desire for a blessing on the messenger.
/ cannot tell of loneliness, but am nevertheless sensible of
being alone. With the strength which the Lord giveth
came the assurance yesterday, Fear not, / am with thee ;
so in this strength I go forward."
On the 24th he writes again, from the steamer Tai Wo,
Hankow : . . " We arrived here yesterday and within
three hours I was addressing an English speaking congre
gation, Dr. Griffith John having courteously placed me on
the same platform as himself. I probably spoke more
briefly than was expected, but I gave them what the Lord
gave me in much love. Arnold Foster, of the London
Missionary Society, met us on board and has been most
kind and cordial.
" So we are now 600 miles on our way, and with 500
more before us to Ichang, and then the River and the Rapids
400 more, occupying from four to five weeks. I have much
joy of heart in being able to say to myself in the inward
depth, ' The will of the Lord be done.'
" My friends smile when I tell them, ' Joseph gave
commandment concerning his bones,' but I have none to
give. I expect to take them with me to California ! " . . .
" 25th. To-day. we shift our quarters to the steamer for
Ichang. It is like going from one house to another. It
may seem a simple thing, but there is a sort of rending with
it, however ideal the rending may be. We are having
glorious weather. (' There is one glory of the sun,' etc.) I
was glad of an umbrella sunshade yesterday and a

220 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
pair of dark Spectacles to ward off the glare. Then again
the crescent moon was no less lovely.
" Surely it is well to get hold of every bit of anything
that has a laivful glow upon it.
"Arnold Foster met us with a kindly greeting from the
landing stage before we fully got to the mooring stage.
We went yesterday to the Chinese Hospital, and, behold,
in the door-keeper's cabin there was hanging up a good
photo of John Bright ! Old age is regarded by the Chinese
with respect and admiration, so I come in for a fair share.
There was an amusing incident at the hospital. A group
of four or five were near me. They shave their heads, and
are consequently bald. I lifted my ' wide-awake ' to let
them see I was bald as they. They smirked, and smiled,
and laughed, and appeared to enjoy it."
Before reaching Hankow, Isaac Sharp had said in his
diary in reference to Dr. Griffith John : " Few missionaries
whom I have never seen have been so much on my mind
and heart, in loving sympathy ; sympathy with him too in
the tenderest severance of life some years ago." After
becoming acquainted with him he writes : " Dr. John is in
the thirty-eighth year of his mission life in China. Thirty-
five years ago Hankow could not be visited without great
risk. I told him my friends in England could not under
stand my venturing hither after illness so recent and
severe, but that it had pleased the Lord to give the
command go with great inward clearness. . In our
interchange of thought, I felt closely united to him in
spirit, and was comforted." Isaac Sharp was glacl, too, to
become acquainted with Dr. John's daughter and her
husband. The latter was born at Brighton, and Isaac
Sharp adds : " Think of two Brightonians meeting and
greeting with a double squeeze of the hand at Hankow, in
far-off China, and of the inspiriting mental vision of beach,
the Steyne, and last, not least, those Sussex Downs, their
velvet tread and delicious air.

UP THE YANGTSE KIANG RIVER. 221
" Thence to seek the spot where Henrietta Green
laboured among the lowly, not shrinking from menial
offices so that she might aid not a few who needed it.
Though not successful in the search, from recent altera
tions, I am glad to have made it, as it gave a more vivid
picture of the scene of her labours than I could otherwise
have had. Arnold Foster told me of her 'faithfulness in
speaking to two persons separately, in reproof, but in so
gentle and loving a spirit as to give no offence."
At Ichang the travellers were met by Frederick S.
Deane, who had come from the Friends' Mission at Chung-
King to meet them. His junk had shot clown through the
rapids in about five and a half clays. In the autumn there:
are fewer wrecks than in some other parts of the year.
The following brief extract from the journal is quoted
as illustrative of the manner in which in daily life Isaac
Sharp sought, under divine guidance, to use his influence
as a talent to be traded with for the Master : "I called on
John Nightingale, of the Customs, and enjoyed half-an-hour
or more with him. He called in a friend of his, a Swede,
to share in the conversation. Before parting I asked for a.
brief silence together, and then knelt in prayer."
Once, in one of the busiest of London streets, Isaac
Sharp met a bank manager, who addressed him with some
passing remark. With the bright smile on his face which
seemed always to invite love and friendship, he replied :
" Thou hast thy work to do, and I have mine." Then,
pointing upward, he added ere hurrying on : " Meet me
above ; meet me above."
Before Isaac Sharp left Ichang, Captain Arnott, master
of the S.S. Chang Wo., told him that if he left Chung King
in the beginning of January for his return journey, he
would arrive at Ichang again in time for the Chang Wo.
The Friends now pursued their course up the Yangtse
Kiang river. As the junk — specially engaged for the.
journey— slackened speed to take in some passengers, the

222 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
not unfrequent salute of " foreign devils " was heard from
the junks that passed by.
Of the ascent of the rapids Isaac Sharp says : " There
is some excitement in passing the rapids, for if the rope
breaks the vessels drifts away, and may easily go on the
rocks. Moreover the trackers, or men on shore who haul
the vessel along, have to respond promptly to the beat of
the signal drum, and the waving of the pilot's arms, and
the shouting of his voice. A rope may get entangled on a
projecting rock out of the sight of the trackers, and the
drum will warn them to stop till the rope is again set free.
The ship's sail is hoisted when there is wind for it. So
there is the wind, the trackers, and the rowers on board to
aid our progress, and yet with the strong current and the
tortuous course of the Yangtse Kiang river, two miles an
hour is considered fair progress."
The last four hundred miles of this voyage occupied a
month, and after describing it Isaac Sharp adds : " In
credulity is ready to whisper, ' And this at eighty-six ! '
What matter ? I go with my life in my hand not for the
first time ; the Lord Jesus I have faith to believe will care
for me whatever the issue."
In reference to one of the rapids he says : " As we
passed through, towed by a threefold bamboo rope, in less
than three quarters of an hour we had got through the
surging and were again in the still flow of the quiet but
rapid river. It is not unusual for passengers to leave the
junk for the river bank and walk, if able to, till the clanger
is over. In the midst of the surging I remembered the
promise of the Lord that He would take care of me, and
my heart was stilled as in His presence."
To a nephew he writes on Sunday, the 13th of
November, 1892 : " The labours of the rowers and trackers
are ended, and the men are enjoying their ease at eventide.
In the gloaming, red candles were burnt and incense sticks,
and at one end of the boat, paper money was burnt before
an idol ; nor is the ceremony considered complete without

A WONDERFUL VOYAGE. 223
one of the company kneeling and bowing his forehead to
the ground or deck, while another with closed hands raises
them up and down three times. Would that the worship
of the only true Gocl had possession of the hearts of the
myriads of this vast empire in which is found very much
both strange and new. Temples and shrines abound, and
there seems to be no lack of priests.
" We are sitting in our living room at one table. Size
of room, eleven feet by nine. Then my bed-room, nine by
seven, all to myself. Then another room, nine by seven,
for the joint occupancy of Isaac Mason and Frederick S.
Deane. The kitchen comes next, with outside space at
either end ; enough in the forepart to accommodate between
forty and fifty men, for whom rice is being constantly
prepared, which they partake of freely out of basins with
the Chinese chop-sticks. I had no expectation whatever
of so excellent accommodation for the journey. . I
am ready to sigh over what I have written for the absence
of a true pourtrayal of the wonderful scenes through
which we are passing.
" We entered this morning one of the gorges, some
forty miles long, and 1 contemplate a further feast of the
indescribably magnificent. I think of ' Auld Willy ' as I
write, who used to sum up at the end of his vocabulary
with one single word, ' Tre-w-j/e-du-ous ! ! ' But all this is
not without a deeply chastened sense of responsibility.
' Shrinking from it al last,' dost thou say ? Nay, verily, not
for a moment. ' The earth is the Lord's and the fulness
thereof,' and small is the portion over which He condes
cends to bid me go, though seven thousand miles be
traversed from San Francisco to Chung King.
And now, as to this wonderful voyage, the like of which 1
never witnessed. A month of mountains, striking in their
variety, and imposingly grand. I never tire of gazing at
their endless variety. Villages here and there, grotesque
in their general aspect and surroundings, and scattered
dwellings, intense in their isolation."

224 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
The following day he writes in his journal : " Only by
cleaving to the Lord can I find a satisfying portion, with
renewed ability to wrestle ; nevertheless the lamp of Life
is burning, and the Light of the Lord is the Light of Life..
Blessed be His name for ever."
Three days later he adds : " I am glad and thankful to
be less pressed in spirit. I dare believe that the Lord has
a purpose in this journey, which, sooner or later in its.
revealing may bear fruit to His praise. Once more I com
mit this burden of love and its sore travail to the Lord
Jesus, in whose name and power I ventured forth. . . .
The tribute of thanksgiving arises in my heart afresh for
the sustaining power of mercy, love, and grace.
" Isaac Mason is busy with F. S. Deane in his Chinese
lesson. I love to think of these young men and the
possible future of their lives, whether near or remote ; and
it is a joy to me that the Society of Frien ds has a place in
the foreign mission fields of service as never before, resi-
dentially — in Madagascar, Syria, India, Mexico, Bulgaria,,
Turkey, Jamaica, Africa, Alaska, and China."
Again and again there are allusions in the diary —
touching under the circumstances — to a more or less suf
fering state of health.
Before he left Shanghai he had received a telegram
from the Friends' Mission at Chung King, asking if he
would like to have the companionship of a doctor or of the
senior missionary, but had sent the reply : " Deane, without
Davidson or doctor, ample."
Sometimes the weather was cold and misty, but with
his wonted cheerfulness he writes of how " wonderfully the
air was tempered by a charcoal fire in a flower-pot jar,"
and of how he found the warmth soothing and comfortable
while taking care to let in enough fresh air.
At length Chung King is reached, and on the 7th of
December, 1892, he remarks in a letter : " I scarcely think
anything, now that I am here, would disturb the tranquiL
enjoyment of a sealed assurance of being at Chung King ia
the ordering of the Lord. . . .

WELCOME FROM FIVE MISSIONS. 225
" Chung King is an ancient city of some quarter of a
million inhabitants, with an ascent from the river of one
hundred and fifty feet, chiefly by ill-conditioned stone
steps, up which I was borne, as usual, in a covered chair
with two bamboo poles — men front and behind — but how
they climb up those steps is a marvel. Ancestor worship
is a great bar in the way of the acceptance of Christianity.
Nevertheless, however slowly, light is spreading. There is
a wonderful variety of complexion and features ; some of
the Chinese are as light as Europeans, and others as sallow
as if they had been bathed in the Yellow Sea and retained
from thence a sort of permanent transmitted dye. Nor are
all the eyes equally angular.
" Conservative to a degree, they do not like the foreign
invasion, and would get rid of Europeans if they could.
There are honourable exceptions among the native
Christians, but the chariot wheels of progress move slowly
on. Christian schools are among the elements of uplifting,
but it is a hard fight."
The missionaries of all the four missions received
Isaac Sharp with wonderful openness, and gave him carte
blanche for religious service in their congregations. It was
a joy to him that at one meeting, with only three excep
tions, the whole missionary staff of the city were present —
Church, Methodist Episcopal, China Inland Mission, London
Missionary Society, and Friends. At some of the meetings
Robert J. Davidson " ably and feelingly " interpreted for
him, and his wife, as well as himself, spared no pains to
make the visit " all embracing in its completeness."
Reference is made to " little four-year-old Robin, who
brings out his Chinese more fluently than his English, but
is no way short of either on a pinch."
Isaac Sharp greatly appreciated the spontaneous
offerings of some Chinese Christians from four different
mission stations, deputations coming with choice presents :
Scrolls on which gold designs were printed on silk or satin,
a fur wrapper for the river journey, three idols formerly

226 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
in use for scores of years, a banner, six feet long, which was
carried through the streets. An inscription on one of the
scrolls contains the words,. " Your cheerful spirit and smart
robust health are an evident token of Heaven's favour."
Although there was no frost at Chung King, the damp
ness increased the rheumatism in the knees, from which
Isaac Sharp suffered, but his general health was good, and
he writes of being " happy, very. Kindness all round to
my admiration. Surely the Lord has gone before." Of
his rheumatism he said little, but much sympathized with a
resident missionary's neuralgia. It was said that what he
accomplished was " stupendous " for a man of his years.
One lady writes : " The thought of his love in coming
all this way at his age seemed to be the means of strengthen
ing all the missionaries with whom he came in contact."
" I think," writes another, "he has been the means of
drawing all nearer to one another and nearer to the
Saviour. I have been struck with his great gentleness and
unselfishness." Miss Ramsay, of the China Inland Mission, remarked (to
a friend of the writer) that no one who saw or heard the
dear old man would ever forget the sense of heavenliness
that seemed to pervade him.
The Church Missionaries and the American Methodist
Episcopal Mission were equally delighted with him, and his
ministry to them seems to have made a deep impression.
The natives were charmed with him, and in their great
veneration for length of life were delighted to see a really
old man from England.
The missionaries of the Friends' Foreign Mission had
always worked in fellowship and harmony with those of
other denominations, but we learn that this "precious
unity was greatly strengthened and cemented by Isaac
Sharp's labours amongst them all."
From his bed of acute suffering in California he had,
with a trembling hand, written to Chung King, saying that,
notwithstanding his very critical condition, which necessi-

WELL-TIMED VISITS. 227
tated the care of two nurses, he still looked forward to
being at Shanghai in October on his way to Chung King.
" Such a prospect as this," writes Robert Davidson,
" seemed to us incredible ! "
One missionary who called on him said : " Mr. Sharp,
the Lord has sent you to us just at this time when we are
in need " ; whilst the superintendent of another mission
said : " We feel as if you had come to see us, and are one
of ourselves." " I indeed felt," adds Robert J. Davidson, " that if
Isaac Sharp had a call to any portion of his long journey
he had it for China ; and though we have only, as yet, had
him here for a few clays, the blessing we have already
received has not been small."
At a later date, he adds : " It would be quite impossible
to express how much his visit has been appreciated by
every one, but I can say it is far beyond our own expecta
tions. . . . Recounting the circumstances which led
him to come, and the many things that seemed against his
undertaking such a task, we could not but feel that there
was more than the ordering of man in it, which brought
him so far with a message of love, so that we could only
accept his deep sympathy and words of counsel and help
as a message direct from our Heavenly Father."
In a letter to a nephew, Isaac Sharp says : " Deep
exercise of soul was my portion on my way thither, albeit
with no shade of doubt. It was probably a gracious pre
paration for the service which has so wonderfully fallen to
my lot in this vast city. A ship, however old, needs ballast
for safe sailing ! I write on the borderland of the old year,
and prospectively, ' Ring out the old,
Ring in the new.'
Memorable are the mercies of the past. . . The
burden of China in general, and of Chung King in par
ticular, so long on my spirit, has been owned thus far in its
fulfilment abundantly."

CHAPTER XVI.
" Joy is the light that shines furthest out at sea."
Writer unknown.
" We took what care we could, and God, the Lord, did the
rest, or rather, He did all, for His wisdom guided us. Oh, the
bliss of living, as seeing ' Him who is invisible ! ' The Finger of
God is as visible still, to those who have eyes to see, as when the
fire-cloud pillar led His people through the wilderness."
Dr. John G. Paton.

