YALE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY Mlm nf §mii #rufit :,f I Iflntinn FROM THE LETTERS OF THE LATE SARAH GRUBB, (FORMERLY SARAH LYNES.) " She, being dead, yet speaketh."— Hebeevvs xi. i. SUDBUEY : PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY J. WRIGHT. LONDON; SIMPKIN; MARSHALL, AND CO., AND C. GILPIN. MDCCCXLVIII. PREFACE. In committing to the press the following pages, it was not our intention to have preceded them by any remarks of our own. Cir cumstances have, however, arisen, which call for a few words from us as compilers. We find that an apprehension prevails with some friends, that our mother destroyed her papers shortly before her death, and left an injunction that nothing should be published respecting her. We beheve this report to be without foundation, and a portion of the present volume was carefully preserved by herself, and endorsed in her own hand-writing. When about thirty-two or thirty-three years of age, she destroyed some journals which she had previously kept, and never resumed the practice. She also strongly objected to any testimony concerning her being prepared in the usual way, from a fear of the exaltation of the creature, and a belief that these documents often had that tendency; but we think it will be seen that the same objection does not apply to the publication of what came from her own pen. The materials which feh into our hands appeared so very valuable and instructive, that it became a question whether we ought to take upon ourselves the responsibility of withholding them from our friends j and on serious consideration, it was felt to be a d'nt-y to give them publicity. VI In the somewhat difficult work of selection, it has not been easy always to avoid repetition, withont injury to the meaning intended to be conveyed ; but we have endeavoured faithfuUy to perform our task — to do justice to the memory and character of the writer, and to the principles of the Society of which she was a member ; and we believe that the work wUl be acceptable to those who truly value these principles, and who desire that they may still be main tained in their ancient purity. J. GEUBB. H. GEUBB. / sudbitet, Uth Month, 1818. MINUTE 01? BURY MONTHLY MEETING. A Minister deceased. Sarah Grubh, of Sudbury, widow of the late John Gruhb, aged about sixty-nine years, a Minister fifty-two years ; who died the \Qth day of Third Month, 1842, and was interred in Friend^ Burial Ground, at Sudbury, the 23rd of the same. Whilst we deeply feel the loss of this faithful and long devoted servant of her great Lord and Master, we think it right, in accord ance with her own expressed desire, to refrain from issuing any testimony respecting her; desiring we may le instructed ly this evidence of her deep and unalated concern that no honour might le given to the creature, lut that all the honour and the praise might le ascribed, to that Fower, whereby alone she was what she was. Wm. D. King, Clerk. A SELECTION FROM THE LETTERS OF SARAH GRUBB. AN ADDRESS TO HER CHILDREN, WRITTEN AT SEVERAL DIFFERENT PERIODS. Stohe Newington, %8th of llth Month, 1832, My DEARLY BELOVED CHILDREN, Being now in the sixtieth year of my age, and not know ing how long it may please Infinite Wisdom to leave the ability for employ of this kind, I embrace the present time to commit to writing some short account of my past hfe j hoping the perusal of it may be blessed to you. I was born at Wapping, London, in the year 1773. My father's name was Mason Lynes ; he was, by trade, a block and mast maker. My mother's name was Hannah Holdway. I have been informed that they both came of respectable families in the middle class of com munity, and were each favoured to experience sometliing of vital rehgion. _ My dear mother has spoken to me of the tenderness of my father's conscience, and of the day of Divine visitation to her own soul in early hfe. She was a beautiful person, and much ad mired when young ; but could not see her way to enter the married state, until she had an offer of the hand of the plain, simple-hearted Mason Lynes. She has related to me an instance of my father's sense of rehgious duty, as being worthy the ihst attention. Having some urgent business on board a vessel lying in the river, that was to sail at a certain time, he suffered some work to be done on the Eirst day of the week, which I understand, cost him many weeks of B 2 A SELECTION PROM THE LElTERS bitter remorse. He was in great repute for upright dealing ; and being of industrious habits, had reahzed some property, when it pleased the Lord to caU him from every worldly pursuit, and every tender tie in nature, to a fixed state of existence in the world of spirits. Those who best knew him, and witnessed his departure, were comforted in the persuasion that an entrance into the everlast Uig kingdom of God was abundantly ministered to him, tiirough redeeming love and mercy, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. I weU remember his taking a final leave of his seven children, one by one. While he laboured hard for breath, he counseUed us severally to fear and love God. I was then about six years old. Two years after this solemn and deeply aflfecting event, the three youngest of us were placed at '^Eriends' School," Ishngton, or then Clerkenwell. The change was severely felt by us who had come from every comfort, to endure sore privations ; but our heavenly Eather blessed all to my mind — even He who had visited me by His love when not more than five years old ; so that I dehghted then in the " Divine Songs " of Watts, which an amiable elder sister had made me acquainted with, at that early period of my hfe. At school I sought the Lord; feeling His power in my heart operating against the evil propensities of my nature ; yet to these corrupt inclinations I many, mauy times gave way ; and for this I was brought under great condemnation, even as early as w-hen nine years oldj so that I bemoaned my condition, and have begged and prayed at that period, for a better state and a happier. I went on sinning and repenting for years ; stiU my love for good books in creased, and for good people. We had few books. The Bible, and one or two journals of Eriends, are aU that I can recoUect reading ; and I reaUy valued them as higlily as I was capable of doing in this my childhood. When I grew to about thirteen years of age, I began to discover sometliing about me, or in my mind, hke the heavenly anointing for the ministry ; for the Lord had revealed His word as a hammer, and had broken the rock in pieces in my living experi ence ; and I was contrited under a sense of powder and love j saying even vocally, when alone, "Lord, make me a cliosen vessel unto Thee !" I could even then utter good things, and have done so to my schooKeUows in select companies j and once I saw several in tears wliile I spoke to them. I was not, however, sensible of a Divine requiring to do as I then did. Soon after I was fourteen years old, a friend from Ireland took or SARAH GliUBli. 