IT was in the centre of China that New Year's Day,.
1893, was spent by Isaac Sharp. He tells a nephew,.
his most regular correspondent, that his " month at Chung
King had exceeded by far his most sanguine expectations.
. . . The ignorance and superstition are very painful
and pitiful. Yet from out of all this there are raised up,
as a sort of first fruits, one here and another there to the
praise of the Lord. Missionaries in China labour under
great discouragements, and are comforted with a word of
love and sympathy and cheer."
Some of his visits at the homes of missionaries of different
denominations were little religious meetings in the family
circle, known in the Society of Friends as " Family visits."
His warm Christian sympathy and loving words, on
"filling up that which is behind of the afflictions of
Christ," met a ready entrance in a household where the
father had lately been very ill, and the only child, a baby
boy, had been taken to a heavenly home. " We shall never
forget it!" were the words which fell on his ear at
parting. 228

THE PERPETUAL PRESENCE. 229
One day, when on his way to the dispensary, he passed
an evangelist who was preaching in the chapel, though
only a few people were gathered around him. When Isaac
Sharp was asked if he would like to address the people, he
did not think it right to refuse. Robert Davidson acted as
his interpreter. As soon as a foreign voice was heard by
the passers by they quickly entered the building, so that in
a very short time about one hundred were present.
" I spoke," he says, " with love in my heart, which
found an outlet in the living voice. I do not remember
what I said except that a reminder was given them of one
of their proverbs, ' Man looks outwardly,
God looks within.'
" R. J. Davidson told me afterwards that what had been
spoken was suitable and appropriate to the Chinese mind,
whereof I was glad, and went on my way with a thankful
heart. . . "
In an address to missionaries, Isaac Sharp remarked :
" It is good, and greatly helpful also, to cherish an abiding
sense of the perpetual presence of the Lord Jesus by His
Spirit." These words are characteristic of him, and one
likes to blend them with memories of his love of humour
and merriment, a natural unbending which must have been
very good for him in the arduous strain of service, whilst it
also gave much pleasure to others.
Leonard Wigham, of the Friends' Foreign Mission
Association, writes, 6th November, 1897 : " I think it was
Dr. Griffith John who said, ' He is the youngest man
among us ! ' He was generally the liveliest person at table,
and it was delightful to see him, after setting us off laughing,
with assumed modesty cover his face with his hands. We
were most of us quite young in the Friends' Mission, but
he would enter very sympathetically into our feelings,
interests and recreations. . . . The results of his visit it
is impossible to tabulate or indicate to the outward observa
tion, but, from the results on our own hearts, I feel sure

230 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
that he gave very great impetus to the mission work
wherever he went. His personality, his strong faith, his
cheerful temperament, his love and his sympathy, have
had a strong and a lasting influence for good upon those
whom he visited.
" His health was so frail that the journey from San
Francisco involved great risk to his life, but he had a clear
sense that he was obeying the Divine Will, and he was
able to impart his cheery confidence to others.
" The Chinese, with their traditional reverence for old
age, were much interested in the prospect of his coming, and
while he was among them their admiration of him knew
no bounds. They felt that his love in coming such a
distance was marvellous. Even now, many of them cherish
a very affectionate remembrance of ' Pastor Sha ' and his
visit. I think he helped the missionaries very much by his
exemplification of the love and self-sacrifice to which true
Christianity leads men."
Again and again in Isaac Sharp's journal of this period we
come across touching little allusions to lack of health, such
as : "A disturbed night. . . . Thankful nevertheless for
less rheumatic stiffness and for more ability to walk"; or :
" Dr. Davenport gave me a prescription. He found a
valvular disturbance in the heart ; recommended horizontal
rest as essential, and the avoidance of the up and down
Chung King thoroughfares. ... It came before me to
remind Dr. Davenport that when our Lord sent forth His
disciples on their mission, His first words were, ' Heal the
sick: He cared for the bodies as well as for the souls of
men. On this wise a blessing is in it to this day."
In one of his addresses at the China Inland Mission
Isaac Sharp remarked : " Dr. Griffith John said not long ago,
' Oh, that I was beginning my mission life rather than nearing
the end. There is so much to do and so little accomplished.'
My heart is largely in sympathy with those who are beginning
their mission service." In his farewell address at Chung
King, we find the following significant words : " The power

" A MAN'S LIFE IS WHAT HE MAKES IT." 231
of evil is great, the power of Satan is great. When deeply
sensible of it, it is surely well to remember the words of the
Lord Jesus, ' All power is given unto Me in heaven and in
earth,' and to cherish the settled conviction, ' The Lamb and
His followers shall have the victoiy.'
" Unable to do any good thing save by the help of the
Lord, and keeping this steadily in remembrance, in a large
measure, a man's life is what he makes il. When discourage
ments come in, flee to the Master."
Leonard Wigham was his " choice companion." On
his first night on board the junk engaged for the return
river voyage of 582 miles to Ichang, en route for Shanghai,
Isaac Sharp writes : " Retired to rest before 10 p.m. A most
comfortable bed had been made up for me, leaving me
with a deep impress of all the love and kindness Robert
and Mary J. Davidson have shown me from first to last."
The voyage clown the river was a trying one for
Isaac Sharp, as strong head-winds made the progress slow,
and he was oppressed with a bronchial cold and severe
spasmodic cough, while not without ''reminders" of more
critical ailments. " To these," he writes, " I am keenly
alive and feel thankful for their being kept under, and I am
quite hopeful that, with a blessing on the means, they will
be so, even as hitherto of recent date. The boat was on
the move about 7 a.m. The wind, which is still high, made
it difficult to row, and the boat was whirled round two or
three times. The report of the wreck of a passenger boat
near at hand was an evidence of the proximity of danger.
The surging and tumult of the billows was impressively
manifest. Unable as I lay even to look out of the window,
a calm and a stillness came over my spirit as the Heaven
sent words came before me with a refreshing impress,
' When thou passest through the waters 1 will be with thee,
and through the rivers they shall not overflow thee,' and
the promise was abundantly fulfilled. It was but as a step
from trial to triumph, and any trace of fear gave place to
peaceful rest."

232 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
One evening when the men and their captain came for
their Chinese hymn, Scripture reading and prayer, Isaac
Sharp told them, that although he did not know their
language, evening by evening his heart had gone up in
prayer for a blessing on them from the Lord. He spoke
of the duty of prayer, and mentioned the old African woman
who was delighted to learn from a missionary, that Gocl
knew her language and that she might herself pray to Him !
On January the 19th he writes : " More snow on the
mountains. The cough was on the verge of intensity for
straining. I did not rise till near mid-day. Our faithful
Lal-e, our general helper, came in and began to arrange for
a tossing by removing water jugs on the floor and gathering
up sundry medicine bottles into one place. We were now
fast approaching the Ching-tan Rapid. It was judged best
for about half-a-dozen of our company to land and walk
along the shore. I was in bed ; it was well, for the like
exposure might have brought on a very serious relapse. As
I lay, the surging of the water was very suggestive. Its
swell and tumult I could not see but its effect was very
manifest. The bow of the junk was more than once under
the water, the vehemence of which rapidly increased. The
junk rose and fell by the violence of the water. 1 shut my
eyes to lessen the giddiness which came over me. 1 was
sensible of a tremor passing through me, stern in its reality,
but very brief. A blessed assurance came to the rescue.
The environment of the love of God was around me with a
calm and quiet rest in a sealed assurance that, through the
love of Gocl and the redemption which is in Christ Jesus,
at that moment all was well. The rapid was one of the
longest and strongest, but in about an hour we were once
more moving along in comparatively smooth water. Our
cook and helper, native Christians, volunteered the expres
sion that gratitude was clue to God for a safe passage."
When asked by a missionary if any accident had
occurred on the rapids, he replied : "No. 1 could not walk
as the others, so I lay on my back looking up in two senses,

A TIME FOR SERIOUS THOUGHT." 233
the water coming over and running clown the boat. I was
not afraid, oh no, but it was a time for serious thought.
I knew Gocl would take care of me, but not whether it would
be in this world or the next. I was glad to get to land."
On the 20th of January, the day of arrival at Ichang, he
was unequal to going ashore with his young companion,
and after saying it was " humiliating to show the white
feather," he adds : " 1 am forcibly reminded of the
¦experience of Paul, ' Lest I should be exalted above
measure there was given me a thorn in the flesh.' "
Presently he was refreshed by a kind call from a missionary,
and felt less oppressed. " Before retiring to rest, I finished
Dr. A. T. Pierson's wonderful volume on ' The Divine
Enterprise of Missions' (Hodder and Stoughton).
Dr. Perie, of the London Missionary Society, gave Isaac
Sharp and his companion a cordial invitation to stay at his
house'whilst waiting for the steamer. The kindness shown
him in this pleasant home was very timely, and he much ap
preciated the fire in the chamber grate and other thoughtful
care for his health, which in a week's time had much im
proved. " I am graciously cared for on every hand,"hewrites,
¦" in full accord with the promise of the Lord. Great is His
faithfulness Who is over all." By the time the Chang Wo
was ready to start he was well enough to undertake the
remainder of the voyage to the coast. Leonard Wigham
offered to go on to Shanghai, or even to accompany him
to Japan, en route for California, a generous proposal which
he did not think it needful to accept.
In a letter of recent date the former writes : " I had the
pleasure of accompanying Isaac Sharp during the boat
journey from Chung King to Ichang after his visit to us
was ended. We were for thirteen days on a draughty
native boat in the depth of winter. Isaac Sharp had a bad
cold, which kept getting worse, but his cheerful spirits
never left him. He was full of interesting accounts of his
adventures, and of people he had met, and many a little
pleasantry enlivened the tedium of the journey. He had

234 LIFE 0F ISAAC SHARP.
been unable to visit some missionaries in an isolated station,.
Wan Hsien, on his way up river, and soon after we started
on the downward journey, he let me know that he intended.
to visit them as we passed, and visit them he did to their
great gratification. Dr. Perie, who took charge of him at
Ichang, and was very kind and attentive, told us he was
greatly struck with the way in which Isaac Sharp under
stood his own case and knew exactly the meaning of all his.
symptoms. He was not quite so obedient as he should
have been, and sometimes appeared to meet visitors when
the doctor's orders were to stay in bed, but no doctor could.
stand long against his cheerful, smiling defence of himself.
I saw him comfortably ensconced on a river steamer, and.
then left him with the hope that we might meet again
some day."
Isaac Sharp's first night on board the Chang Wo was a
cold one, and there was an obscuring snow storm, whilst
the steam pipes failed to give out heat, but by aid of the
" Hutton " hot water bottle, which was associated with
"tender and touching " thoughts, he kept himself comfort
ably warm. The break in the voyage by another visit to
Hankow was a welcome one. It afforded an opportunity
for religious service there, and gave him the great pleasure
of renewed intercourse with Dr. Griffith John and Mr.
Arnold Foster. At length the time for the sailing of the
steamship Tatting arrived. The night was dark, but Dr.
Griffith John and others came on board to take leave,
whilst Mr. Foster rendered much valued aid by caring for
the luggage and seeing it all on board. The latter kindly
furnishes the following reminiscences of the visits to
Hankow : " Ealing, ist November, 1897.
" Mr. Isaac Sharp arrived in Hankow on the 23rd
October, 1892, with Mr. Mason, a young missionary just
going to join the Chung King Mission of the Friends' Foreign
Mission Association. It was Sunday afternoon, and I well
remember meeting them on board the river steamer that had

CHINESE RESPECT FOR AGE. 235
brought them from Shanghai. 1 was struck by the thoughtful
and considerate attention with which Mr. Sharp was being
treated by his companion. That evening, Mr. Sharp gave an
address to the English congregation worshipping at The
Rest — a hall belonging to the London Mission — where
services are held every Sunday. The following clay, both
he and Mr. Mason accompanied me to one of our Chinese
chapels in a street of the native town, where I was to
address the ordinary assembly of passers by, who clay after
day fill our mission halls. We went the greater part of
the way by boat and landed at a crowded jetty on the
bank of the river Han — from which Hankow (i.e. Han-
mouth) takes its name. As we stepped ashore I was
pleased to see how two or three Chinamen standing by, at
once came forward to help Mr. Sharp out of the boat.
The Chinese, as is well-known, show great respect to old
age, and these men noticing the venerable appearance of
this stranger about to alight on the landing stage, only showed
the characteristic politeness of their nation in offering him
what assistance they could in leaving his boat. I think he
was gratified by this little act of attention on their part.
In the chapel as he sat and listened to the preaching, not
a few of the congregation kept looking at him, and when I
ceased speaking I was asked by one and another how old
my friend was. During that and the few following days
I saw a good deal of him. He was not very well at the
time, and as he had a good deal of writing to do, he said
he would prefer to spend most of his time quietly on board
the steamer till he could proceed on his journey up river,
rather than come and stay at my house as I should have
liked him to do. Whenever I met him he was always very
bright and showed great interest in our mission work, and
like all the other members of our missionary community
who met him, I felt much drawn to him. He left us after
a very few days for Ichang, en route for Chung King, and
we did not see him again for three months, when he passed
through Hankow on his return journey.

236 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
" We had all thought it a very perilous undertaking for
any one at his age to go this long distance, and especially
during the winter months. The passage by native boat
from Ichang to Chung King is sufficiently dangerous and
sufficiently trying at any time, even to people who are
young and strong. In winter, when the winds in the
gorges of the upper Yangtse are cold and piercing, and
sometimes accompanied with frost and snow, the discom
forts of the journey are doubled. But Mr. Sharp had a
strong conviction that Gocl had called him to render this
service to the missionary cause in Chung King, and no
human counsel, even if it had been offered to him, would
have deterred him from attempting the journey. The
memory of his visit to Chung King is still treasured by the
missionaries of all Societies who made his acquaintance at
that time. He returned to Hankow on the 30th January,
1893, when he remained for some days as the guest of
Mr. John Archibald, of the National Bible Society of
Scotland. He spoke more than once at our meetings on
this occasion. On the Sunday he addressed the Chinese
Christians in the church of the London Missionary Society,
by the invitation of Dr. Griffith John, who acted as his
interpreter. On another clay he spoke to an English
congregation of some of his experiences in other lands, and
of the missionary work he had seen there.
" But, greater than any pleasure to be got from listening
to his public addresses, interesting though these were, was
the pleasure of private conversation with him. He was a
man who lived with God, and one to whom had been given
in very large measure the blessing promised by our Lord
to the pure in heart — ' they shall see God.' I shall never
forget some conversations that I had with him in my study,
as with the utmost naturalness, and apparently all uncon
scious of what he was doing, he seemed to disclose the
secret of his inner life with its motives and aims and
aspirations, and its experiences of answered prayer. I
never met any one who more impressed me with the

CHILDLIKE FAITH. 237
simplicity and childlikeness of his faith and confidence in
God as his Father and ever-present Counsellor and Guide.
" His talk was absolutely free from all conventional
religiousness. He could not talk for effect, but would
only utter naturally and spontaneously what was real to
himself. He was of a very joyous disposition, and even
in talking most seriously, an element of quiet humour often
made its appearance. I remember one clay we were talking
of the rapids over which he had travelled, once on his way
up to Chung King, and again on his way clown the river.
These rapids are the special dread of all travellers to
Western China, and every year scores, if not hundreds, of
native craft are wrecked, either in ascending or in descend
ing them. At such times the passengers are apt to lose all
their goods, and sometimes even their lives.
" ' Were you not very much afraid when you came to
them ? ' I asked.
" ' No,' he replied, ' not afraid. Certainly they called
for serious thought, but I knew that my Father had
promised to take care of me, though,' he added, ' whether
He would do so by bringing me through them here, or
by taking me through them to Himself, He had not
revealed to me ! '
" There was a merry twinkle in the old man's eye as he
finished his sentence, and 1 smiled too, but his words have
often recurred to me since then as expressive of the highest
faith. How often our faith seems as if it would limit God's.
liberty of action in dealing with us to one course, viz.,
that which accords most with our view of what is best.
The highest faith is that which trusts God absolutely, and
is simply content with whatever He orders. ' Calling for-
serious thought ' has ever since then been a household word
with us when speaking of dangers which a poorer faith
than Isaac Sharp's would treat as justifying fear and
misgiving. " It must not be supposed, however, that Mr. Sharp's
talk was all in the tone of religious seriousness. He was-

238 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
at times very merry, and would tell anecdotes in which the
joke turned against himself. He could never say anything
that had in it the least tinge of unkindness or of irrever
ence. He more than once referred to, or quoted from, the
great hymn of Bernard of Cluny, translated by Dr. Neale.
I think he said he always carried about a copy of it with
him. It was evidently his favourite hymn. He left us on
the 9th of February, and I never met him again. Notwith
standing his great age, I always entertained the hope that
we should meet whenever I returned to England, and it
was with a feeling of real sorrow that 1 heard in Shanghai
last April, just as I was on the eve of sailing for home, that
a few weeks before, he had been called to his eternal rest.
Certainly I shall always cherish with great thankfulness the
memory of our brief acquaintance.
" It is lives such as his — so transparently sincere, so
deeply reverent, so absolutely single-minded, so resolutely
self -forgetful, so loyal to conviction — that do more than
volumes of argument to prove the truth of things that we
believe. To such men the unseen is infinitely more real
than the seen, and the eternal infinitely more real than the
things of time. Hence they are what they are, but they
are this, not because of something peculiar to themselves,
but simply in virtue of their personal union with the risen
Lord as branches abiding in the True Vine."
Arrived at Shanghai it was not easy for Isaac Sharp to
embrace all the openings, social and religious, which lay
before him, and on the night before he left that city a fare
well meeting was held at Mr. Evans's Mission House, at
which more than a hundred missionaries and mission friends
were present. In a letter he remarks : " Quite enough was
said concerning my visit to China. . . . There was some
thing well nigh on the border of overwhelming and yet so
genuine, there was no room to question or gainsay. I could
not but accept it as of the loving-kindness of the Lord
. . . and inwardly praised Him. Full opportunity was
afforded me to address those assembled on the guidance of

DEPARTURE FROM CHINA. 239
the Holy Spirit and on the blessing of living so near to the
Lord Jesus as to be ever within sound of His voice."
Later in the evening Isaac Sharp gave an account of
some of his mission journeyings, speaking with considerable
energy and volume of voice for about an hour.
"' Surely," said Mr. Steven, the missionary who sat next
him, "there must be some mistake as to your age !" "I
cannot remember the clay of my birth," was the reply, " but
I am credibly informed that it took place in the year 1806."
Mr. Steven had recently arrived from England. " He spoke,"
•says Isaac Sharp, " of Essex and of Joseph Smith. It was
like music to hear of the home land."
" I am sensible," he writes, " of having passed through
no small amount of strain and equally conscious of the help
graciously vouchsafed, to the full realisation of the assur
ance, ' As thy days so shall thy strength be.' Again and
again there has been a deep sense of inward thanksgiving
for the gracious watchword given me before 1 entered on
this present pilgrimage :
' Look unto Me
And thou shalt see.' "
" It has been very remarkable to witness the many
unsought but gladly-accepted openings for service in this
great city. My four months in China have been four
months of blessing. 1 would rather eucounter all the
strength-testing over again than lose the joy of heart granted
in 'unmerited love and mercy in the retrospect."
With the Psalmist, Isaac Sharp could emphatically say :
"All my springs are in Thee." On a Saturday at Shanghai
he wrote : " Very thoughtful concerning the probable
engagements of the morrow with a sense of being brought
low under pressure of spirit and emptiness."
It was on the 4th of February, 1893, that he left China.
Two Wesleyan ministers were his agreeable fellow-
voyagers. He writes : " Wm. A. Cornaby asked me to put
down the countries 1 had visited. Such a thought had