3 me into her fainily to attend her childi-en, who were young, there being four of them. This situation wii' as a f'erh ordeal to me. At one time I wrote thus — • " 3?r/ of Uh Month, 1791. — Oh the deep distress ar d w^ore anguish of soul which I now feel ! It is beyord expression ; yet, out of the depth of my tribulation, have I been permitted this morning to cry unto the depth of His mercies, \-<\\^"q oomijassions fail not. Oh ! there is something in me which p. riiaps is not of His pure Spirit ; that wishes it might please Him to cut the thread of my life, or that I might go into some solitary place, where I might mourn and none know it. But I find another language, peradventure more profitable to attend to, ' Is this keeping the word of my patience ?' " I was then eighteen years old ; had come forth as a minister, yet discovered great need of further refinement, both for my own accept ance wdth the Lord, and that I might be fit for the Lord's use. Truly I had to abide the fiery furnace. ^\ ith respect to my first appearances as one called to speak in the high and holy name of the Lord, they were in great fear, and under a feeling that my natural inclination would not lead me into such exposure, for I shrunk from it exceedingly ; and often have I hesi tated, and felt such a reluctance to it, that I have suffered the meet ing to break up without my having made the sacrifice : yea, when the word of life, in a few words, was like a fire within me. Great has been my mourning through these omissions of duty, although but seventeen years old when I first gave utterance publicly to a sentence or two; and I had opened my mouth in private many months previously, under the constraining influence of the Spirit of truth ; being without the shadow of a doubt that it was indeed re quired of me, poor child as I was. I had sweet consolation in coming into obedience ; and after a wliUe was surprised to find, that although I stood up in meetings expecting only to utter a little matter, more passed through me, I scarcely knew how. Thns the gift grew, and much baptism and suffering was my portion from time to time : the great work of my salvation and sanctification going on, while I was occasionaUy induced to invite others to the needful acquaintance with Him who came to redeem us from aU iniquity. I have never known an easier way to favour with the Lord of hfe and glory, than that of passive submission to all His holy wiU concerning me, even under dispensations most provini? and mortifnng to the fleshly mind. B 2 4 A SELECTION FROM THE LETTERS I lived nearly ten years in the fanuly to which I went from school, viz., that of Sarah Grubb, of Anner MiUs, near Clonmel, Ireland. Never, aU that time, could I see my way to change my situation ; for, throngh aU the dif&cidty that lay in my way of fulfiUing my re hgious duty, I beheved that the Great Master had some good end which He designed to answer, in permitting me to be as it were cramped in the gift dispensed to me as a minister of Christ ; and my faith was at times renewed and confirmed, that if I would patiently endure to the end, my reward would be sure. Thus I was mercifully enabled to " wait aU the days of my appointed time untU my change came ;" until, in the clear openings of truth, I was led back to my native land, to my near relatives, and sent forth largely to pubhsh . the glad tidings of the Gospel. I had been some journeys whUe a servant in Ireland, but now a very wide field of labour opened before me; and, with the consent of my Montlily Meeting, I traveUed much, up and down in England, both among Eriends and others, for some successive years ; and many blessed and powerful meetings we had, to the praise of His exceUent Name, without whom we can do nothing, and are nothing. Eor some considerable time I was joined by my beloved friend Ann Baker, daughter of Samuel Baker of Birmingham, and afterwards wife to Stanley Pumplirey, of Worcester. We passed tlu-ough tribulation together, which, as weU as experi encing some rejoicings, had a strong tendency to unite ns in true sisterly love and friendship ; and in it we were preserved to the end of her course, which was finished with holy triumph many years since. Neither hath death itself dissolved the heavenly bond by wluch our spirits were united ; even in that which outhves aU probation. It pleased the Lord to call me into a path much untrodden, in my early travels as a messenger of the Gospel ; having to go into mar kets, and to declare the truth in the streets. Tlus sore exercise began in Cork, Ireland ; but it was only in one instance required of me in that nation: in England, however, many, very many such sacrifices I had to make in pursuit of peace ; and in pure obedience to the wiU of my Heavenly Eather I gave up. No one knows the depth of my sufferings, and the mortifying, yea, crucifying of my own will, which I had to endure in tliis service ; yet I have to ac knowledge to the sufficiency, of Divine grace herein. Many times I had brave opportunities on these occasions, to invite the people to the Lord Jesus Christ, who manifests Himself in the conscience as a hght, and who would discover the evil of covetousness and of all 01' SARAH GRUBB. unrighteousness ; leading and teaching "to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with God." liimdreds, possibly thousands, who would not, even though requested, come to meet us in a house, or place of worsliip, have thus felt the power of the hving God, in hearing teU that He rewardeth every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings. In some instances we were rudely treated. Once in a great town (Leicester) while I was speaking in the market, there came two men who looked reaUy furious. They said the mayor ordered me down; coming toward me through the crowd that stood round, evidently intending to pull me down from where I stood ; but I observed them, and looking at them, their countenances feU, and they appeared to have no power to touch me : however, as they came with an order from the mayor of the town, I told the people how it was, and commended them to their inward Teacher — Christ. Wlien we obeyed the order, and were leaving the place, some said, had it been a mountebank who stood in my place, he would have been suffered to proceed ; but that which drew their attention to God was prohibited. Others who were hght and wicked, revUed us. I had, as usual, some dear and tender friends among the brethren, who accompanied and stood by me in such great exercise. These partook of the insults offered — the people throwing at them : indeed somebody was unfeeling enough to bring hot melted lead and cast at us ; some of which was found on some part of the clothing of one dear friend. I retired to my chamber at a friend's house, after tlus bustle ; and oh the sweet tranquillity that fiUed my mind ! I thought it a foretaste of that glorious rest pre pared for the clulchen of God in His eternal kingdom. At Durham a clergyman came in a rage, wliile I was preaching in a market place, wanting some of the people to hale me away ; but they took little or no notice of him, and he passed on. Next day we appointed a meeting for Eirst day morning, in a liired room in this dark towoi ; and, as was usual, posted up notices. These were tom down, and we were informed, that if we held the meeting, we should be heavUy fined. The meeting was nevertheless held, and owned by the great Head of His own Church. At the close another was appointed for the evening of the same day, and a large heavenly meeting it was. We tarried there aU that night, but heard no more of the threatened hne. This was but one of divers visits to Durham. It is not my intention, in writing a narrative, to enter much into detail of my journeyings from place to place, but to leave my dear A SELECTION FROM THK LElTERS cluldren some testimony to the sufficiency of that Name in wluch we are caUed to confide, and to encourage to come up in faithfulness to aU truth's requirings. Once, when young in the ministry,- being at an inn with the family with whom I lived, I heard one of them say she had placed a handkercliief in one of the chambers ; and on going to fetch it, could not find it. Immediately my mind was impressed with a sense that a yotmg girl whom I had seen in the house, had stolen the handkercliief. I was astonished at my conviction of this fact, for I had by no means a disposition to suspect any one of evil. It was not, however, to be suppressed; for I saw with clearness she had committed the theft : wdiat showed it me was the hght of the Lord, which came like lightning into my mind. I ran to enquire for the girl, who came, not knowing my business with her. I looked at her, and in the fear of the Lord told her she had stolen the hand kercliief, wluch she dared not deny, and it was produced. Then I spoke to her ; the power of the Lord accompanying what I said, in a wonderful manner, the girl turned very pale, almost like a corpse. I continued to declare of the exceeding sinfulness of sin, and to warn the young creature for perhaps twenty minutes. While the Lord's word was passing through me, a servant was cleaning the floor of the room where we stood ; one apparently of the very lowest of her class. She felt so struck by the authority with which the communication was attended, that she raised her hands with aston ishment. The mother of the young girl came to me before we left the inn, and asked me how I could teU that her daughter had taken and. concealed the handkerchief; to which I rephed, that I was made acquainted with it from a sense given me by the Spirit of truth in my own mind — the anointing which could not only give me to be with out doubt in this thing, but also did influence all that take heed to it, so as to lead them out of sin, and bring them to hve godly lives. I told her she had this gift of God in herself; that aU the children of men had it, or a measure of it ; and warned her to take heed to it. I understood they were aU Papists who heard me speak. After this was over, and we passed away from the place, I was so over come with what had occurred, that I conld not refrain from many tears. Another tune in my hfe have I been alike filled with the mighty power of the Lord in the sacred work of the ministry. These two instances were extraordinary. The second was in the case of a OP SARAH GRUBB. member of our Society, a high professor, but who was of a conten tious spirit. It came upon me to set before him his corrupt and dark state, and to warn him of the day of the Lord who searcheth ah hearts ; that if he did not speedily repent, and humble himself as in the dust, this day would overtake hhn, bring him down, and he would come to nothing. I was engaged to keep my eye upon lum, while thus addressing him in the dread of the Most High : he at tempted to look at me once or twice in defiance, but he could not hold up his head, nor oppose the power : he grew quite pale, and was some time silent, as we sat together after. When, however, we were about to separate, he began to rail against me for what I had said. His words seemed but as chaff before the wind.