240 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
never occurred to me. The Islands of Scilly, Shetland,.
Orkney, Faroe and Lindisfarne ; Norway, seven times *;
Sweden, Denmark ; Iceland, twice ; Greenland, Labrador, .
France, Germany ; Basuto Land, the Orange Free State,.
the Transvaal and other parts of Africa ; Madagascar,.
Mauritius, Australia, Tasmania, New Zealand, Mexico,
Canada, the Indian Territory and half the other States of
the Union ; Austria, Bulgaria, Turkey, India, Japan and
China." But it was to God he would fain give the glory of all
that was accomplished. The following lines of his are.
very characteristic :
Although our cup He filleth to the brim,
Save for the Lord's anointing- we are dim.
Jesus the Lord, the Life, High Priest and King,
Fountain of love — of joy the Source and Spring.
Blessed are they whose centre is in Him,
Lord of the sparrow and the seraphim.
On the 22nd of March, 1893, Isaac Sharp writes : " On
board the Gaelic steamer, nearing ' The Golden Gate,'
expecting to moor to-night near San Francisco and to land
once more in that great city to-morrow.
" We sailed away from Yokohama, Japan, on the 9th.
inst., and have had a very fine run all the way, the last four
days over 340 miles a day. The captain says he has no-
record of the like in the years he has been commander of
this ship. ' Rock and roll and thud '
I am pretty well accustomed to by night and by day. Some
times the combination is more than a match for pen, ink
and paper in their triple union. I am very thankful for the
visit to China, now of the past, for the halo of peace is over-
it all. For the present I am suffering much from climatic
rheumatism ; the excessive damp of Chung King and the
less excessive clamp elsewhere has been powerful, too-
penetrating for both knees. . . . We have eight nation-

"A TIME OF RETIREMENT." 241
alities on board — nine if we include the orang-outang, on
whom I called this afternoon and unexpectedly found his
paw on mine, but very gently. He is on his way to
Chicago, a four-year-old representative of his race at the
World's Fair."
On the following day Isaac Sharp was refreshed by a
call from J. Burtt Davy, with whom he much enjoyed
a time of prayer, and writes : " In a lively figure it almost
seemed to me as if the bells of heaven were ringing. . . .
My dear Lizzie arrived soon after seven and we had a
time of much enjoyment."
The next entry we quote from his diary reminds us of
John Woolman : " In a time of retirement recently, while
under no small pressure of spirit as to my present incapa
bility for travel, I was brought into a peaceful acquiescence
with the Divine Will and felt to say in my heart, 'Thy Will
be done,' even should the Lord see fit to end the service
He has graciously given me, though short of the anticipated
goal of cherished expectancy. Equally clear was the
sense granted me that for the present my ' strength is to sit
still ' and await the issue. Again, I am privileged to say,
As the Master willeth. Amen."
On the following day he writes : " Felt comforted in
renewed dedication with the assurance graciously given me
from the Lord, ' My hand is upon thee for good ; / will heal
thee ; I have cared for thee, and will care for thee still ' ;
and there uprose in my heart responsively, 'Glory and
honour, and power, and might, and dominion, and praise
be Thine ; for Thou alone, O Lord, art worthy now and
evermore.' "
The recovery of walking power was, however, to be a
gradual one. After so prolonged a strain, a time of com
parative rest must have been essential, even if exertion had
been possible. On the 25th of April, he writes : "Wrestled
in spirit ; thought of the words, ' Ask, and ye shall receive.'
So it is good to ask, and to ask with entreaty."

242 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
Early in May, 1893, Dr. Miller prescribed for the acute
rheumatism, and in an interview a week later, asked his
patient where he was going next. " I named," says Isaac
Sharp, " the Indian Territory, Mexico, some meetings in
the East, and some in Canada. This provoked a smile in
consideration of its extent. He advised Mexico being left
till the autumn by reason of malaria in summer months.
Then followed the remark, ' You must remember that at
your time of life, two years will tell as much as ten years
before.' With a smile I rejoined, ' Doctor, I am a little
deaf ; did I understand thee to say will or may tell as much
as ten years before !' It was a very interesting and helpful
interview. I am to see him again for heart examination."
On the following day he writes : " I have been greatly
comforted and helped by a truly kind letter from J. B.
Hodgkin with a message from Durham Quarterly Meeting,
expressive of sympathy and unity with respect to my
journey to the centre of China to visit the mission at
Chung King."
Although Isaac Sharp had told Dr. Miller of the wide
prospect of service which lay before him, he had
no intention of entering on it until he had received a
reply to a letter which he had written to the London
" Yearly Meeting on Ministry and Oversight," which
met in the middle of May. Without its further sanction,
he did not feel free to continue his journeying. Mean
while, there were frequent opportunities for fulfilling, in
some measure, the ministry which he had received of the
Lord. As might be expected, the meeting in London sent
him a message of cordial encouragement, and many
Friends spoke with great thankfulness of his labours. His
farewell visit to the doctor was also most assuring ; he saw
no reason why Isaac Sharp should not go as proposed to
the Eastern States, Canada and Mexico, and " expected "
that he would do it.
"This," says his patient, "was as an echo of my own
thought and feeling, but I scarcely expected the doctor to

LINES TO A FRIEND. 243
speak out so plainly. Moreover, he said there was nothing
to indicate the probability of sudden death, with suitable
care. His charge was exceedingly moderate."
To a nephew he writes : " 1 have said ' farewell ' to
my physician, who has given much advice and little
physic." Although Isaac Sharp's energies were a good deal
taxed in preparations for his long journey, he was ready to
marvel at finding that his strength was quite equal to the
task. About this time, he wrote the following lines for the
birthday of his friend Sarah Gibbins, of Ettington, who had
been dangerously ill :
Oh ! my friend, we have been on the border land,
Nigh the gates of pearl and the song within ;
The Lord of His mercy was near us then,
When the love watch was kept, and the veil was thin.
He is near us still, for earth's little while,
He is near to thee by night and by day ;
May thy faith be firm, and thy mind serene,
On thy Saviour still resting — for this I pray.
Behold in the Light of Eternal Love
A place prepared by the Lord for thee,
Where earthly strift shall be known no more,
In the wonderful, wonderful yet to be !
Then for her daughter he adds these lines :
Be thy faith and trust unbroken,
For the Lord is over all,
Alike where the sunlight resteth,
And where the shadows fall.
Both mother and daughter were to precede him to the
everlasting home.
Once more before his departure Isaac Sharp with his
daughter and son-in-law attended College Park meeting.
He writes : " Joel Bean gave a very impressive sermon :
'Ye believe in God, believe also in Me.' No effectual

244 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
cleansing save through the Blood of Christ. A gospel
sermon with a ring of power, and clarion-like for
clearness." In the afternoon there was an informal Farewell
Meeting. In Isaac Sharp's address he said : "In a
crowded city when many are passing along, I have often
felt, each one of these passers has a history, and so have
we who are assembled here to-day. But the secret of each
heart is known to the Lord, who in very mercy will keep
that which is committed to Him in simple faith for this life
and for the next, for time and for eternity."
May we not believe that these words were uttered
from a deep personal experience of their truth ! Very
wide is the ground they cover, recalling Wesley's lines :
" Take my soul and body's powers,
Take my memory, mind and will."
It was a great pleasure to him to meet, after his.
return to England, with some of his friends from China.
A friend at Clapton writes : " During the time that my
brother and sister Davidson were with us, Isaac Sharp,
came twice to breakfast, coming all the way from the
City and reaching in time for our eight o'clock meal..
It is very pleasant to look back to these occasions now,
and to remember the simple words of prayer in which
he commended us each and all, including the servants, to
the loving care of our Heavenly Father."

CHAPTER XVIL
"It would seem to me that our Lord really did value social
opportunities as such ; that it was more congenial to Him to mix
with men than to avoid them ; and that He found His oppor
tunities for the higher service to mankind naturally — -so to speak
— as He went along. . . . Must we not feel that it is right to
aim at being as universal as our Master, both in our sympathies
and our hopes ? ' Length and breadth,' as well as ' height and
depth,' belong to the love which passeth knowledge, and is it not
true that, as one of the most thoughtful of poets has said,
' If Hope prostrate lie,
Love, too, will sink and die.' " M.L.C.

ON the 3rd of June, 1893, Isaac Sharp reached Chicago,
where his Gospel services were peculiarly acceptable
and satisfactory. He says in his diary : " The well-known
words of George Fox were very present with me, ' We are
nothing, Christ is all,' and yet to a large extent it is equally
true that our lives are what we make them, and our
meetings too. Charles Lamb said a Friends' meeting was
' like a flock of sheep, many feeding as one.' . . . Cast
thy burden upon the Lord : the burden of sin, of sorrow,
of bereavement, or any other. Pray without ceasing, not
always repeating words of prayer, but living in the spirit of
prayer. The sparrow taught me a lesson long ago, not
always on the wing, but ever ready to mount upwards, just
as the need might be.
" John T. Dorland spoke instructively, emphasising the
four words, ' He careth for you: C.F.C. remarked on the
245

246 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
ministry of the present day, that, in not a few instances,
there is more of the intellectual and less of the earlier old
Gospel prophecy."
When a second visit was paid to Chicago, a Friend of
that city wrote : " We feel that there can be no question as
to Isaac Sharp's call to the work in which he is now
engaged, and as to the power of the Holy Spirit accom
panying him."
To a nephew, Isaac Sharp writes : " New England
Yearly Meeting closed on the 14th, in joint session, sealed
with a solemn and comforting evidence of the presence of
the Lord, that overshadowing which may be realised with
thanksgiving, but which words may fail to utter. . . .
The pastoral question came up at one of the meetings. A
great diversity of sentiment was manifest and freely uttered,
but love covered all. On this very important subject, New
England Yearly Meeting may be considered as wisely
conservative." After a Friend who was present had alluded to a narrow
escape from serious accident, Isaac Sharp quoted the text,
" The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that
fear Him, and delivereth them." He added : "I believe our
dear brother is a witness of this deliverance. 1 have said in
many lands and among many people, that
' They who mark the hand of Providence,
Shall never want a Providence to mark.'
Nevertheless, we are all children of Adam, and liable as
others to the various ills pertaining to our common lot, but
the Lord is able to interpose and send His angel."
At the meeting on ministry and oversight, an hour or
two was spent over Isaac Sharp's certificates for religious
service — his "parchments" he often called them.
He tells a nephew that " cordial welcome all round,
prayer and praise with testimony and thanksgiving followed
in continuous flow," and adds: "This morning the 1890
certificate was read, and followed by another outpouring.

NEW BEDFORD PRISON. 247
It was dealt with as an object lesson. I felt humbled under
it to tears."
In the journal he writes : " In the Yearly Meeting the
pastoral system came forward. I remarked : ' 1 have not
much to say, but my heart is full. The subject is much
before Friends in England with deep concern. The
authority and government of Christ and the guidance of
the Holy Spirit are involved. If the pastor take charge of
the congregation, others are practically shut out. I have
seen and own the blessing in pastoral work ; so I can and
do give the right hand of fellowship to the Salvation Army,
but 1 am not prepared to adopt their lines of action.' "
He was at New Bedford on the " flower day " for the
prisoners, and had an opportunity of addressing them. He
spoke of how chains and fetters of sin are more deadly
than prison bonds : of deliverance for all who feel their
need and flee to the loving Saviour. He told them that
long ago he had tried wine, spirits, and tobacco, but gave
them all up, once and for ever, and at the age of eighty-
seven was there to tell the tale.
Early in July we find him at Toronto, after attending
Canada Yearly Meeting, almost too heavily burdened with
"overdue and hugely increasing correspondence," but
rejoicing that he can once more go up and down stairs
without difficulty.
In a letter to a nephew, after reference to some of his
relatives, he says : " Katherine Backhouse (of the bygone)
once said to me, ' 1 sometimes feel as if we might be made
up of sympathy.' I realise how strong are the claims for it
all." In reference to one of the meetings he had attended
since leaving California, he remarks : " The pastor was
away, so there was conscious sense of more liberty. There
is a mighty difference between a pastor in a meeting and
the pastor over a meeting."
Much service lay before him in Canada. On the 27th
of July, he says in a letter to his daughter : " Yesterday

248 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
was one of my memorial days : 26th of Seventh Month,
1842, thy dear mother gently passed away at the ' Low-
lights.' Her face was radiant in expression as she gently
breathed her life away ; it might, in remembrance, be fitly
likened to the heavenly mould."
As we turn over the pages of the diary in its least event
ful records, the thought arises whether there may not have
been as much service accomplished for the Master, whose
will was so clear to him, in private as in public, and by
influence unconsciously exerted, as by definite effort to
help others. His heartfelt interest in the young and in
the old, his sympathy with the sick and the sorrowful and
the bereaved, must have opened the door of many hearts to
heavenly messages.
In the outline account of the Yearly Meeting at Wil
mington, Ohio, he says : " My parchments were read, and a
minute of record was entered on the books. The Clerk
read it. Then came a new departure, new at least to me.
The Clerk said those who wished to unite with the minute
and to welcome our ' aged Friend ' might now do so,
whereupon the whole Yearly Meeting rose to their feet
simultaneously. There was a touch of the overwhelming in
it, but no room to call in question the genuine character of
welcome to which age no doubt largely contributed."
Again, in reference to Ohio Yearly Meeting, he says :
" My parchments were read, and many warm welcomes
followed. My presence was regarded as an incentive to
work in the harvest field. I ventured to say that I had
long felt that the trial of faith and patience through which
I had passed was not for myself alone. One Friend
remarked : ' My being here to-day I owe to thee. When I
saw what thou art doing at thy time of life, I took fresh
courage and came hither.' "
Isaac Sharp's diaries contain a large variety of matter.
One entry records the following confession in reference to
duty left undone : " Several Friends, on C. W.'s invitation,
called in. The interview was a pleasant one, but sadly

ANDREW MURRAY ON FAILURE. 249
marred by a want of watchfulness on my part. Prayer
¦should have been offered. I have felt this deeply, and am
sorry for it. The Lord, of His tender compassion, has
passed His pardoning love upon it.' "
Do we not see here that he could endure no earth-born
cloud to rest between him and his Lord ; that there had
been the prompt and honest confession of failure, and the
trustful laying hold of the promised forgiveness ? How
well does Andrew Murray say, " What did Peter do? The
very opposite of what most do. What did he do when he
began to sink ? That very moment, without one word of
self reproach or self condemnation, he cried, ' Lord, help
me ! ' I remember the time in my spiritual life when that
became clear to me, for up to that time when I failed, my
only thought was to reproach and condemn myself, and I
thought that would do me good. I found it did not ; and I
learn from Peter that my work is the very moment I fail, to
say, ' Jesus, Master, help me ! ' And the very moment I
say that, Jesus does help me. . . . The Living Jesus is
near, so gracious and so mighty."
Isaac Sharp writes at another time in reference to an
agnostic who said he was very happy: "Alas ! alas ! ' If
the light that be in you be darkness how great is that
¦darkness.' ' My Spirit shall not always strive with man.' I
feel deeply there will yet be a tremendous awakening ; the
Lord of His mercy grant with quickening power that it be
•on this side the grave. Oh, it is sad, very sad, deeply
.sad." In reference to one of the meetings, he writes : "The
•singing as heard from the street was on the vehement
side. I walked in and sat down, and soon after,
prayer was offered, but the responses here and there
competed with the voice of the suppliant. 1 waited
awhile and then embraced an opening, rising with the
words, ' I will be as the clew unto Israel ' ; although
these words were for the chosen people of the Lord
we may have our share in the refreshing of the heavenly

250 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
dew, so gentle, yet so reviving, and so vitalising. It is
good to take in as well as to give out, and to exercise
the receptive power. I spoke of an old woman's broken
pitcher set in the place for receiving rain, a poor earthen
vessel yet full to the brim ! There was no shouting of
'glory' or 'hallelujah' to this, and a wonderful quiet
followed. ... I have received a large share of kind
ness, in meeting and out of it." We are not surprised to
find him writing, early in September : " All this ' wear and
tear ' is wonderful, and I accept the ability for it as from
the loving hand of our Father in heaven " ; nor at an entry
in the diary of a different kind, some twelve days later :
" Feeble somewhat. . . . Under a covering of solemnity,
I asked counsel of the Lord — whether this present feeble
ness is a prelude to the abandonment of the work before
me or to be accepted as a passing cloud ? A sense of the
latter prevailed. In looking to a continuance of this service,
the words rose up as a benediction ; ' Fear not for I am
with thee ; be not dismayed for I am thy God. Forward
and fear not. Look unto Me and thou shalt see.' So I take
courage and look to the Lord for strength, and the peace
of the Prince of Peace is upon it. With all this, comes a
gracious measure of confidence and heaven-sent trust..
Amen." At the concluding sitting of Western Yearly Meeting,.
Isaac Sharp said : " It is comforting and refreshing to me
to believe that in love we met, and in greater love we part ;
for the Lord has graciously drawn us near to Him and near
to one another. 1 long earnestly that Christ should be
owned as Head over all things to the Church and to every
individual member of it, living in allegiance and subjection
to Him ; and that the communication of the will of God
and the guidance of the Holy Spirit should not only be
owned among us but be also a reality to each of us, the
spiritual ear being open to hear the voice of the Lord."
Yearly Meeting followed Yearly Meeting in rapid
succession and the strain of the meetings, the travelling, and.