* After this also, my bodily powers seemed so shaken, that I was quite weak, and obhged to lie down for a wdule. Thus did it please Infinite Wisdom to show fortii His own mighty power tiirough a mere notiiing. Another remarkable exercise I had, which lay as a perpetual burden on my mind for one wliole year. It was to go, on the day caUed Christmas Day, into the great cathedral caUed St. Paul's, in London. Shortly before the time arrived, I acquainted some friends with my concern. They did, I believe, tenderly sj'mpatluze with me ; and having been engaged, for some time previously, visiting in the City, both Eriends and others, in company with two friends, they both felt much for me, and one offered to accompany me. About the time the people were to assemble, we two women went into the worship house; taking our places in a gaUery not far from the pulpit. The bishop preached. There did not appear to be a large congregation : they gave marked attention wlule this man repeated something caUed a sermon ; it was not long. He then immediately kneeled, and uttered words in the form of prayer; but I may ac knowledge I was not prepared to witness anything so dry and formal as his communications were altogether. It seemed to me like notiiing more than the mere repetition of words, devoid of all that could render them impressive to the hearers. No sooner had the bishop risen from his knees, than he rethed without sitting down, or look ing at the people : his attendants seemed to be in waiting at the door of the vestry room, as I supposed. Now while the bishop was withdrawing, I asked, in a loud voice, • This mau, in a few years, came to nothing. And though then he had a grand house, and kept his chariot, he lost all his property, and is at this day supported by others. * A SELECTION FROM THE LETTERS if the service was over. This I repeated, expecting an answer ; but two of the officers of the place came and led me away (my compamon foUowing) toward the large entrance, where the people rushed after us to gratify theh curiosity, whUe the men told us we must depart, and not speak there : however, I turned from the great door, and addressed the audience for a short time, to the rehef of my own mmd : indeed, for this act of dedication in giving up to so singular a thing, I was favoured with a time of the flowings of sweet peace in my own soul — that which the world can neither give nor take away. When we met my endeared friend J. G. Bevan, who was anxiously waiting for us outside, I felt inexpressible joy, in which I beheve he partook. My heavy burden was laid down, and I was hke another person. At least for twelve months had this matter occasioned me to go bowed down, althongh I was mostly engaged travelhng in the work of the ministry. I did not consider that in this instance of obedience, the way opened for enlargement in preach ing the true Teacher, Christ Jesus — ^the everlasting Bishop of souls ; but then I was favoured with a behef that the acceptance stood in the obedience, and my soul blessed and praised the Lord. Divers have been the peculiar caUs to rehgious duty, of which my mind from time to time has been made sensible; once having to walk tlrrough Worcester streets, and to speak in the markets there. As I passed along I was drawn to address a recruiting sergeant who was near me : I spoke to hhn in the dread of the Most High, and had to aUude to his employ. At first he seemed ready to be scorn ful, but as I proceeded, he changed countenance ; looking pale, and held down his head, not answering a word. The hke has occurred with others. At another town in particular, I recoUect seeing a young woman under a gateway; I think it was at Carhsle. She was conversing with a man who stood by. My mind was arrested with a behef that I ought to warn her of the awful consequences of sin, and to tum her to that of her Saviour in her own heart, that would lead from, and redeem out of aU iniquity. She hstened without any reply; lookmg as if she would have fainted: the man also waiting to hear me out. ChUdren and young lads who would foUow us from place to place in a town, have often been overawed in my turning to them, and charging them to love and fear their God. At Bath I had to go to the Pump Eoom, and declare the truth lo the gay people who resorted there. Tlus was a time very reheving! OP SARAH GRUBB. 9 to my sorely exercised mind. In these days and years of my life, I was seldom from under some heavy burden ; so that I went greatly bowed down ; sometimes ready to say, " If it be thus with me, oh Thou who hast given me a beings I pray Thee take away my hfe from me." At length I saw to the end of this trying dispensation. I saw clearly that it was fulfiUed, hke other dispensations that had been allotted me in inscrutable wisdom, and which all have had a tendency to " crucify the flesh, with the affections and lusts ;" even bringing into a disposition to " bear about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the hfe also of Jesus inight be made manifest in our body." Oh ! it is good to say amen to the whole wiU of God concerning us : to be patient when brought to a low estate, and "make not haste in time of trouble." In the year 1801 I wrote thus : — " Oh ! my Heavenly Eather, Thou hast seen me in the depth of tribulation, in my many journey ings and travaUs. When, in obedience to the holy leadings of thy Spirit, I went forth. Thou didst take cognizance of me : when I felt the woes of the wicked, when I passed by the gates of death. It was thy power which supported me when no flesh could help ; when man could not comprehend the deptli of mine exercise. Without Thee I could not have gone, bearing my cross, into the public streets, into the hurrying markets ; warning the people of thy justice in " rewarding every man according to his works, and according to the fruit of his doings :" inviting aU to love and fear thy great, thy holy Name. By Thee have my feet entered the prison-houses, and my tongue declared of thy goodness : holding forth the invitation to be acquainted with Tliee in thy Christ, and be set free from the bondage of corruption : to come from under the law of sin and death, into the glorious hberty of thy Gospel. Thou hast many, many times led me into the sick ward, unto the bed of languislung, and unto the roUing piUow. Thou hast given me to minister of thy word to the afflicted, and to put my soul in their soul's stead, in some degree. Thou hast enabled me to hft up my voice as a trumpet, not only to thy gathered Church, but as it were to Jews and GentUes. Without Thee, oh Thou fulness of strength, I am less than the worm of the dust. Be Thou only, and for ever exalted in, by, and through thy poor cliild; and let notiiing be able to pluck me out of thy hand. Amen." I am far from acknowledging myseK to have been without un- watclifulness, even wlule preaching to others. Often, very often. 10 A SELECTION FROM THB XETl'ERS have I mourned over my fi-aU erring nature; and bitter anguish hath at times taken hold upon me, in a sight and sense of my wretchedness without my Saviour. Yea, to this day do I find shame and confusion cover me, because of my want of strict adherence to the aU-preserving principle of Divine grace. In it hes owr sufficiency, as certainly as was the case with any in any age ; for it is the mani festation of Clnist Jesus the Lord, who came in the flesh, and is come in the spirit, to save us from our sins. There have been sea sons mercifuUy afforded me, notwithstanding all that I deplore, when an evidence has been granted that my past sins were remitted, and that He who had brought my soul tlu-ough tribulation, had also washed me with the water of regeneration, and pm-ged me from mine iniquities in His own blood, of His own free mercy ; to whom be ascribed salvation and glory, now and for ever. Amen. And oh that I may be vigUant — ^that I may be kept low in the fear of the Most High ; " lest, when I have preached to others, I myseK should be a cast-away." In the year 1803 I was united in marriage to your dear father., After leaving Anner MiUs, and whUe on board ship, crossing to England, a secret caution seemed given me, to beware how I hstened to any proposals of this kind. And although it was my lot to be tried therewith in more than one instance, in this my native country, I was kept from encouraging the thing (there being a want of clear ness in my mind respecting it) untU the fulness of time came, that your beloved father and myseK were to enter into the solemn cove nant with each other, to share the toils and joys of life together. Oh I have no doubt, not the least, that Divine Wisdom pointed out the suitableness and propriety of our becoming each other's; and He has been with us from time to time, through aU the vicissi tudes experienced. Yea, in blessing He has blessed us, and rendered us a blessing to each other. He hath enabled us to go, as it were, hand in hand, whUe pursuing the path cast up for us. He has been graciously pleased to sustain us in many trials; evidencing that He knew our souls in adversity, and, in His own time, hath brought dehverance. May His works praise Him stUl, even by and through His unworthy children ! The tribulations attendant on ilhiess, and twice that of death, have been heavy. In one of my long fits of Ulness, and whUe several of our household were visited with indisposition, my deal- husband and I held certificates for traveUing. Great, truly great, was. the OF SARAH GRUBB. 11 trial of my faith ; and much did I seek to commit aU into the Divine hand, again and again. At length, wliile yet confined (I think) whoUy to bed, my soul distinctly heard the voice of its WeU-beloved, saying in the very language of Scripture, " Eise up, my love, my fair one, and come away. Eor, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone ; the flowers appear on the earth ; the time of the singing of bhds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land." Oh 1 my mind was prepared to understand and receive this gracious answer to aU my prayers, my sighs, and my groans. I saw indeed that of myseK I was vile ; but He who, to me, was the chief of ten thousand, had again and again washed me in His own blood ; and I found my spirit united to Him in the covenant of His own life, in which I bowed my heart and gave thanks. Erom this time I rapidly mended in health ; and before long, we left home to accomplish the service of the Gospel before us. ¦We have seldom been easy to stay at home more than a few months at a time, even since it has pleased the Ahnighty to vouch safe to us our precious offspring. When nm-sing you, I was led to engagements in the ministry around oiu- dweUing; and when my loved babe, my first-born, was but eight months old, I left her for five months, to travel in Ireland, Scotland, and England ; my dear husband accompanying me. Tliis, and many such sacrifices, have cost my nature much suffering; but I have apprehended them called for, as the first-fruits of aU bestowed upon us by our bountiful Creator. In 1818 I wrote as foUows : — " Clonmel, 2bth of Qth Month. — Having for some years believed that the Lord, who hath a right to dispose of us as He sees ifteet, was drawing my mind to a residence in England ; and being aware of the very great importance of such a step, many and deep have been my conflicts, and great the searching of heart to know that the caU was indeed in that which cannot err. I acquainted my dear companion in hfe from time to time with my views ; and knowing that I was much pressed down by the weight of this concern, and being himseK truly desirous of foUowing the leadings of truth, he surmounted the great difficulty of bringing his mind to consent to go out from his native country, and from his kindred, and to leave also his business and property, and to hve away from it, where he possessed nothing, but must draw his outward support, from time to time, for himseK and family, from his own land ; being resigned 12 A SELECTION FROM THE LETIERS to aU this, and to the very great reluctance of friends to part with us. We acquainted our Monthly Select Meeting with what lay upon our minds, in the 3rd month last. Erom them we met with much discouragement, and continue to meet with it from aU but a very few, who, in this thing, are enabled to look beyond 'things that are seen, and are temporal, to those that are not seen, and are eternal.' My beloved husband is favoured with a sense that it is right to go; and there seems no reason for us to be greatly moved, or to draw back. We are not hkely, in removing, to promote our woridly interest, but are brought to a wiUingness to give up aU to the Lord. He can bless the httle, or cause a blast to come upon that which is more. The opposition we meet with is like a host : our friends find it hard to let us go, and many reason strongly against it; wliich, if we had done, we shoiild not have mentioned it to them. I see plainly, that should we be led forth from this place, it must indeed be by a patient reliance on the strong hand, and the outstretched arm of Hun who is mighty, and hath aheady done for us great things. My beloved J. G. had, some weeks back, to supphcate the Great Name in a remarkable hne, and with great solemnity, that He would make our way, and enable us to erect an altar to His wonder ful and exceUent Name, where He might appoint. " 28th of Qth Month. — Many times of late, have I thought on the dear Eedeemer's condescending goodness and mercy, in enduring