" THOU SHALT WORSHIP THE LORD THY GOD." 251
the constantly changing social intercourse might have heavily
taxed the strength of a man whose years did not number
fourscore and seven.
Indiana Yearly Meeting was succeeded by that of
Kansas. In one of the sessions when the subject of
worship was under consideration, Isaac Sharp rose and
said : " The subject before us is of vital importance and
intense in its individuality. Our attendance of worship is a
voluntary act between the Creator and the created. The
command is plain, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God.
Shall man the creature, liable to be ' snuffed out ' of human
existence in a moment, refuse to obey the command. The
Lord has the right to the first place in each one of our
hearts. . . . The heathen with their stocks and stones,
and rags, and bones, and fetiches seem to me to be groping
after something. There is a saying of Augustine that has
come clown to us, ' Thou hast made us for Thyself, and
our hearts are restless till they find rest in Thee.' More
over, we have set before us, ' They that worship the
Father must worship Him in spirit and in truth, for the
Father seeketh such to worship Him.'" During the course
of the Yearly Meeting, Isaac Sharp alluded to the widely-
spread use of tobacco as " a sensual and deleterous habit,
inducing cancer and other complaints, with heart disease
and death. We see in the newspapers, ' died suddenly of
heart disease,' and in many cases I believe it should be
' died of nicotine.' "
Much oppression from a severe cold on the chest did
not interfere with the vigorous use of his voice, whenever
he believed himself commissioned to speak. In a letter to
a nephew, written on the 12th of October, he says :
" Kansas Yearly Meeting closed solidly. It has been a
favoured time from first to last ; a time for which to be
devoutly thankful. I could not unite in all I heard and
saw, but divine power was manifest in our midst. There
was not too much silence, but more of it than at some other
Yearly Meetings, and not a few clear brethren and sisters

252 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
spoke with authority and power to the edification of the
assembled Church. 1 have met with a remarkable degree
of kindness. Not a few, old and young, have spoken of
this visit as a sort of ' inspiration,' as showing what the
Lord is able to do in a case of far-advanced life. Eight
Yearly Meetings in succession, and a heavy chest cold
have told upon me somewhat. Yesterday it was sultry ;
to-day a stove is comforting, a difference probably of forty
degrees. ... It seems wonderful to think of the
probability of meeting thee face to face within six months,
but a good deal of strength-testing lies between this and
then. I expect to start on the 17th inst. for the Indian
Territory, with the companionship of Charles W. Goddard."
This visit is alluded to in a letter as being an eventful
period. After visiting Kick-a-poo Mission, the Friends
went to Skia-took, and afterwards travelled on to^the Modoc
Indians. Isaac Sharp appreciated their earnest listening
to his words, and their numerous testimonies of love for
the Master and joy in His service. Then came the
Wyandottes, amongst whom, in a crowded meeting, the
power of the Lord was manifest.
In a letter, after referring to his intention of attending
Baltimore Yearly Meeting, he says : " The residue of my
journeyings is not likely to be the lightest portion of it ;
but the watchword given me in 1877 is fresh in its
freshness still,
' Forward, and fear not ; let thy faith be firm.'
Some may think it a bold thing to continue in this service
in my eighty-eighth year. My own feeling is that it would
be a bolder thing to relinquish it. With chastened but
reliant trust, I desire to look to the Lord for guidance."
In his next letter he says : " Baltimore Yearly Meeting is
like London Yearly Meeting in miniature. It has a
membership of one thousand and something over. I have
greatly enjoyed being here. It has been a season rich in
the favour of the Lord. Samuel Beck and myself are here

" SIMPLE BUT FEARLESS FAITH." 253
from England. New Year's Day, 1893, found me in mid-
China. New Year's Day, 1894, I expect to spend in
Mexico. Florida has never long been absent from my
mind all the way, and I feel easy in spirit in looking to go
thither. . . . Much is going on in Europe. Much also
in little England, of which a small part only reaches me.
It is well, for my days are very full."
On the 28th of November he writes from Richmond,
Virginia : " My valued friend John M. Watson and I are
here from Florida — semi-tropical Florida — where the
weather is like England at her summer best ! Few places
in my pilgrimage have left a deeper sense of abiding
satisfaction in the retrospect. The Lord was our helper
all the way. . . George Gillett's death is a heavy
blow ; the end of a noble life in my life-time ; it is very
touching, and 1 feel it much. I little thought of this when
he and I parted. My clays have been very fully occupied —
correspondence left out in the cold, and my log a myth.
I have had more throat trouble than common, but on the
whole have been remarkably well, though sometimes
feeling on the edge of a volcano. But still the gracious
word is, ' Forward, and fear not.'
So I go on in simple but fearless faith, graciously enabled
to commit my way unto the Lord, rejoicing in the assurance
that He is over all." He writes next from Baltimore : " I
am kept a good deal within doors from a threatening of
return of my old complaint. My home is with Dr. Richard
H. Thomas, whose devoted kindness 1 have cause to
commemorate. His brother, Dr. James Carey Thomas,
calls in, so I have these dear friends as my helpers and
prescribers." Nine days later he writes again : " Medical skill and
good nursing are all I could desire as a means to an end.
But the note is again sounded, ' Make haste slowly.'
Mexico is still in the ascendant, and W. A. Walls holds

254 LIFE 0F ISAAC SHARP.
himself in readiness for me. My present prompting with
regard to it is still in the direction of the Icelandic Aafram,
Onward, Forward, Advance ; the very antipodes of turning
back." A fortnight later, writing from Philadelphia, he says :
" Once more I am as a ' wonder unto many,' having been
blessed with a remarkably rapid recovery. The doctors
planned for me to stop awhile at Atlantic City to recruit,
but I feel much more easy in looking forward to leaving
here for St. Louis. My friend William A. Walls is to meet
me there."
Meanwhile he often realised the lessening of consti
tutional power, and felt old as he had rarely done before.
Nevertheless he looked hopefully forward to the visit to
the Mexican Mission. On the 5th of January, 1894, he
writes in his diary : " In solemn meditation I have taken a
review of many years, and am humbled under it. But the
Lord is merciful and gracious, and under His shadow,
looking unto Jesus, I am thankful to rest in His love.
Hereunto I have been wonderfully helped, and am bound
to trust. . . Feeble most of the day, now and then
reclining. Atmosphere clamp, very, and oppressive, and
depressing too." In reference to his companion, W. A.
Walls, he says : " He is a noble example of trust in the
Lord, his vigorous mind and will giving place to a child
like submission to our Father in heaven, and the guidance
of the Holy Spirit. More than once he has faced death
without fear. When deadly weapons were prepared, the
Lord was pleased to interfere, and it may surely be said,
' his life was given him for a prey.' "
About a week later Isaac Sharp had a threatening of
critical illness, but all the time, " In the spiritual ear
was sounded, go in faith, and when asked if telegrams
should be despatched to cancel those already sent, he
emphatically negatived the suggestion. On the following
morning he rose at 5.30, and after a good night felt
wonderfully ready for the start." He admits that this

THREE THOUSAND MILES FROM PHILADELPHIA. 255
journey was noteworthy for its " powerful jolt and jar,"
and that in one instance this was immediately followed by
headache over the brow and temples, followed by pain at
the back part of the brain, something resembling a con
cussion." On the 9th of January Isaac Sharp and W. A.
Walls left Houston, Texas, by an evening train for Montery,
Mexico, a town with 50,000 inhabitants, and went from
thence to Victoria, Tamaulipas, the head-quarters of the
Mexican Mission of Friends. In a letter to England he
remarks : " I still feel the grip of influenza upon me now
and then. The marvel is, so it appears to me, that more
of it is not apparent. So I venture forth with a fresh
warrant, ' Go in faith.' To the praise of the Lord be it
written." An hour and a quarter after his arrival at
Victoria, Isaac Sharp was taking part in a mission meeting.
He felt it a " joyful consolation to have thus far reached
the goal," 3,000 miles from Philadelphia, and to share the
fellowship and kindness of Samuel A. Purdie and his wife,
who had been labouring for more than twenty-two years in
the Friends' Mission, established in the midst of a Roman
Catholic population. They were about the first of the
pioneer missionaries. Isaac Sharp soon visited Gomez
Farias, which is situated among the Mexican mountains,
some 3,000 feet above sea level. Several members of that
meeting remembered his visit to them ten years earlier,
and spoke of their gladness at his return. This meeting
and the visit in general were satisfactory.
Accompanied by Samuel Purdie, Isaac Sharp afterwards
visited the Friends' Mission at Matehuala. A Friend
residing there wrote : " Aside from their edifying addresses
in the seven public and social meetings which they attended,
the company and example of this aged pilgrim have been
an inspiration to us."
This service near its close, Isaac Sharp writes from
Victoria : " I am resting here a clay or two after a very
close test of strength and endurance. Less severe jolting
in Oregon, was followed by a month's severe illness."

256 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
A stage ride to Escaudon .at the foot of the Great
Chain, Sierra Madre, was followed by seven miles on horse
back ; three miles of the distance he had to encounter an
ascent of 2,500 feet. It was no wonder that he was
exhausted, but after a night's rest, he was able to visit all
the mission buildings and several families, and give an
address at the village school before attending the evening
meeting, which was full, notwithstanding rain and wind.
He was earnestly engaged in ministry and prayer. The
return journey was even more fatiguing than the ascent
had been, none the less so from the ravages of " seed-ticks,
red bugs," and other tropical insects. Yef he was able to
say, " with deep thankfulness, not only have I not suffered
from the journey (so it appears at present), but I came
back in better case than I went." Then he adds the signi
ficant words— which show that then, as heretofore, he ran
none of these risks merely on his own responsibility :
"The clear Lord said, said distinctly, ' Go in Faith,' and so
in faith 1 ventured."
It does not seem out of place here, to make a passing
reference to his valued companion Samuel A. Purdie, who,
though in the prime of life, only survived him a few
months. It has been said that if the name of Friend is
held in honour all through Mexico and South West Texas,
we owe it chiefly to the faithful life of Samuel A. Purdie.
Great and varied were the difficulties he encountered. To-
work on unmoved through siege and in the midst of shot,
through small-pox epidemics and yellow fever plague,
takes one kind of courage, but it requires an even loftier
kind to work on day after day, with head, heart, and hand,
amidst superstition and poverty, bigotry and daily dis
couragements. He was " exceedingly careful not to claim
any unusual Christian experience, but none who knew him
could doubt his consecration."
Arrived once more at the home of his daughter at
Berryessa, California, Isaac Sharp remarks in a letter : " It is
a great joy to me that I have been permitted to accomplish

LOOKING TOWARDS HOME. 257
the Mexican visit, and to feel assured that the Lord was
very graciously with me all the way. I am much enjoying
a season of — comparatively — quiet rest, but many claims
come in to the setting aside of the triple use of pen, ink
and paper."
Again on the ioth of March he writes : " 1 hope to sail
in time to attend Dublin Yearly Meeting, if so it may be,
for at present I am under the care of two doctors living
near together, one being consulted on account of sudden
deafness. The other professional, Dr. Miller, was with me
once or twice in my great illness, and 1 felt to need his
advice ; he tells me 1 am in better case than I was twelve
months ago, that my physical condition generally is improved.
I find his treatment helpful, but I am an old man, and need
not wonder that an old man's ailments should compass me
about. I do not apprehend my friends will think the mind
has grown much older. ... It feels very wonderful, in
anticipation to be, in little more than two months, once again
within the sound of the ' Bells of St. Botolph,' Bishopsgate,
their quarter chimes and the many associations they awaken.
I remember picturing those well-known city bells holding
their confab together on the possible coming events of the
Yearly Meeting of 1890. . . . And now in the looming
of the Yearly Meeting of 1894 I look back upon the
guidance of the Lord and His protecting care, His goodness
and His grace, with the deep desire to walk watchfully and
wisely amid all that may fall to my lot, weak in myself, but
consciously strong in the Lord. . . Touchingly came
the tidings of the death of my old friend Joshua Green.
We were young together at Walclen when he and his
brother were apprentices at Day and Robson's, and I
was assistant in that concern. I know all the family so
well." Then after three clays in bed he writes : " Dr. Miller is
eminently skilful and most attentive, but ever be it remem
bered, the Lord is over all ! . . . The Doctor is still
watching my case. He is a physician and specialist, second

258 LIFE1 OF ISAAC SHARP.
to none I know. . . . Sivert* will see me off for Europe.
He is abundantly kind and careful of me in every way."
Before we see Isaac Sharp embark in the Campania, let
us read a few more remarks about him from the pen of his
faithful friend, Joel Bean :
"Among Friends in America there can be but few
homes where his name is not familiar, and but few, com
paratively, of our members upon whom his personality has
not left its impress. Very vivid is the mark he has made
and the memory he has left.
" It is the memory of a very distinct individuality
. . . of a genial spirit, a loving heart. He was a man of
wide embracing charity, of large hope, and of confiding trust.
" How cheerily he would often say :
' Is not His way the wisest ?
Is not His will the best ?
And in perfect acquiescence,
Is there not perfect rest ? '
" One of the last messages from his pen was a note to
Benjamin H. Jones, in which he wrote these characteristic
lines : ' A sweet word of cheer
For the glad New Year ;
Jesus is near.
' Jesus is near,
A sweet word of cheer
For all the year.'
" Endearing and enduring will his memory be in the
hearts of thousands who knew him and loved him, and
¦especially so in the hearts of those who knew him most."
Isaac Sharp's journey across the Continent, in company
with his son-in-law, was a very favourable one, and we
come across the characteristic information that the
acquaintance was made of several congenial travelling
companions. ft Isaac Sharp's son-in-law.

WORKING DAYS ARE FEW. 259
In a note to a niece, written from Cork, he says : " The
Campania doctor resolutely disputed the correctness of my
birth record, and wanted to rob me of some fifteen to
twenty years, and playfully said at parting, ' Eighty-eight.
Young ! "
In the closing hours of Dublin Yearly Meeting, Isaac
Sharp spoke from the text, " Work while it is called to
day." He spoke of how he had once heard William
Forster say, "The working days of a man's life are but few."-
The supreme love of God would sanctify all our labour and
our cares. If the first place were kept for Him, all would
¦come into inward harmony. If, day by day, we came
nearer to Him and obeyed the words of His clear Son,
"Abide in Me," we should live here and hereafter to His
praise. When in London Yearly Meeting, after giving a
summary of his travels, he said : " Bear in your hearts
that when the Lord has service for His people, He
can enable them to do it. There is a Providence over us.
Bear this in mind, when your eyes are holclen, the Lord
reigneth." He then spoke of how two portions of his
service alone were unfulfilled, the South of France and
Syria. Among the many Friends who spoke after Isaac Sharp
had resumed his seat was one, Joseph Allen Baker, who
said he had met with many across the Atlantic whom Isaac
Sharp had visited, and had been present at the Farewell
Meeting at San Francisco, and he recalled the wonderful
blessing of that hour as a time of a fresh baptism of the
Holy Spirit."

CHAPTER XVIII.
" When thinking of any new undertaking, ask, Is this agree
able to the mind of God ? Is it for His glory? If it is not for His
glory, you must have nothing to do with it. Having settled that
a certain course is for the glory of God, begin it in His Name and
continue it to the end. Trust in God, depend only on Him.
Wait on Him. Expect great things from Him. Faint not if the
blessing tarries. Pray, pray, pray. Above all, rely alone upon the
merits of our adorable Lord, that, according to His infinite merits,
and not your own, the prayers you offer and the work you do will
be accepted." George Mi'tller.

" A LMOST over-powering," writes Isaac Sharp, " were
£\. the congratulations on my safe return to England.
It well-nigh overcame me, and yet I felt the love wrapped
up in it, and the inward thanksgiving with praise to the
Lord for His preserving care."
It must have been cheering to Him to be told by Dr.
Bell Taylor that his eyes were wonderfully little altered
since he had last examined them. By the advice of a
friend he had an interview with an aurist, which he thus
describes in a letter to his daughter :
" ' How old are you ?'
" ' On the verge of eighty-eight.'
" He said not a word, but up went both his shoulders
with a start as if suddenly electrified. Then he looked at
both ears. 'The left is better than the right,' said he.
Then came his quaint and concentrated dictum : ' Let
them alone and buy a trumpet.' Much of what is said to
me comes to me as a murmur ; not so when anyone is near
me with a clear, gentle voice."

EIGHTH AND LAST VISIT TO NORWAY. 261
He had not been at home a fortnight before he set out
for his eighth and last visit to Norway. Dr. R. H. and
Anna Thomas and he travelled together. Writing from
Stavanger, he says : " There were two crowded meetings
yesterday, larger, they say, than for years, many of the
townsfolk coming in, among them a man of gentlemanly
appearance (once a pupil of Asbjorn Kloster), who sent a
sketch of an old man's wanderings to an evening paper
and suggested that the said old man was to be present at
the Quaker's meeting on Sunday. The two meetings were
held in much solemnity, ' visiting Friends ' and others
taking part. The Spirit of the Lord was manifestly in our
midst. I am favoured to feel abundantly satisfied of being
under the guiding hand of the Lord."
The little sketch of Isaac Sharp published in the
Stavanger People's Newspaper, contains these quaint words :
" When we look upon this modest little man and listen to
his burning zeal for the word of God, it is as if one stands
before one of the patriarchs of the Bible."
A young Norwegian who was present at these meetings
wrote of them as " blessed " times, and of the great joy it
was once again to hear "clear old Isaac Sharp." He adds :
" Dr. Thomas is a highly-gifted man. His winning manner
and his joyful, bold preaching make him a powerful instru
ment in his Lord's service. ... I believe that the
visit of these Friends will be a great blessing to the Friends
in Norway." On the 15th of June, 1894, Isaac Sharp writes : " I have a
peaceful retrospect of Kvinesdal. The journey was toil
some and strength-testing, but it is a joy to have been
there. Dear old Tollay Roisland, one year younger than
myself, rejoiced at our meeting once more. Simple-hearted
kindness abounded to the full and the tokens of welcome
were many and cheering. Thorstein Bryne was with me.
We were in an open boat last evening for about four hours ;
it was cool at night, not to say cold ; two overcoats were
not too much, plus a rug over the knees. The moonlight

262 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
and the residue of departed daylight made the travel easy.
The westerly wind died away, and we got to Flekkefiord
between ten and eleven p.m. 1 got to bed at midnight.
Rheumatic pain and weakness of the knees were present a
good deal on this journey. . . . The days as they pass
in this brief visit to Norway, leave a deep impress on my
spirit of the loving-kindness of the Lord, bringing to-
remembrance in lively appreciation the first visit here with
Edwin O. Tregelles and John Budge well-nigh fifty years
ago!" At that time, some of the Friends in Norway were sub
jected to a severe persecution. In one place Isaac Sharp
now found, built on a wooded knoll among the mountains,
near a fiord, a charmingly situated meeting-house, which
had taken the place of a house, no longer standing, in
which a small room reached by a ladder had served as a
place of spiritual worship.
This visit to Norway was but a short one. On the 29th
of June we find him in London, and in his diary he writes :
" Rose betimes, took the train at Aldersgate for Camden
Road Station ; walked from thence to the well-known 312,.
and had a brief converse with my beloved friend J. B.
Braithwaite before the bell rang. Only four sat down at
the breakfast table, prior to which J. B. B. read a morning
portion, and it fell to my lot to offer prayer for the dear
absent mother and her husband, and all belonging to them
present and absent to the third generation. My heart was
expanded largely in love, and utterance was given to it
with much tender feeling and in wide embrace."
His homeward journey to Ettington was a fatiguing one
as from incorrect information there was a long delay. In
recording this he adds the remark, " After all, though very
disappointing, it is not so bad as a broken leg."
The carriage was very warm. A pleasant gentle
man sat opposite, who proposed to have the window
closed because he was just out of a Turkish bath. Now
Isaac Sharp had a weakness for Turkish baths, and this

A CENTURY'S PILGRIMAGE. 263
topic soon led to further conversation, and the stranger
remarked that he had not known that the Society of Friends
had any missionaries. Isaac Sharp told him of his own call
to the work of the Lord — a call he realised to be direct
from Him. " How do you know the call ?" was the next
question, in reply to which Isaac Sharp gave him a little of
his own experience. They had some further conversation
on spiritual themes. One of the texts quoted by Isaac
Sharp was, " Hereby we know that He abideth in us by
the Spirit which He hath given." " I think," said the gentle
man, '' I shall take those last words as the text for my
sermon to-morrow."
Soon afterwards Isaac Sharp writes : " Many of my
friends say 1 look wonderfully well. I often am sensible,
nevertheless, of the inevitable effect of added clays and that
manifestly diminished power may come at any time, yet
there lives in my heart an abiding consciousness that the
Lord of life and glory is abundantly able to renew my
strength from day to day, and grant ability for the comple
tion of the service still before me in often remembrance for
visiting the South of France this autumn, and Syria, should
it be so, prior to the Yearly Meeting of 1895."
A call on the aged Elizabeth Hanbury, at Richmond,
was much enjoyed by Isaac Sharp ; it seems, indeed, to
have been as a brook by the way to both. She was then
(1894) in the first year of her second century.* Her visitor
noted that the old sweetness and brightness of expression
accompanied her smile. She spoke of her great comfort in
her surroundings and was well able to sustain a conversation
with the aid of her tube. She quoted with emphasis the
text, " Not by works of righteousness which we have done
but according to His mercy He saved us." She had felt
great interest in her visitor's pilgrimages and alluding to
the service still lying before him in the South of France
and Syria, she told him of her comfort in believing that
strength would be given him for its fulfilment.
* Elizabeth Hanbury is still living, 1898.

264 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
Before they parted, these aged servants of the Lord
spoke together with deep interest of the perpetual presence
of the Lord Jesus.
At the Quarterly Meeting held at Newcastle, Isaac Sharp
gave a resume of his recent distant service, beginning with
the words, " O, magnify the Lord with me ! " Dr. Thomas
Hodgkin afterwards remarked that to some it might seem a
pleasant thing thus to travel in foreign lands, but such a
journey in advanced life was a journey of dedication in the
service of the Lord.
A week later, in one of London's busy streets, the kindly,
courteous old man pauses to interchange a few words with
a lady friend, who at parting said : " I often think of a
sermon of thine in 1867. It has been a help to me all the
days since then." He was cheered by this remark which
brought to his memory another made half-a-century ago
in the Shetland Isles, " Eternity alone will reveal what these
meetings mean."
At home again at Ettington, he is pleased by a most
kind and friendly call from Dr. Nason who thought his
former patient was not looking a clay older than when they
last met, and he reminded Isaac Sharp of the words he had
spoken then, " I go at the call of the Lord for life or for
death." In a letter written about this time Isaac Sharp gives a
story of an earnest old woman, a Wesleyan, who when
told there was to be no meeting on a certain night, quietly
made answer, " Yes, there will be." When, on her return
she was asked how many were there, " Oh," said she,
reverently, " it was a blessed meeting. There were four
of us." " Four ? " " Yes, four, Father, Son, and Holy
Ghost, and me, a glorious meeting ! "
In August, 1894, Isaac Sharp attended a Farewell Meet
ing with the missionaries bound for Madagascar. It was
presided over by John T. Dorland, and Isaac Sharp was
asked to sit beside him. The missionaries were William
and Lucy Johnson, and Ernest Robson. A year or two

A SOLEMN FAREWELL. 265
later two of the number had won the martyr's crown,
and the chairman, seemingly in full vigour of body, mind,
and spirit, had " fulfilled his course," whilst the aged Isaac
Sharp still bore testimony to the goodness of his God. Of
that evening he wrote : " It was a solemn season, and one
of quiet power. William Johnson spoke. . . . Ernest
Robson, having given his young life to the Lord, goes forth
to Madagascar at the age of twenty-two, there to live and
labour. He also spoke briefly. My heart was in it, and I
was glad to be there. John T. Dorland read a portion from
John iv. and co mmented on it, with his singularly illustrative
power. He quoted, ' In all their afflictions He was
afflicted, and the angel of His presence saved them.' Then
followed a season of reverent waiting upon the Lord. It
might be said in truth, ' It was good to be there.' It fell
to my lot to offer prayer in which I felt helped. There
was no lack of vocal service, but it, was a season of deep
feeling more than of prolonged utterance. . . . John
Sims, recently returned from Madagascar, also spoke.
John T. Dorland gave me the opportunity to address those
assembled. I did so out of the fulness of my heart, in love
and sympathy. ' What thy hand findeth to do,' etc.,
personal application. The perpetual presence of the Lord
Jesus. The mainspring of labour must be love. After
a time of great solemnity in silence, John T. Dorland
offered prayer, and made touching allusion to the tender
ties and the separation. I feel, as I write, that in the
severance alluded to there is also a service for the Lord.
Many were the loving farewell greetings. John Sims told
me that the natives and others still speak of my visit, and
tell of the old Isaac Sharp."
About this time he attended a Monthly Meeting at
Kingston. In the meeting he spoke from the text, " Iron
sharpeneth iron, so a man sharpeneth the countenance of
his friend." This was refreshing in daily life, how much
more so when met for the worship of the Lord, and with a
blended sense of the nearness of His love. Isaac Sharp

266 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
spent that night at the house of his " valued and indefati
gable friend " Edwin R. Ransome, and after supper they
conversed till bed-time about the pending visit to France,.
and the route, etc.
Frequent mention is made in the journals to Isaac
Sharp's widowed invalid sister Rebecca Swann. Of a visit
paid to her in her home at Dulwich, about this time, he
says : " Her sweet, loving face was beautiful to look upon !'
1 bore away with me a delightful brain photo, exquisite in
expression, and vividly before me. Her voice was low,
and I could only partially make out her loving words. But.
it was, and is, a joy to see that smile, and to realise that we
were once more together."
Half-past eight on the same evening found Isaac Sharp
at the Hart's Lane Mission, attending a Farewell Meeting
to Esther Beckwith, who was about to sail for Chung King,,
as the bride elect of Isaac Mason, who had been Isaac
Sharp's fellow-voyager when ascending the Yangtse River.
" China was much before me," he writes. " I spoke
towards the end for about twenty minutes ; the meeting
was over at 10.15 p.m."
To Isaac Sharp's journals at home and abroad are
frequently confided reference to serious symptoms of
illness, whilst record is also made of the prompt and
patient application of remedies. Sometimes he mentions
these symptoms in letters to a nephew, adding playfully,
and yet in earnest too, some such remark as, " Tell it not
in Gath," or, " Give no hint of this," — so much did he
dread anything becoming known which might make others
think him unfit for finishing the service to which he
believed the Lord had called him. He did not " count his
life dear " unto himself, so that he might finish his " course
with joy," and the ministry which he had " received,"
much as he might have hesitated to apply the great
Apostle's words to his own case. We are not surprised in
the middle of September to find him " thoughtful " — he
seems to abjure the word anxious — about his symptoms.

WITH THE "FRIENDS" IN FRANCE. 267
"Another lesson," he writes, "for earnest and confiding
trust, in looking to France and the pending visit there."
Twelve days later he is en route for France. Of his
companion he writes : " Samuel Alexander takes care for
the expenditure and general arrangements for the pending
journey ; ready, able, willing, and executive, answering to
the four points of the compass. We had our evening
portion together before going to rest."
In the Friends' meeting at Fontanes he spoke from the
text, " A seed shall serve Him ; it shall be accounted to
the Lord for a generation." " The feeling on my own
mind," he says, " was that for more than a century there
have been among the people of these parts those who
have borne the name of Friend, serving the Lord from one
generation to another ere they fell on sleep, and that for
those who still survive, younger and older, there is a place
to fill, and to fill for Him, who is Lord of all, and to fill it to
His praise. There is a gracious assurance granted me of
being in my right place in this southern part of France.
. The wind was very searching, and 1 felt it a good
deal. It was between nine and ten p.m. before we got to
our quarters. A day of sixteen hours stress and strain,
mental and physical, after a night of considerable unrest,
rendered a prompt retiring to rest desirable."
On the following Sunday he writes : " Breakfast, fol
lowed by earnest prayer which arose in my heart with the
committal of the clay and the way to the Lord under no
small exercise of spirit, and need of heavenly help and
grace. . . At 4 p.m. a meeting was held for the public.
Marie Bernard was a lively and fluent interpreter, ready in
catching the spirit of the words as well as their intended
teaching. I could not doubt the presence of the Lord was
known in our midst. My friend, Samuel Alexander, took
part acceptably."
The Friends of Congenies must have been cheered by
this visit. The meeting-house there is the only one in the
whole of France. Family visits were paid, and a mothers'
meeting and infant school were visited.

268 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
To a nephew, Isaac Sharp writes from Nimes : " I
expect to be in Paris on the 28th inst. Justine Dalencourt
was very kind to us in 1890 when Captain and Marianna
Pim watched over me in that vast city, somewhat doubtful
of the issue, whether for life or death. I do not forget all
this, nor the over-ruling providence of Gocl our Saviour.
It is my privilege to feel no manner of doubt as to our
being here — Samuel Alexander and I — in the ordering of the
Lord. After this, Syria alone remains of the unfulfilled
under the certificate of 1890. ' Truly this is the Lord's
doing, and marvellous in our eyes.' I close, half asleep,
for midnight post."
To the same correspondent he writes from Valence :
" Yesterday was a clay of clays, Captain and Marianna Pirn's
silver wedding. About sixty guests at the afternoon
reception ; five Protestant pastors, a Russian lady, two or
three Roman Catholics, a military Christian with a sword
at his side — more safe within than without the scabbard ;
moreover, a lady of eleven years residence from Stoke
Newington who interpreted for me fluently, never once
having to hesitate or cough up a difficult word ! It is a joy
to be here, and it feels to me a part of my service."
His friends Captain and Mrs. Pim have been diligent
workers in connection with the McAll Mission, holding
meetings in the mission boat in some of the rivers of
France, meetings which have had much of the Lord's
blessing. In his journal, Isaac Sharp writes : " A hymn of thanks
giving is in my heart in the renewed remembrance of the
loving care of our Father in heaven." In reference to a
meeting at St. Gilles he says : " My mind was under great
exercise and I felt helped in the delivery of my message to
young and old. . . . There is to me solid comfort in
the retrospect of this visit." In his account of one little
meeting we find the words, " A silence not of death, a
stillness not of the grave, but a measure of living silence in
the presence of the Lord Jesus." When addressing some

,.

QUATRE-VINGT-HUIT ANS." 269

children, he told them of the Modoc Indians and of the
little Modoc girl who said, " I love Jesus because He was
the very first that did love me."
By the writer's side is a letter from Samuel Alexander,
with a few recollections of this time in France. He-
writes : " Isaac Sharp could not speak a word of French..
When in the railway carriages he would read, not very
clear print, without spectacles, and when I remarked to-
fellow travellers that he was ' quatre-vingl-huit ans,' they
would lift up their hands in astonishment. . . . His
addresses all abounded with so much of love as to be an
exemplification of the Master he was representing. Kind
ness and thoughtfulness for others were marked features of"
his character, and so loving was he that wherever he went
there was at once a feeling of loving interest and sympathy
shown for those visited. The meeting at the Rue St.
Honore in Paris, held in one of the mission halls of Mr.
McAll, was a memorable time. In that very hall Louise
Michel used to tirade against the authorities, so that the
police were in terror when on duty there.
" At times, Isaac Sharp would entertain his friends by
most graphic accounts of his early missionary visits to
Greenland, Iceland, and Norway, and keep them spell
bound for one or two hours."
The kindness and thoughtfulness for others above
referred to led him to take an interest in their interests
for their sake.
A niece writes : " Not long ago he met Louie  at
 station quite unexpectedly. He not only recognised
her in a moment, but knew in a moment just what to ask
af ter — her dogs. As soon as he had shaken hands with her,.
although it was at the booking office, where an old man
might have been forgiven if he had been too much
occupied with his own affairs to notice anyone else, he-
said, ' How are the dogs ? ' Pre-eminently he had ' a heart
at leisure from itself.' "

270 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
A family connection writes : " I remember a good many
years ago, when I was very young and very enthusiastic
about Tennyson, that Isaac Sharp came to pay us a visit,
and it fell to my lot to take him to Clevedon, Somerset, and
show him the lions. I do not now remember what passed,
but I know we had a very happy day (his very presence
seemed to bring brightness and cheeriness), and I have no
doubt 1 discoursed largely on the Poet Laureate and In
Memoriam, as we walked by that ' broad water of the west '
and the ' cold grey stones ' of the sea ; and 1 told out all
my girlish enthusiasms. Years passed, and other idols
succeeded one another in my imagination, till I had almost
forgotten my girlish delight in Tennyson, when again the
clear man visited us. He had travelled thousands of miles
in the meantime, and had many other thoughts and
interests to occupy his mind, but such was his sympathetic
care for other's concerns that he came straight to me,
saying :
" ' Thou art a lover of Tennyson, and I thought of thee
the other day when I found a beautiful little piece of his in
a recent magazine. I copied it for thee.' He handed me
a copy, in his beautifully neat writing, of ' Crossing the
Bar.' I had not yet seen the piece ; indeed, it was only
just out and very little known, and 1 have ever since con
nected it with the giver, and shall always treasure it for the
sake of his kind thought, and because it seems to me such
a picture of his own trustful spirit and beautiful end.
" 1 do not know whether anyone ever saw him worried
or pre-occupied or taken up with his own concerns ; 1
never did. To me he will ever be the embodiment of
cheerful trust and a readiness to spend and be spent for
others." In November, 1894, we find Isaac Sharp at home again.
One evening he writes in his diary : " For some days I have
been considerably indisposed, on two clays seriously so.
Deafness largely increased, partial giddiness, difficult to get
warm, physical and mental alike involved, a degree of

PLEASANT CIRCLE AT ETTINGTON. 271
prostration like that of influenza. . . . Syria has been
much before me, but I am graciously enabled to leave the
future to the Lord with quiet trust."
The little circle at Ettington had been pleasantly
enlarged by the addition of a married niece and her
husband, Benjamin and Rebecca Goouch, and there are
frequent allusions in the journal to happy, social inter
course and religious blending.
In the beginning of 1895, Isaac Sharp was so ill with a
bronchial cold as to need medical care and trained nursing.
On New Year's Day he writes : "' Bless the Lord, O my
soul, and all that is within me ; bless His holy name. Bless
the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits ; bless
the Lord.' At early morning these words were much before
me. I concluded about 8 a.m. to send a telegram to Dr.
Nason, of Stratford-on-Avon, whom I much value as a per
sonal friend, as well as an able physician."
Eleven clays later he says : " A very gracious assurance
¦came over my mind that the end is not yet. Palestine came
freshly before me. I felt that my little labour of love for
my Master was not yet fully accomplished."
On the 6th of February he remarks : " Fifty-six years
to-day have elapsed since my marriage, fifty-six years of
wonderful mercy and of pardoning love."
When speaking in a meeting on our Lord's words, " Say
to My brethren," etc., Isaac Sharp alluded to His calling
them "brethren " though He was over all, and also to His
words, " Whosoever shall do the will of My Father in
Heaven, the same is My mother and sister and brother,"
words, as he remarked, " so simple yet so intensely real."
But there were hours in his spiritual life which enabled
him to understand " the trial of our faith."
One day he writes : " I have thought a good deal of
George Fox and his experience in the Vale of Beavor when
a cloud of temptation came over him, but he was helped of
the Lord to overcome and to triumph over Satan and his
power. Life and light rose in dominion, and he was glad.