temptation for our sakes. It is an unspeakable consolation that we have Him, the great High Priest, to look to in aU our trials ; who being HimseK 'touched with a feehng of our infirmities,' knows how to succour us in our greatest temptations. Oh Lord keep me, T beSeech Thee, low in thy fear. "hth of 1th Month. — Some amongst us have given me plainly to understand, that they beheve me to be under a delusion with respect to the prospect of removing with our famUy from this place to England. How then is it, that while this concern was ripening, it pleased the Lord to be with me ; to send me forth in His name through this nation; to grant the living and blessed authority of His Spirit in declaring the truth ? Yea, even just before disclosing my views, how did I go in His fear, and visit the meetings in this province of Munster : the humbling, baptizing power of truth being,. from place to place, in blessed dominion; so that divers felt it like a fareweU visit, and some said they believed the Great Master was about to remove me, at least for a while, frora this Quarterly Meeting. OF SARAH GRUBB. 13 I was truly of their opinion, and strengthened in my views as to leaving L-eland. After a painful interview with some friends on this subject, my dear husband had it from the Lord, to encourage me to attend to the pure openings of truth ; saying, ' Thy God whom thou servest continually. He wiU dehver thee.' Even now, under aU I have to bear, I find that the name of the Lord is a strong tower, where my soul finds refuge. Were it not so, how could I adopt the language as I do, ' Cast down, but not destroyed,' &c. ? Indeed I have lately felt, that were it not for the invincible fortress which is open to the oppressed and bowed down, I must have been de stroyed by that which is without. Blessed be Jehovah, the Lord of Hosts ; and blessed be my Eock and my Eedeemer ! Ah ! He knows the simplicity with which He enabled me to look to Him in this great exercise; and to Him I appeal, who knows that I have no motive in wishing to remove from tliis land, but to foUow His holy leadings, to act in His counsel, and to prosecute my day's work in His fear. " Wi of 1th Month. — I assuredly beheve, that as I look to Him who is ahnighty. He wUl yet raise me up out of my present de pressed condition ; that He wUl give me to see that aU things work together for good to those who love Him with the whole heart ; for in my measure 'I am persuaded that neither death, nor hfe, nor angels, nor principahties, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shaU be able to separate' His dedicated cluldren from His love 'in Christ Jesus our Lord ;' who encouraged His disciples in the language of, ' Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.' It is certainly trying to be suspected of having seK-gratification in view, by professing a call to England ; but I am made wiUing to suffer reproach, and to pass tiirough evil report, for the sake of a good conscience. Had I any thing in pursuit but the wUl of my Heavenly Eather, how could I hope to be supported, or look for the divine blessing, which is only to be found in our right aUotment ? How could I again expect the protection of the Good Shepherd for myself and my dear family ? I should surely be most ungrateful, were I to presume to take us aU from the situation in which Divine Providence placed me fifteen years ago, which is as in a ' south land ;' and where I have found also ' springs of water :' where I have been every way prosperous ; the Great Disposer of events bringing about that which I long foresaw to be His gracious design; even uniting me, in the most 14 A SELECTION FROM TIIE LETTERS endearing earthly bond, with one who has ever been a man of clean hands, and among the faitMul has stood with singular up rightness. "\Uh of nth Month.— k^wx and again have we looked toward complying with the earnest desire of our friends to remain where we are; but finding no hght upon it, nor feeling any rest therein, we have concluded to give np all, and obey our Divine Master; and forthwith intend to prepare ourselves and our family for the journey. We are not without the unity and tender sympathy of a few un biassed minds, wliich proves strengthening and consohng. " Uh of Wi Month, 1818. — We had a heart-contriting farewell meeting on the Eirst day, consisting of Eriends of our Monthly Meeting, including Clonmel and Garryroan particular meetings. AU opposition appeared to me to give way in the minds of those present, who before were much against our leaving them; but truly the Lord's everlasting power was in dominion." We left Clonmel the 9th of Qth Month, 1818, for Bury, in Suf folk ; for to this place my inward eye was dhected, although I knew not why. It was only while pursuing our journey that we either heard of, or had liberty to make much enquhy for a habitation. We arrived there the 10th of 10th Month, with peaceful feelings. Our habitation w^as very inferior to that which my husband had built for us in L-eland, and wliich we had just Jeft; but I may gratefuUy acknowledge that I beheve this quiet spot, with the fine bracing air of the place, had a great use in strengthening the con stitution, both of my beloved husband and our chUdren. The meet^ ing was smaU to which we now came to belong ; we were, however, but little at home ; that is, my husband and I — stUl it was our lot to travel in the work of the Gospel. I wish to narrate an illness I had some years ago, which was attended vnth great bodily suffering ; and it being tedious, brought me very low. The pain I endured was excruciating. Tedious days and wearisome nights were appointed me for weeks together; and for a season, I thought that my sufferings would terminate in death. I earnestly waited upon the Lord, and it ^vas frequently the language of my heart, "Oh ! my Heavenly Eather, when wilt Thou be pleased to send forth thy word and say, 'It is enough?' " Being under a great weight of illness, and looking toward dissolution, I was opened into a view of the love of my gracious Savioui- toward my soul ; feeling assured that nothing stood in my way of accept.nnce Arith the OF SARAH GRUBB. 