272 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
As to the exercise through which I have been passing,
there came over my mind to-day with some comfort and
assurance the words, ' It is the chastening thou needest,
My son, so be patient under it.' "
Isaac Sharp's interest in the Moravian Missions was
never crowded out by other kindred interests. When
nearly ninety he went to Kew to attend a summer gathering
of the " Old Neuwieders " and Moravian Missionaries, and
he was cordially welcomed by all. A Friend who was
present well remembers his earnest endeavours that day to
impress on a younger Bruder the clangers of excessive
smoking. This Friend says : " The dear old pilgrim was a
pretty frequent visitor amongst us, always gladly welcomed
by old and young, bringing with him an atmosphere of
Christian cheerfulness, the remembrance of which is not
likely to pass away. We all regarded him as a very
dear and honoured friend, and after his visits we always
felt we had had a lift forward on the road heavenward.
His implicit and childlike faith and trust in his Divine
Master was most instructive. . . May his mantle rest
on other shoulders. ... It has been my privilege to
be his companion at gatherings of City missionaries and
I have reason to know how greatly these men valued what
he said to them. Amongst other things some of them were
deeply impressed with a favourite expression of his that
' He who would mark a Providence will never want a
Providence to mark.' "
Even in his quiet days at Ettington the clays hardly
seemed long enough for all that Isaac Sharp would fain
accomplish ; thus we find in his diary such entries as the
following : " Many urgently pressing claims of correspond
ence and divers other matters pursue me closely."

CHAPTER XIX.
' Shall not the inner vision see
More than to outward eye may seem
Upon thy shores, O Galilee,
Or, Jordan, by thy winding stream ?
The mighty rivers of the West
No tale like thine have seaward borne
Since stooped beneath thy limpid crest
The Head thereafter crowned with thorn.
No other sea the wide earth through
E'er throbbed beneath the Master's tread,
No other winds that ever blew
Bore on their wings the words He said."
Jane Budge.

ISAAC SHARP sailed for Syria on the 27th of September,
1895, accompanied by his friend Dr. Dixon. During
the voyage the two Friends' had Bible readings together every
morning, in which several others joined, and which were felt to
be times of refreshing communion with each other and with
the Lord. One Sunday, October 13th, was spent at Port
Said, where the Friends had a meeting for worship in the
hotel, when God's presence was felt to be very near. In
the evening they attended two other meetings, one in the
Bible House and one held for sailors, and on all three occa
sions Isaac Sharp was acceptably engaged. It need not be
said that a warm welcome awaited him at the Friends'
Mission Station at Brumana. One lady, Ellen Clayton, writes
thus from their Hospital :
" When 1 heard him in London and also during his visit
here on Mount Lebanon the peaceful expression of his face

274 LIF5 0F ISAAC SHARP.
seemed a little sermon to us. There were many hindrances
and delays before his visit to Syria was accomplished, but I
was struck with the fitness of the time, and his being ac
companied by Dr. Dixon made the visit peculiarly accept
able. We were in great trouble on account of the very
serious illness of a clergyman of the Church Missionary
Society at the hotel close by, as well as of one of our own
workers, Lotfallah Riskallah, during the absence of Dr.
Beshara in England. Dr. Dixon came out with Isaac Sharp
to find the clergyman dying and Lotfallah so ill that he also
passed away during the following week. You can under
stand the comfort and help it was to have these two dear
Friends entering into our grief and helping both with
spiritual sympathy and medical knowledge, so that our
doctor, as well as myself, felt that our Gocl had sent them
in that particular time, proving that ' Man's extremity is
God's opportunity.' The widow of the clergyman just
referred to is a very sweet young woman. She is working
now for the Church Missionary Society in Jerusalem, and
when 1 wrote to tell her of Isaac Sharp's death she replied
that it reminded her at once of the first time she saw him in
our little meeting-house (at her husband's funeral) and heard
him say : 'The gift of God is eternal life,' adding, ' our friend
is not dead, for God had given him eternal life and he had
accepted it long before, — how quickly and yet how quietly
the Master seems to be gathering His dear ones home, and
it will not be long for any one of us.'
" The few original lines which Isaac Sharp wrote in
our visitors' book in the Hospital are perhaps familiar to
you : ' As the tide with ebb and flow,
Even so
Days of mercy come and go.' "
There was a third grave and that a little one, beside
which Isaac Sharp stood and ministered to sorrowing
hearts of the comfort wherewith he himself was comforted
of God, for the fair-haired, sweet little daughter of the

BRUMANA. 275
German Consul died of diphtheria, and was laid in the
Friends' graveyard, the German pastor conducting a
Lutheran funeral service. After the singing of a hymn,
Isaac Sharp stepped forward, and said a few words about
the little lamp whose light had so soon gone out, and spoke
¦oi the love of the Lord Jesus for the children whom He
would have suffered to come to Him. Directly after
the company began to disperse, the bereaved father came
over to Isaac Sharp and warmly thanked him for his
•comforting and sympathetic words.
His age and health considered, the amount of work
which he accomplished in his Syrian visit was wonderful.
He not only attended meetings for worship, but went to
gatherings of different kinds, including schools and
mothers' meetings. At one of the former he suggested
giving the children a treat ; tea, sweets and cakes, a sure
and pleasant way of causing his words to be remembered.
When the simple feast was finished, he spoke to them for
nearly two hours, telling them about his travels, their atten
tion being riveted all the time, and when he had ended,
they begged him to come again.
It was decided to visit Ras el Metn, three miles from
Brumana, but only to be reached by a very steep and
¦difficult road, over which willing hands carried Isaac Sharp
in a hammock. He spent a Sunday at this village, and
attended the mission meeting, where about two hundred
persons were present, including many Druses and Greek
¦Catholics, and two Turkish soldiers, to whom he spoke
solemnly of the love of Gocl which had provided a remedy
for a sin-stricken world. In the afternoon he visited and
addressed the Sunday schools, and he also attended the
¦evening service and received several visitors. Truly this
was not a light clay's work for one of his age. The next
day, after going to the schools, a call was paid by appoint
ment on the chief Druse, a handsome, imposing looking
old man of eighty. The Friends met with a most cordial
welcome from him, his sons, grandsons, and neighbours,

276 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
who filled the large audience room, and refreshments
of fruit, coffee, and orangeade were presented to the
guests. When the Friends started on the next day to return to
Brumana, there was quite an assemblage of Druses and
Greeks to see them off, and many of the young Druses
were eager to have the privilege of carrying Isaac Sharp
through the village. On the outskirts, the school children were
waiting to say good-bye, the boys on one side with myrtle
branches in one hand and a hymn-book in the other, while
the girls who stood on the opposite side began to sing,
" Whither, pilgrim, are you going ?" At the bottom of the
valley there was a gathering of the boys from the Training
Home, and the whole party had a picnic lunch together
amidst the grand mountain scenery.
The 1st of December was Isaac Sharp's last Sunday
in Brumana, and he gave his last message to those
assembled there for worship from the words, "The wages
of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life."
The next morning, after breakfast, he expressed his
loving appreciation of the great kindness he had received
from Theophilus Waldmeier and his family, and then
addressed them about the claims of Christ on each one of
them in terms likely to be long remembered.
A copy of the following minute of the Brumana
Monthly Meeting was afterwards forwarded to England by
Dr. Beshara :
" The members of the Monthly Meeting thankfully
acknowledge the warmth and Christian earnestness which
still fires the heart of our beloved aged friend, Isaac Sharp.
Since his feet touched the ground of these goodly moun
tains he was fully engaged in looking after the needs of the
precious souls in this place, meeting with them as individuals
and as a congregation, and we believe his meetings were
abundantly blessed. We thank God for keeping his life so
long that he was able to fulfil his message to us. He felt
especially sent in a needful time to share with us in the

TOWARDS JERUSALEM. 277
great sorrow we have had in the past two months.
Trusting the Lord will bless and water the seed sown in
this country to the glory of Jesus Christ our Lord,
Beshara J. Manasseh."
Soon the travellers were again at Jaffa, with their faces
set towards Jerusalem. It needs not to be told how deeply
Isaac Sharp felt the privilege and responsibility of
preaching the Gospel in the Holy Land, where its message
first was heard ; but while it was a perpetual joy to him to
know, as he came and went, that he was passing to and fro
where his Lord had gone before him, yet was his heart so
full of his mission to the living witnesses for Christ, that
he forbore to visit places of most sacred interest, where
the delay might interfere with his work. He journeyed to
Ramallah in a palanquin between two long shafts, with
one mule in front and one behind, carrying him safely
over a most stony, rocky road. He was warmly welcomed
by the Friends at their Mission Station, and on Sunday,
the 8th of December, attended the meeting for worship,
where 155, including children, were present. After
ministering here in the morning, he addressed the Sun
day School in the afternoon, having an audience of no,
and had a very interesting time. The clay's service was
completed by giving an account of his travels, and speaking
on the 19th Psalm, about prayer and the guidance of
the Holy Spirit. His mission led him to Bethany, reached
by a path so rocky that it has been said that there, more
than anywhere else on earth, the wayfarer may almost
literally tread in the Saviour's footsteps, so little change
could be wrought by time on the adamantine road. He
also paid a greatly valued visit to the Mildmay Mission at
Hebron, in a storm of wind and rain, and afterwards
called on a couple of independent workers, husband and
wife, the former lame on both feet, the latter quite blind,
and because of their defenceless condition received by the
Moslems in a wonderful way, which would not, perhaps,
have been the case in some more enlightened communities.

278 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
These good people were most grateful for the prayer and
sympathy of their unlooked-for guest, cheering them in
their lonely lot. Isaac Sharp went to Hebron a second
time to visit, at the Church Missionary School, the widow
of the clergyman who had died at Brumana, and to
encourage and sympathize with her and her fellow-workers.
On neither occasion was there leisure to explore a single
one of the scenes of interest with which Hebron abounds,
but he was able to see some places of far more thrilling
memories in the Holy City itself.
He finally left Jerusalem on December 14th, 1895, and
reached London on the 22nd of the same month, a little
tired, but in as good health as when he started on his long
journey, except for a slight cold. Several times when
travelling home, and especially when within a few minutes
of his arrival, he said how devoutly thankful and full of
praise he was to his Heavenly Father, who had fulfilled
His promise, and enabled him to complete the service to-
which he had been called. He said that he felt very
deeply how imperfectly the service had been done, but
God was a kind and tender Master, and did not expect
more from His servants than they could do and give.
" I could not but heartily rejoice with him," writes Dr.
Dixon, "knowing so well his physical condition. Other
people, under similar conditions, would have been
receiving great care, nursing, and home comforts. It did
seem to me like a miracle, his coming home again in
preserved health, without any serious illness, during the
three months' journey. Is it not so that —
' They that trust Him wholly
Find Him wholly true ' ?
So he came back to dwell again in his peaceful and rustic
home, surrounded by kind relatives and friends, and to be
taken home from Ettington rather than from among
strangers in a foreign land."*
* Nearly all the particulars of Isaac Sharp's visit to Syria have been taken from notes.
furnished by Dr. Dixon.

CHAPTER XX.*
" O, happy, happy day
That calls Thy exiles home." Wesley.
' I go to life and not to death,
From darkness to light's native sky ;
I go from sickness and from pain
To health and immortality.
Let our farewell then be tearless,
Since I bid farewell to tears ;
Write the day of my departure
Festive in your coming years." Horatius Bonar.

THE year 1896 opened on Isaac Sharp in the
peace and quiet of his home. He seemed
like a mariner returning from a distant and adven
turous voyage, who sees before him the destined
haven, with nothing but a calm expanse of waveless sea
between. It was hoped, and it appeared not improbable,
that he might yet be spared for some years to enjoy his
rest after labour, and cheer with his refreshing presence
relatives and friends nearer home. He set himself
deliberately to put his affairs in order, and clear off arrears
of work which, through long absence, had accumulated.
His extensive correspondence occupied much of his time,
and it was his delight to hold epistolary intercourse with
kindred spirits far and near. His reading was very varied ;
his interests were wide and tolerant. He was wishful to
* The particulars in this chapter are taken almost verbatim from the account
written by Benjamin Goouch.

280 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
keep himself acquainted with the passing events of the
day, the Armenian and Cretan questions, the discoveries of
science, and geographical research having special attrac
tions for him. Nothing of human interest was outside his
sympathy, or regarded with indifference. Though pain
fully conscious of sin and suffering around him, life was
still very beautiful to him, and God's earth very bright.
Reports of missions and periodicals of the Society of
Friends were constantly on his table, for the prosperity of
the cause for which he lived and laboured was ever near to
his heart. This interest in the affairs of others, temporal as
well as spiritual, was always ready and keen. He would
listen patiently to a recital of troubles and perplexities,
which he was quick to recall and inquire about long after
they might have escaped the memory of much younger
men. Even on his death-bed and in the midst of suffering
this characteristic trait survived. His mind was ever active
and his sympathy ever fresh, in spite of the burden of
ninety years and some of those pains and penalties of old
age which make other men selfish and self-centred. Occa
sionally he visited Monthly or Quarterly Meetings, near or
more remote, and sometimes went up to town to attend
meetings or pay visits.
Sometimes, when invited, he would give a short address
to village audiences on the subject of Peace, or experiences
drawn from his world-wide travels, and one such address,
given at a Bible Society meeting about a year before his
death, made a remarkable impression upon his audience,
and is still spoken of with emphatic approval.
In the little meeting-house, where a very small company
of Friends assembled for worship, his voice was constantly
heard in ministry or prayer when he was present, some
times with great power and directness, always to comfort
or edification. Strangers who dropped in were occasionally
much impressed.
During the summer he was troubled with failing eye
sight, and his heart showed signs of weakness ; yet, in the

MANY BEREAVEMENTS 28l
month of August, he went with his brother Thomson for
their annual excursion on their native Sussex Downs, and
he was able to write home that he could still ascend on
"foot a hill three hundred feet high, without fatigue or
inconvenience. So, peacefully and pleasantly his declining days passed
by, not unfrequently shadowed, however, by tidings of
the decease of absent friends long known and valued. And
•especially did this peculiar trial of the aged come home to
him in the last year of his life. In the month of June
¦occurred the sudden death of his kind and endeared friend
Margaret Gibbins ; soon after he was called upon to mourn
the departure of a beloved niece and two nephews in rapid
succession ; and as he lay upon what proved to be his own
death-bed, he felt called upon to write with his own failing
hand a letter of sympathy and condolence to the son of an
old friend and former fellow-townsman. In times of
bereavement, beside the open grave or by the hearth
whence a household name had vanished, his presence
always brought a cheer and a support ; for his tender
-sympathy, his power in prayer, and his victorious faith
rendered him peculiarly fitted to impart hope to the
dying or consolation to the living.
On the 27th of December, 1896, his voice was heard in
Ettington meeting-house for the last time. He had
arranged to deliver a lecture on " Incidents of Travel," at
Devonshire House, on the evening of the ensuing day. The
medical adviser cautioned him not t'o leave home in such an
inclement season ; but when it was suggested to him to defer
his lecture at the last moment, rather than run any risk, he
retorted with vivacity, " Of course I shall go ; it would
never do to disappoint so many people." On the morning
of the clay he travelled up to town he seemed unusually
well ; and the writer who saw him depart from the Etting
ton railway station has a lively recollection of the amused
•expression on the stationmaster's countenance as he passed
•on the platform, and heard him narrating one of his

282 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
facetious anecdotes in his inimitable style. At the lecture
in the evening he spoke with vigour for an hour to a large
audience, and seemed none the worse for his exertion.
Afterwards he remained some days in town, attending
meetings and paying visits. It was his intention to stay over
the ensuing session of the Meeting for Sufferings on
January 8th, 1897 ; but he had contracted a severe cold,
and found it expedient to return home on the day of the
meeting without waiting for it. As he rode up from the
Ettington station to his lodgings, he remarked that he had
not returned a day too soon. On reaching his home he-
seemed thankful to regain its shelter. He never left it
again till he left it for "the house not made with hands."
At first it was thought he was merely suffering from a.
cold, which rest and careful nursing would subdue ; and
when it became evident that the action of the liver was.
irregular, it was supposed to be nothing more than the
effect of a chill. His medical adviser, Dr. J. J. Nason of
Stratford-on-Avon, did not at first take a serious view of his
case ; but, as time passed, he recognised that the organ in
question was more seriously affected, and jaundice was,
impending. The depressing character of his malady
subdued his cheerful and buoyant spirit ; yet he would
never admit that he was "depressed." Depression meant,
to him, the loss of hope and confidence. " No, dear ! " he-
would say, " not depressed, — oppressed," if one suggested
that he was depressed. Oppressed he often was by physical,
infirmity ; but his spiritual horizon was clear and unclouded.
And, through all, his mental activity and indomitable spirit
of work still continued.
His bed during the forenoon was frequently littered
with letters and periodicals ; and, with a pillow and a
small tablet of wood ingeniously extemporised as a desk,.
he would sit propped up in bed, writing letters and
making memoranda till fatigue obliged him to give over.
Before long, however, he was compelled to discontinue
most of his correspondence, and to employ the pen of