13 Judge of quick and dead. I saw clearly that my transgressions were forgiven ; that all defilement was purged away in that living, blessed " fountain, opened to the house of David, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem." I had a degree of foretaste of eternal glory : I saw the light of heaven : I beheld, as " through a glass darkly," sometlung of His majesty who sitteth upon the throne, and the ineffable bright ness of those garraents worn by the redeemed. I had no doubt of being admitted to their blessed companj^, should it please Divine Wisdom to cut the tlnead of my life. I relate this Avith reverent hmnility, and in the unreserved acknowledgment that I felt assm-ed, if presented faultless before the throne of my Saviour's glory, it would all be of His free mercy and infinite loving-kindness to one of the least of His family. I flunk it was given me to say, "Not my will, but Thine be done." As to the restoration of the poor affiicted frame, I did, however, find myself much exercised about my loved family ; and one morning I was engaged to petition that I might be spared to them, when I became sensible of receiving the earnest of my prayer; these words being heard in my soul, "I wiU spare thee;" andthat scripture occurred to remembrance wliich teUs us, that when Jacob had made an end of blessing or commanding his children, he gathered up liis feet in the bed, and gave up the ghost. I beheved that I might yet be of use to my beloved family in the Divine ordering. Immediately I wished to caU you and say, " Your mother hves; the Lord wiU raise me up again :" but such was my weakness, I could not request to see you. I was worse after this time than before, yet never wholly lost sight of recovery. (This illness occnrred at Bury in 1820.) At Bury we resided five years, when it seemed right to remove nearer to the Quarterly Meeting of London. Our way opening to take a house at Chelmsford, in Essex, we settled down there for the space of six years; often going up to London, and travelling to other parts. Eor some time whUe at Chelmsford, I had to believe that our lot would one day be cast stUl nearer to the g-reat metropolis ; aud after having Chelmsford for our home as long as we were sensible of its being our right place, we removed to Stoke Newington, near Lon don, where we have resided three yeajB. There seems to be much wisdom in the leadings and instructions of the Great Shepherd us ward. We have not dared to guide om-selves, nor to conclude, because we have felt at home for a season, where Divine Providence 16 A SELECTION FEOM THE LETTERS has set the bounds of our habitation, that it was to be our " certain dweUing place" to the end of our day, but have again been made wUhng, from time to tune, to have our rest in this respect broken up ; which is no pleasant thing to that part that would like to be able to say, " take thine ease." Now in this place, our dear chUdren know that we have no tie but that of rehgious duty. One is settled in hfe in Suffolk, the county where we were first led from Ireland ; two are in Essex ; so that we can stiU adopt the language, "Lo! we have left aU and foUowed Thee." Oh ! our morning hght, be pleased to be our even ing song. You are aware, my dear chUdren, that all we have we owe to the Lord. He was pleased to take back the precious gift of your lovely infant brother, many years ago. Your father and I dared not mur mur, but pursued diligently the path of duty stiU. You are spared to us ; yet, for the sake of the answer of 'a, good conscience, onr place of abode is many miles from you aU ; not one of us repining that so it is, nor you wishing to hinder us from pursuing the Diviae wiU. May Almighty kindness be with you; giving you also to know the voice of the true Shepherd, even Christ ; who doth lead His own forth, doth go before them,, and giveth unto them hfe eternal: proving, in the blessed experience of His sheep, that none are able to pluck them out of His holy hand. In this place, so near the City, we find our exercises and rehgious duties to fiU up ; and it has often appeared remarkable to me, that it was not untU, from the infirmities of age, we became unlikely to travel much, that our lot was cast in so wide a field of labour as is found here, Avithin the chcuit of a few nules ; where we have many meetings of Eriends quite within a ride of a morning : besides which, we have again and again to hold religious meetings with other people. In this work we are now engaged. Many very deep baptisms of spirit does it occasion me, yet if I may but be found in the divine wiU, it is enough. What signify the "hght affhctions which are but for a moment," seeing they are not worthy to be compared with the "glory" that shaU be revealed? I may here remark, that %om youth to this last stage of life, I have had but few intimates ; and in some of those few, I have been disappointed. Friendship, true friendship, is indeed a precious thing— a rare gem— hard to find. It is, however, to be met with OF SARAH GRUBB. 17 here below. It is unchangeable as the source from which it springs. Its value is equally known and appreciated in prosperity and in ad versity. Concluded these lines 10th of 1st Month, 1833. S. G. Ith Month, 1834. — Eor a number of years past it has been my lot to warn friends, and particidarly in the Yearly Meeting in London, against a spirit of subtlety that would draw us from an attention to the inward manifestation of our blessed Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ; for I have long seen that some of those most prominent and influential characters among us, never have been altogether of the Lord's own forming, either as Eriends, or as min isters of Christ : and now many, very ma-ny, have embraced some thing short of Him who remains to be the fulness, and are settling on the surface of tilings — ^buUding on the sand ; higlUy extolling in words, the " One Offering," wluch, indeed, is to be appreciated mth feehngs of adoration and heart-felt gratitude ; but these know not of what they speak, whUe they preach up a literal faitii in Clirist crucified, and endeavour to bring people from a pure dependence on the leadings and unfoldings of the Spirit of Clirist, or the inward and heart-felt power and coming of Clnist mtlun, the hope of glory. Divers ministers of our Society are sliding, and others are already gone from that which first caUed them to the preparation, and then did reaUy bring them into the sacred office : much of this is to be traced to