" FOUND AFTER MANY DAYS." 283
another to set down his thoughts. He generally had the
summary of news in the daily papers, and the table of
contents in periodicals read over to him ; when, in his
usual prompt and decided way, he indicated the articles
he wished to hear read. In the correspondence columns
of The Friend of First-month 21st was a letter with the
heading, " Friends in Fair Isle, N.B." The name attracted
him, and the article was read at his request. It referred
to the visit of two ministers of the Society of Friends to
that remote northern isle many years ago, and told of the
life-long blessing which had resulted to an individual from
attending the meeting which they held there. He was
much impressed by the reading, and afterwards told the
reader that Barnard Dickinson and himself were the two
ministers in question. He related how, in the year 1846,
under a strong sense of duty, they had undergone much
fatigue and discomfort to reach that then almost inac
cessible place ; and he recognised the text and purport of
his colleague's address. After fifty years he was to learn,
on his death-bed, one result of that journey ; to him it was
as bread cast upon the waters and found after many clays.
By the aid of medical treatment and careful nursing,
he was so far restored on the 8th of February as to be able
to come downstairs again ; and on the nth the trained
nurse left, after three weeks' attendance. He wrote thus
at this time : " I am slowly but hopefully gaining strength.
Ability for writing still small. . I was brought low,
and the Lord helped me. Lo ! the end is not yet. May
all be to His praise."
The recovery of Isaac Sharp was partial and illusive.
On the 12th of February, the very day after the nurse left,
as he sat writing a letter to his daughter, in the forenoon,
he was seized with violent internal pain, accompanied by
severe rigour, which compelled him to take to his bed
again, and after a few days a trained nurse was again
procured from the Stratford Nursing Home. With such
help as was at hand from his housekeeper and others,

284 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
Nurse Blake was able to meet all his requirements till near
the close, when a second nurse became necessary. She
afterwards spoke of the pleasant hours passed in his sick
chamber before he became too ill for conversation. He
frequently entertained her with anecdotes and personal
reminiscences ; and at the conclusion of a narration would
say, " Now tell me some of thy hospital experiences." He
was a good listener as well as a good talker ; he could
never be merely garrulous or egotistic. His housekeeper
and the nurse usually met in his room for family worship ;
when, after the reading of the Bible, he frequently
addressed a few words to them, and engaged in prayer.
On two consecutive days, the 2nd and 3rd of March,
the attacks were renewed, and though much more brief
in duration than hitherto, they were more exhausting from
occurring so close together. Further medical advice was
now deemed necessary ; and Sir Willoughby Wades of
Birmingham, met Dr. Nason for consultation.
About this time Isaac Sharp gave the first indication
that he deemed the issue of the disease doubtful. The
clay before the medical consultation, he dictated a letter to
his valued friend J. B. Braithwaite, which seemed like a
valedictory message to him and the other members of the
committee who had been charged to correspond and advise
with him during his years of missionary service and travel.
One of the chief pleasures of his life, and one to which he
was wont to look forward with joyous anticipation, was his
attendance at the Durham Quarterly Meeting held at
Darlington in April, with its accompanying visits to
relatives and friends in the north of England. In the
early days of his illness he avowed his belief that he
should be raised up again in time to undertake the journey ;
but subsequently he was led to feel that this prospect, and
all other pleasant pictures, must be surrendered, if needful,
in obedience to the Divine will. In the letter just
mentioned he expressed himself to this effect : " The
Lord has been leading me into a deep experience. I had

" FULL SURRENDER." 285
been looking for an early return to life and labour. It
pleased Him to lead me spiritually into the shadowy vale ;
but, in wonderful love, He did not leave me there alone.
. . . In infinite love, it was clearly shown to me that a
full surrender must be made, with a willingness to resign
all, and to accept all which He might be graciously pleased
to appoint for trial or for triumph, for sickness or for
health, for suffering or for service, for life or for death.
. . I was enabled, by His grace, in full surrender to,
say, ' Lord, not my will, but Thine be clone ! ' Then came
a glow of sweet peace, and the Lord had the praise.
. . . . Now, in the midst of that valley, I was enabled
to look up. There was no darkness in it, but the deep
clouds parted, revealing the azure blue beyond ; and with
this came a sense of the infinite love and compassion of
our Father." But, even after this expression of his feeling,
Isaac Sharp, occasionally, as his condition varied for the
better, still cherished the expectation of a return to life
and labour.
On the 10th there could no longer be any doubt as to-
the final issue of his illness ; but that marvellous vitality
which had so signally overcome the effects of hardship,
and suffering in the past still maintained a conflict in the
grasp of death, and the lamp of life continued to flicker to-
the last. In the afternoon of that day, when the extremity
of pain had subsided, the patient sufferer expressed his
thankfulness for partial relief ; and, addressing one who
sat beside his bed, he said, " I want to say that in my
suffering I cast myself upon the Lord. I do not wish to
undervalue the kind and unremitting attention I have
received ; but I wish it to be understood that relief came
distinctly in answer to prayer. The means used were
blessed." The last and most suffering stage of his illness here
commenced ; yet still, as ever, he continued to evince the
same gentle consideration for those who ministered to him.
He was grateful for every service, and continually on the:

280 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
watch lest patience should fail him. " I hope my clear
nurse does not think me impatient," he would say
apologetically, if he seemed too eagerly to hasten her in
the application of relief. Or he would suggest that it was
time for his attendants to retire for a meal, or for the night's
rest. Or, again, he would urge them to take an opportunity
which offered for much-needed air and exercise out of
doors. One of his last acts, about this period, before he
became too ill to attend to such matters, was to bestow
some tokens of his gratitude upon those who ministered to
his relief.*
Very touching, too, were the indications of his affection
for his relatives at this time. The clinging human love, the
heart-hunger for human sympathy in his distress, were
still present with him, even while his soul found refuge and
strength in reliance on the Everlasting Arm. To one he
said, with a warm pressure of the hand, " I know I have
thy love and sympathy"; of another, "Her loving sym
pathy is very helpful to me " ; and, when speech had
almost failed, he whispered to his brother, " The voice is
gone, but the love remains." Sometimes, when utterance
was, difficult, if one of "his dear ones " (as he called them)
entered the room, or if their names were mentioned, he
would look upward and lift his hands, as though invoking
a blessing. In the midst of accumulated suffering his chief anxiety
seemed to be lest his patience and resignation should not
hold out. Once, during a night of peculiar unrest, he was
heard to ejaculate hurriedly, " Oh, come ; come quickly 1 "
But immediately after, in a loud, strong voice, he broke
forth, " Not my will, dear Lord, but Thine be done." In
the morning he remarked to the nurse in attendance that he
had never expected to live through the night ; but when she
inquired, " And how do you feel now, Mr. Sharp ? " he
replied, with a twinkle of his old mirthfulness, " More like
* One of the nurses said, " It was like waiting on an angel."

NEARING HEAVEN. 287
life than death." Then, immediately raising his hands, he
added reverently, " As He wills ! " After another troubled
night, when his doctor suggested that the longed-for release
was at hand, he meekly returned, " In His own good time ;
blessed be His holy name ! "
In the afternoon of the 15th he asked Nurse Blake,
" Will my voice hold out through the night ? " When she
expressed a doubt, he intimated his belief that the end was
near. " But you have clear ones awaiting you on the other
side," she said. " Oh, yes ! " he answered, " my wife and
others." " I am sure there is peace." " Oh, yes ! Christ
has died that we might live." Then, addressing his
nephew and niece, he continued : " This is my death-bed
testimony. I have a living sense that it is best to live in
the love and power of Gocl, that we may be complete in
Him, in whom alone we can be complete. Blessed be His
holy name ! To me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
Death is swallowed up in victory." After delivering an
affectionate message for his aged and invalid sister-in-law,
he resumed : " May the true life be the blessed portion of
*us all, now and for evermore. Press for the mark of the
high calling of Gocl in Christ Jesus." This was his last day
of acute suffering. He had said during the course of the
day, " 1 shall be at rest to-morrow." Rest, or at least
comparative rest, did come on the morrow, but not in the
form anticipated. He lingered for six clays longer, slowly
dying, his only sustenance being hot water.
Between Isaac Sharp and Dr. Nason a bond of friend
ship and religious sympathy had for years existed. When
the doctor stood beside his bed on the morning of the 19th,
the patient greeted him with a smile, and for some time
ineffectually tried to speak. At length, with much effort, he
said, " I am going home" ; and then, " Heavenly home."
The doctor added, " Our Father's home." The dying man
looked steadfastly in his physician's face, as if to be sure he
was observing him ; then he raised his eyes, and slowly
waved his right hand above his head, while a smile of

288 LIFE OF ISAAC SHARP.
wonderful triumph transfigured for a moment the worn,.
weary face. Four times in succession, with a pause
between, this expressive action was repeated, and the
fourth time the bystanders caught the whisper, " Glory !.
glory ! glory 1 "
On the morning of the 21st his relatives and friends
were hastily summoned to his bedside. The scene was one
which those present will not soon forget. Without, the
quiet of the Sabbath morning was resting upon earth and
sky ; the birds, which the kindly old man had so lately
loved to watch in the ivy-covered trees opposite his
windows, were singing gaily in the sunshine ; the soft
breath of spring came in at the open casement. Within,.
eight silent watchers were waiting in reverent stillness,.
listening to the short but regular breathing of the dying,
and momentarily expecting it to cease. An atmosphere of
solemn peace pervaded the low-roofed chamber. So the-
hours went by ; until about half-an-hour past noon, just as.
the subdued sound of voices and footsteps of the villagers.
returning from service at the little church on the hill close
by were heard beneath the window, slowly and quietly the
end came. For him earth's Sabbaths were over ; he had.
entered on the eternal Sabbath above.
Five clays later, in the ancient burial-ground at.
Ettington, overshadowed by the great Warwickshire elms,
opposite the entrance of the little meeting-house where his
voice had so often been heard in prayer and exhortation,
and whose grey, ivy-covered walls date their erection back
to the days of the founders of the religious community to-
which he loved to belong, were committed to the earth, in
appropriate resting-place, the mortal remains of that
patriarchal minister, who in life had so fittingly combined
the solemn reverence, the pietism, and the simplicity of
the older Quakerism with the wider sympathies and
activities of the new. From far and near, friends and
neighbours gathered round to pay the last tribute of
respect, and solemn testimonies were borne by Jonathan

KEPT TO THE END. 289
Backhouse Hodgkin, Arthur Pease, M.P., William C.
Braithwaite, and others to the worth and service of the
departed, and to the power of that divine grace which had
guided and sustained him through a long earthly pilgrim
age, and had not forsaken him at its close.

Ever the richest, tenderest glow
Sets round th' autumnal sun — •
But there sight fails ; no heart may know
The bliss when life is done." Keble.

INDEX.

Aberbeen, 152.
Adelaide, 132.
Africa, South, visited, 79-118;
climatic experiences, 89 ;
mode of travel, 94-96.
Alexander, Samuel, accom
panies Isaac Sharp, 267, 268,
269.
Allen, William, visits Norway,
24.
Ambohimatra, 123.
Ambohitantaley, 126.
Analakeley, 122.
Anderson, Dr., 167, 170, 172.
Anderson, Samuel, 170.
Antananarivo, arrival at, 120,
121.
Appleton, Dr. Henry, accom
panies Isaac Sharp, 183, 188.
Archdale, John, Governor of
Carolinas, and first Friend
M.P., 15. ¦
Archibald, John, 236.
Arnott, Captain, 221.
Auld Willy, 223.
Australasia, 130-135.
Ayton School, 15, 64.
Backhouse, James, 116, 144.
Backhouse, "Katherine, 247.
Baedecker, Dr., 186.
Baker, Joseph Allen, 259.
Baker, Samuel and Anna, 194.
Balclutha, 133.
Baltimore Yearly Meeting, 137,
252.
Bamangwati, 104.
Bara, 123.
Baron, Mr., 123.
Basuto Land, Terrific thunder
storm in, 6, 113, 117.

Bean, Joel, Account of travel
with Isaac Sharp, 137, 140,
162, 183, 207, 243.
Bean, Joel, Testimony respect
ing Isaac Sharp, 23.
Bean, Hannah, 183.
Beauchamp, Mr. and Mrs.,
217, 218.
Beck, Samuel, 252.
Beckwith, Esther, 266.
Bedford Institute, 163.
Bellot, Lieutenant, 175.
Berea, 114.
Bergen, 27.
Bernard, Marie, 267.
Berryessa, 205, 256.
Bethelsdorp, 85.
Bew, Mr., m.
Beyrout, 127.
Bhopal, 193.
Blake, Nurse, 284, 287.
Bloemfontein, 112.
Bluff, The, 134.
Bombay, 192.
Boshof, Mr., 108.
Bourne, Matthew, 9; his mill
and horse, 10.
Braithwaite, George, 199, 201,
202, 216.
Braithwaite, Joseph Bevan, 92,
170, 176, 184, 262.
Braithwaite, Joseph Bevan,
Testimony respecting Isaac
Sharp, 62.
Braithwaite, Martha, 145, 199,
201.
Braithwaite, William C, 146,
289.
Brandy flask, Story of, 8.
Brewin, William, 197.
Bright, John, 220.

290

INDEX.

291

Brighton, 9, 10, 220.
Brink, Mr. and Mrs., 100.
Brisbane, 132.
British and Foreign Bible
Society, 6 ; Isaac Sharp an
agent of, 29, 184, 280, 284.
Broadstairs, 70, 146, 147, 152,
183.
Brockway, Mr., 124.
Brown, Dr., 206.
Brown, Isaac, 118, 184.
Brown, Morris, 138.
Brumana, 273, 276.
Bryne, Thorstein, 261.
Budge, John, visits Norway
with Isaac Sharp, 24, 26, 27,
262.
Burness, Mr. and family mur
dered, 91.

Cachet, F. L., 83.
Calcutta, 192, 196.
Caledon River, 113.
Canada Yearly Meeting, 247.
Cannibalism, 7.
Cape Town, 81.
Casalis, Dr., 113 ; his wife and
child struck with lightning,
114.
Chicago, 139, 245, 246.
China, prospect of visit to, 197,
199, 204, 207, 209, 213, 215 ;
reached 217 ; Chung King
reached 224 ; left 239.
China Inland Mission, 218, 219,
225,
Chingtan Rapid, 232.
Chung King, 214, 215, 217, 221,
223 ; reached 224 ; described,
etc., 225, 228, 234, 237, 242.
Cincinnati, 139.
Clark, Henry E., 122, 124, 125,
126, 129.
Clayton, Ellen, 273.
Clemes, Samuel, 121.
Clevedon, 270.
Cleveland, discovery of iron ore,
28.

Coffin, Charles, writes of Isaac
Sharp, 139.
Coggeshall Abbey, 1 1 .
College Park, 243.
Come-to-good, 150.
Cong6nies, 267.
Constantinople, 183, 186.
Cornaby, William A., 239.
Creek Orchard, 205, 211, 214.
Croydon Scholar's reference to
Isaac Sharp, 75.

Dahl, Endre, 141.
Dairy Knoll, Isaac Sharp's
Middlesbrough home, 70.
Dalencourt, Justine, 175, 268.
Daniel's Knil, 91, 92.
Darlington, 15, 284.
Darlington Monthly Meeting,
22, 164.
Davenport, Dr., 230.
Davidson, Robert and M. J.,
225, 227, 229, 231, 244;
Davy, J. Burtt, 241.
Day and Robson, 13, 133, 257.
Deane, Frederick S., 221, 223,
224.
Denmark, visited, 78.
Dickenson, Barnard, visits
Orkney and Shetland Isles,
28 ; visit to Fair Isle, 71,
283.
Dixon, Dr., accompanies Isaac
Sharp, 188, 191, 192, 193, 196,
200, 204 ; returns home, 205 ;
accompanies Isaac Sharp to
Syria, 273, 274, 278.
Dobrashian, Dr , 186, 187, 188,
190.
Dobrashian, G. M., 186, 189.
Dobrashian, Sukias, 186, 189.
Doeg, Robert, Service in Den
mark, etc., 78.
Dorland, JohnT., 160, 245, 264.
Drapers, 146.
Dulwich, 266.
Dunning, John, 70, 76, 77, 145,
147.

292

INDEX.

Dunning, Priscilla, 9, 70, 77,
H4. HS, H6. H7. H9» IS2,
153. 183.
Durban, 119.
Durham Quarterly Meeting, 22,
264, 284.
Dyke, Mrs., 113.
Earls Colne School, 11.
Enon, 85.
Eriksen, Helge, 27.
Escaudon, 256.
Esquimaux, visits to, 58-60.
Ettington, 154, 161, 162, 176,
178, 262, 264, 271, 272, 278,
281, 282, 288.
Evans, Edward, 218, 238.
Evens, Anna L., 194.
Fair Isle, visited, 71, 283.
Fame Isles, visited, 36 ; diffi
culties of travel, 37 ; kindly
reception, 40.
Flekkefiord, 262,
Florida, 253.
Fogg, Archdeacon, 85.
Fontanes, 267.
Forster, Josiah, 29.
Forster, William, 259.
Foster, Arnold, 219, 220;
account of Isaac Sharp's
visit to China, 234.
Fothergill, John, 136.
Fox, Anna Maria, 63 .
Fox, George, 67, 103, 112, 130,
181, 245, 271.
France, visited, 167, 267.
Frank, 211.
French Hook Pass, 83.
Frere, Sir Bartle and Lady, 82.
Friedericksthal, 52, 54.
Friends' Foreign Mission Asso
ciation, 127, 192, 218, 226.
Friends, Society of, mode of
"liberating" Ministers for
service, 23.
Friendsville, 139.
Gardiner, Peter, 199.

Genadendal, 84.
Gibbins, Sarah, 155, 243.
Gibbins, Margaret, 281.
Giberne, Agnes, on heathenism,
108.
Giddy, Mr., 115.
Gillett, Charles, 186.
Gillett, George, decease of, 253.
Gilpin, Helen, 121.
Giragoshian, Dr., 187, 188, 189.
Glaisyer, Sarah, 10.
Griqua Land, no.
Goddard, Charles W., 252.
Good, Mr. and Mrs., 96, 97, 98.
Goouch, Benjamin and R., 271,
278.
Graaf Reinet, 87 ; Bible Asso
ciation, 88.
Gray, Mr., 133.
Green, Henrietta, 221.
Green, Joshua, 16, 257.
Greenland, visited, 46 ; the
voyage, 47 ; arrival, 48 ; first
meeting there, 49 ; various
visits, 49-56.
Grellet, Stephen, visits Norway,
Grimsey Island, visited, 30.
Gudbrand, Bishop, prints first
Icelandic Bible, 30.
Gundry, M. A., 200, 201, 202.
Hagenauer, 130.
Hammerfest, 67.
Hanbury, Elizabeth, 263.
Hankow, 218, 219, 220, 234.
Hansen, Paul, 47, 49.
Harda, 195.
Harmony, the Moravian
Mission ship, 56, 60, 75.
Harris, Theodore, accompanies
Isaac Sharp to South Africa,
79, 80, 84, 85 ; returns home,
86.
Hebron, 277.
Hecla, Mount, 32.
Hepburn, Mr. and Mrs., 102,
104, 106.
Herbrick, C. G., 49, 50.

MDfiX.

293

Hipsley, Henry, 197.
Hobart Town, 131, 134.
Hodgkin, Dr. Thomas, 264.
Hodgkin, Violet, 176.
Hodgkin, Jonathan Backhouse,
182, 186, 242, 288.
Holar, 30.
Hookey, Mr., leaves Motito, 4.
Hoshangabad, 194.
Houston, 255.
Hoyle, Phebe, 140.
Hutchinson, Dr., 166.
Iceland visited, 28 ; reception
of Isaac Sharp by Lutheran
Bishop, 29 ; meeting with
members of Icelandic Parlia
ment, 30 ; mode of travel, 32 ;
address from leading men,
33 ; opening of a church, 34 ;
a land of negatives, 35 ,'
again visited, 40; Icelandic
hospitality, 40 ; encounter
with man mad with drink,
41 ; Icelandic curiosity, 42 ;
passage of Yokulsa, 44 ;
meeting with College tea
chers, 45.
Ichang, 217, 219, 221, 231, 233,
235,
Ilkley, 145.
Impey, Robert, n.
Impey, William, schoolmaster,
n.
India visited, 192-7.
Indiana Yearly Meeting, 251.
Invercargill, 132.
Jackson, Elizabeth, 194.
Jackson, Thomas and Ann F.,
134*
Jaffa, 2fj.
Jalaguier, Dr., 167.
Japan visited, 199.
Jay, Allen, service in Denmark,
etc., 78.
Jeffrey, Russell, 197.
Jerusalem, 277, 278.

John, Dr. Griffith, 218, 219,
220, 229, 230, 233, 236.
Johnson, William and Lucy,
122, 124, 125, 264.
Jones, Benjamin H., 258.
Jones, Bishop, 82.
Jones, William, testimony
respecting Isaac Sharp, 76.
Jubilees of George III. and
Victoria, 1 1 .
Jumerati, 194.
Kansas Yearly Meeting, 251.
Kanye, 96, 97, 98.
Khama encourages Bible
Society, 6, 104; forbids use
of alcoholics, 105.
Kick-a-Poo Mission, 252.
Kimberley, no, 112.
King, Rufus, 78.
Kitching, Langley, companion
ship of, 5, 79, 83, 85, 86, 87,
89 ; kills a cobra, 90; 92,98;
account of thunderstorm, 113;
114, 117; in Madagascar,
124; returns to England, 128.
Kloster Asbjorn accompanies
Isaac Sharp to Iceland, 30,
33, 34; also to Faroe Isles,
36, 261.
Kobe, 217.
Koloberg, 98.
Kopong, 102.
Kung Billy, 7.
Kuruman, 4, 90, 91, 92, 94.
Kvinesdal, 261.
Labrador visited, 56-61.
Lamb, Charles, 245.
Lanyon, Colonel, no, 112.
Leribe, 113, 114.
Leuchive, 100.
Lichtenfels, 50, 52.
Likeman, Elizabeth, journal
entries of, 11; account of,
12.
Likeman, Mary, 9.
Linklater, Captain, reference
to Isaac Sharp, 75.

294

INDEX.

Linoxana, 96.
Livingstone, 96, 98.
London Missionary Society,
120, 124, 225, 236.
Lotfallah, Riskallah, 274.
Lyon, Mary, 80.
Macdonald, Dr., 196, 215.
Mackenzie, Mr., 4, 91, 92.
Madagascar, 7; arrival in, 119,
120; mode of travel, 121,
123; vegetation, 124; slavery
in, 125 ; address to Queen of,
128.
Magnusson, Professor, testi
mony respecting Isaac Sharp,
75-
Manasseh, Dr. Beshara, 277.
Manderstrom, Baron, 28.
Manuana, 96.
Marion, 207.
Maryville, 139.
Mason, Isaac, 218, 223, 224,
235, 266.
Mason, Thomas and Jane, 134.
Matehuala, 255.
Mather, Robert A., 134.
Matjes Fontein, 90.
Mauritius, 119, 129.
McAll Mission, 268.
Methodist Episcopal Mission,
225, 226.
Melbourne, 130, 132, 134.
Mexico, 8, 143, 145, 161, 168,
253> 255*
Michel, Louise, 269.
Middlesbrough, site of town
purchased, 15 ; iron trade,
28.
Miller, Dr., 242, 257.
Minden, 78.
Modoc Indians, 141, 252.
Mody, M., 192.
Moffat, Dr., advice of, 4 ;
writes of the Murray family,
87.
Moffatt Institute, 4, 91.
Moffat, J. S., 98, 99, 106.
Moleopole, 98, 104, 106, 107.

Molope, 95.
Montery, 255.
Morija, 113, 114.
Morris, Samuel, 210, 216.
Moravian Missions, 46, 48, 56-
61, 74. 75. 84, 130, 192, 272.
Moscopototo, 92.
Motito, 4, 92, 94.
Motsodi, 99, 100.
Muller, George, 160.
Muller, Mr., 84.
Murray, Andrew, visited by
Isaac Sharp and com
panions, 79, 249.
Murray, Charles, 87, 88.
Murray family, welcome from,
80, 85, 87.
Murray, George, 85.
Nason, Dr., 161, 171, 176, 264,
271, 282, 284, 287.
Neave, Joseph James, 130, 132 ;
, account of travel with Isaac
Sharp, 133, 135.
Neethling, Professor, 80, 83.
New Bedford, 247.
New England Yearly Meeting,
246.
New Garden, 140.
New Herrnhut, 47, 48, 50.
New York, 139.
New Zealand, visited, 132.
Newberg, 207.
Newcastle, 264.
Newman, Henry Stanley, 185.
Niagara, 142.
Nightingale, John, 221.
Nimes, 268.
North Shields, 17.
Norway visited, 24, 78, 261 ;
settlement of Friends there,
24-26 ; the King visited, 28 ;
visited by James Owen, 75.
Ohio Yearly Meeting, 248.
Orkney and Shetland Isles
visited, 28.
Owen, James, visit to Norway,
75-

INDEX.

295

Pacific Grove, 210.
Paris, 167.
Pearse, Mark Guy, 146.
Pearson, John, 203.
Pease, Arthur, 289.
Pease, Edward, 15.
Pease, Joseph, first Friend
who sits in Parliament, 15.
Pease, Sir Joseph Whitwell,
150, 158, 159, 162, 164.
Penington, Isaac, motto of, 68.
Penney, Harrison, accompanies
Isaac Sharp to Greenland,
47- 50, 67, 136.
Peppermint Bay, 131.
Perie, Dr., 233, 234.
Peterson, Dr., 33.
Peterson, William, 135.
Philadelphia, 139, 254.
Philipton, 115.
Philippopolis, 184.
Pierce, Dr., 209, 211.
Pim, Captain and Mrs., 166,
170, 171, 173, 268.
Piney Woods, 139.
Port Said, 189, 273.
Prentice Krall, 86.
Procter, Hannah, becomes
wife of Isaac Sharp, 17.
Procter, Joseph and Elizabeth,
17-
Procter, Joseph, son of preced
ing, 17-
Procter, John Richardson, 17.
Procter, "John William, 172.
Providence, " They who mark
the hand of," 8, 161.
Providence, U.S.A., 139.
Pumphrey, Edwin, accompanies
Isaac Sharp to Labrador, 56.
Purdie, Samuel A., 143, 168,
255 ; decease of, 256.
Radloff, Charles Henry, as
companion, 83, 84, 85, 86.
Ramallah, 277.
Ramsay, Miss, 225.
Ransome, Edwin R., 266.
Rasalama, 122.

Ras el Metn, 275.
Rentril, Ernest, 47.
Reykjavik, 32, 45.
Rhoads, Jonathan E., 216.
Richardson, Henry, accom
panied Isaac Sharp to Ice
land, 42.
Rink, Dr., 48.
Richmond, 139.
Richsquare, 139.
Robben Island leper and con
vict settlement, 82.
Robert College, 188.
Robson, Ernest, 264.
Roisland, Tollay, 261.
Rottingdean, 10.
Saffron Walden, 13, 15, 133, 257.
Saint Andrew of Crete, 97.
Saint Gilles, 268.
Salem, 207.
San Francisco, JJ, 135, 137,
202, 205, 223, 259.
San Jose, 162, 206, 207.
Sehneider, I. J., 50.
Scott, Mr., 112.
Sechele, Interview with, 98,
107 ; brings a goat, 99.
Sehore, 192, 193.
Seoni Malwa, 194.
Sewell, Joseph, 121, 122, 126,
214.
Shanghai, 215, 217, 218, 224,
227, 231, 235, 238, 239.
Sharp, Ebenezer, 9.
Sharp, Elizabeth, daughter of
Isaac Sharp, 22.
Sharp, Hannah, wife of Isaac
Sharp, 17 ; entries in diary,
18 ; illness and death, 18-20.
Sharp, Isaac, remarkable vision,
2 ; application in 1877 for
travelling certificate, 2 ;
seven years' journey, 3 ;
dangers in South Africa, 4 ;
passes " The Thirst," 5 ; in
Khama's country, 6 ; thunder
storm in Basutoland, 6 ;
favourite saying, 8 ; total

296

INDEX.

abstainer, 8 ; birth and
parentage, 9 ; his mother's
death, 9; school days, 11;
life at Saffron Walden, 13, 15,
133, 257 ; own verses, 14, 17,
68, 131, 132, 173, 183, 240,
243 ; private secretary to
Joseph Pease, 15 ; first
appearance in ministry, 15 ;
marriage with Hannah
Procter, 17; his wife's illness
and death, 18-20; is recorded
as a minister, 22 ; various
journeys as a minister, 23 ;
first visit to Norway, 24 ;
visits the King, 28 ; visits
Orkney and Shetland Isles,
28; removes to Middles
brough, 28 ; first visit to
Iceland, 28, 35 ; visits Faroe
Isles, 36-40; second visit to
Iceland, 40-45 ; Greenland
visited, 46-56; visits Labra
dor, 56-61 ; his character
depicted, 62-78 ; favourite
verse, "My Prayer," 66;
reverses in business, 70;
visits Norway with James
Owen, 76 ; South Africa
visited, 79-118; his watch
word, 91 ; reaches Mada
gascar, 119; letter to sea
captain, 119; slavery ques
tion, 125 ; addresses Queen
of Madagascar, 128 ; en
counter with savages, 128 ;
leaves for Australia, 129 ;
reaches Sydney, 130 ; reaches
Tasmania, 131 ; in Queens
land, 132 ; in New Zealand,
132 ; reaches San Francisco,
135 ; Baltimore, 137 ; illness
at New Garden, 140; visits
Whittier, 140; on pastors,
141, 247; visits Mexico, 143 ;
returns to England, 143 ; life
at Broadstairs, 146 ; his
sister's decease, 153 ; resides
at Ettington, 154 ; vision of

angels, 163 ; certificate for
further service, 164 ; goes to
Paris and falls ill there, 167 ;
returns to England, 171 ;
Yearly Meeting of 1891, 177-
182 ; starts for Constanti
nople, 183 ; illness in Red
Sea, 191 ; reaches India, 192 ;
reaches Japan, 199 ; reaches
San Francisco, 205 ; visits
Oregon, 207 ; illness in Cali
fornia, 208 ; leaves for China,
213 ; reaches China, 217 ;
Chung King, 224 ; presenta
tion of scrolls, 225 ; dangers
of travel, 231 ; leaves China,
239 ; American Yearly Meet
ings, 246-253 ; Mexico, 255 ;
Dublin Yearly Meeting, 257 ;
reaches England, 260; last
visit to Norway, 261 ; visits
France, 267 ; his thought for
others, 269 ; leaves for Syria,
273 ; Jerusalem, 277 ; returns
to England, 278 ; his home
interests, 279 ; last lecture,
281 ; returns to Ettington ill,
282 ; partial recovery, 283 ;
issue no longer doubtful, 285 ;
decease and funeral, 288.
Sharp, John, 16.
Sharp, Rebecca, sister of Isaac
Sharp, 22.
Sharp, Thomson, 9, 145, 155,
162, 281.
Shelley, S. H. and E. and
family, 162, 165, 182, 205,
207, 211, 241, 247, 256, 258.
Shiloh, 115.
Shillitoe, Thomas, visits Nor
way, 24.
Shoshong, 5, 6, 99, 100, 102,
104, 106, 108.
Skia-took, 252.
Slavery in Madagascar, 125,
128.
Smith, Joseph, 239.
Sohagpur, 194.
Southland College, 137.

INDEX.

297

Spiceland, 139.
Spindler, Charles, 47.
Spurgeon, C. H., in, 199.
Stavanger, 27, 261.
Steamboat Frank, 142.
Stellenbosch, Meeting with
students, 80, 82.
Stepamian, Pastor, 187.
Stephenson, George, 15.
Steven, Mr., 239.
Stewart Island, 8, 134, 144.
Stirk Fontein, 90.
Stratford-on-Avon, 161, 171.
Sufferings, Meeting for, the
standingexecutive committee
of Society of Friends, 69, 177,
212.
Swann, Rebecca, 9, 266.
Sydney, 130, 133.
Syria visited, 273-278.
Table Mountain, 84.
Tamatave, 119.
Tasted, Elias, 24.
Taylor, Dr. Bell, 162, 260.
Taylor, Joseph and Kate, 194.
Tennyson, 270.
Terrell, Charles D. and Mrs.,
192, 193.
"Thirst," The, 5, 102.
Thomas, Anna, 261.
Thomas, Deborah C, 137.
Thomas, Dr. James Carey, 253.
Thomas, Dr. R. H., 137, 182,
253, 261.
Thompson, Mr., 82.
Thomson, Esther, 9.
Thunderstorm, Terrific, 6, 113.
Tidmanton, 116.
Tokio, 201.
Tonjoroff, Mr. and Mrs., 184,
185.
Toronto, 247.
Tredouw Pass Convict Station,
84.
Tregelles, Edwin O., visits
Norway with Isaac Sharp,
24, 26, 189, 262.

Tuttle, Asa, 142.
Valence, 268.
Van Wyk, Mr., 108.
Verborgen Fontein, 90.
Victoria, 255.
Vienna, 184.
Villiersdorf, 83.
Wade, Charles, 138.
Wade, Sir Willoughby, 284.
Waldmeier, Theophilus, 276.
Walker, George Washington,
116.
Walls, William A., 253, 254,
255-
Warmow, M., 53.
Washington, 139.
Watson, John JVI., 253.
Weir, Mr., 115.
Weiz, Theodore, 158.
Wellington, 79.
Wellner, J. W., 51.
Western Yearly Meeting, 250.
Westman Islands visited, 31.
Whitney, Dr. and M. C,
200, 201, 202, 215.
Whittier visited, 140.
Wigham, Leonard, 229, 231,
233*
Wilberforce, William, 35.
Williams, John H. and E., 194.
Wilmington, 248.
Wittebergen, 115.
Woolman, John, 241.
Wyandotte Indians, 252.
Wycombe, 15.

Yangtse Kiang, 218, 221 ;
dangers of, 222, 231.
Yenimahli, 186.
Yokohama, 199, 201, 240.
Zeerust, 96.
Zephaniah, 115.
Zulu war, 91.
Zuurpoort, 90.

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ii