their adopting the views and sentiments of those mentioned above, who never whoUy left theh own works, but have sought to bring aU things to the test of reason, instead of to that "Sphit wluch searcheth aU tlungs, even the deep things of God." Oh that my dear chUdren may walk in humility and fear before the Lord, in this evU day ; that they may be sheltered from all that is airy and notional in religion, being covered with the Almighty wing ; for it is written, " He shaU cover thee \\dth His feathers." During the Yearly Meeting tlus spring, great was the exercise and travail of my soul, which produced the foUowing effusions in my pocket-book. "1834. — After the thhd sitting of the Yearly Meeting. The appearance of things amongst us is very specious ; an exact resem blance of what should be known, felt, and evidenced in the Church of Christ, through His own power, who is the second Adam, the c 18 A SELE.CTION FROM THE LETTERS Lord from heaven— the quickening Spirit; but the absence of this quickening Spirit is, in my apprehension, mournfuUy and oppres sively felt, whUe 'Mystery Babylon' mimics it in various ways— m language, in orthodox sermons, in dissimulation of love, in solemn sUence, not the solemnity of the Lord's own power. We have a zeal among us which draws from the influence and motions of the inward anointing into creaturely activity; and we are so blind, in many instances, as to mistake Babylon's streams, where go the ' gaUant ships, and the gaUeys wdth oars,' for the ' place of broad rivers and streams,' where none of these are found. Our predecessors suffered much in avowing the leadings of the Sphit of truth, which brought them away from aU wiU- worship ; shaU we, with impunity, trample upon the testimonies of the everlasting Gospel, which they embraced at the risk of the loss of property, personal liberty, and hfe itself; and which they maintained through the hottest persecution ? Our Society has thus stood on higher ground than any of those around; shaU we descend to the level of things in the rehgious world (at large) ? Or shall we profess more fuU hght on the truths of the Gospel than was theh experience, and so deceive ourselves ? Surely they did come to the meridian brightness of this last and most glorious day and dispensation, and to the summit of that 'holy mountain, where nothing shaU hurt nor destroy ;' and unto which ' aU nations ' of the earth ' shaU flow.' With aU the prying wisdom of this present age, we shall find notlung beyond what these dear servants of the Lord were privUeged to obtain. Oh that, by full dedication of heart to the Most High, we may be found in their footsteps; even in the narrow way that leadeth to 'hfe everlasting.' Amen." ^ 19;;^ of llth Month, 1838.— My dear chUdren wiU be aware, that since the date of the foregoing, great have been the shaking and sift ing that have come upon us as a Society : every foundation has been tried, yet that which cannot be shaken stiU evidences itseK to be the invincible, eternal Eock, on which Christ Jesus builds " His Church, and the gates of heU sliaU not prevaU against it." Eor years past the mourners in Zion have had to wear sackcloth, and sit on the ground, with ashes on theh heads, except when the Lord has hfted them up, and clothed them in the beauthul garments, to show forth His mighty power in and tlu-ough them. Some has He made very skilful m lamentation in these days : He has also given them to be mighty to suffer in His cause, and He wUl take the "cup of trem- OF SARAH GRUBB. 19 bhng " ont of their hand, placing it in the " hand of them that afflict' them." The Most High is able to put the harp of victory into the hands of His dear servants and cluldren, with the song also in their hearts and mouths, " Great and marveUous are thy works. Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints." It may be confessed that we are made very desolate as a people, be cause we changed our glory for that which hath not profited us ; and in a Society capacity, have turned judgment backward ; sanc tioning pubhcations and ministry wluch are not in accordance with the true doctrines of the unchangeable Gospel of our Lord Jesus Clirist ; and wluch, therefore, the few among us wdio have stood fast in the Lord cannot o^vn : the heavenly anointing and blessed har mony of truth not being in these things, but wisdom of words sub stituted and held up. Thus have we been in a worse condition, as I apprehend, than in former trials ; becanse the body did not then become responsible, by its acts, for that which is out of the tme unity, and the wisdom from above. And now it seems to me that the Lord's power and the Lord's wisdom have so far prevaUed, as to lay low the Pliihstine nature — prostrating it on the ground in great measure, and scatter ing that which sought to lay waste the inheritance of the Mighty One of Israel : yea, and that head aatU soon be cut off, that reared itseK on high ; but we must come clean out from aU that opposeth itseK to the simphcity, the purity, the -wisdom, and the power which is for ever and ever. I beheve the great Head of the Church wiU purify His people — not cut them off in anger ; and that the " rem nant of Jacob shall be as a dew " from Him, " in the midst of many people." Blessed be His adorable name ! S. G. The foUowing prayer was found detached from the above manu script, and probably was written at Chehnsford, while suffering from a most distressing nervous malady. " Oh ! Lord God Ahnighty, I have again this day borne testimony to thy name, that it is good, and worthy to be trusted in. Thou knowest that I have done so renewedly, as at other times for many weeks past, under a load of infirmity which almost overpowers my mind and body. Thou knowest with what difficulty I tm-n from the suggestions of the enemy, that I am not able to speak, or to stand ; c 2 20 A SELECTION FROM THE LETTERS and that if I attempt to declare anything in our assembhes, I shaU be confounded, and bring dishonour- on the ministry of thy word. Thou hast given me to witness him to be a har, for thy heavenly anointing preserved me whUe standing in thy dread ; and this anointing was in the words, 'Blessed be thy name, oh Jehovah!' And now Thou without whom a sparrow faUeth not to the ground, oh! K it be consistent with thy wisdom, reheve me of this distressing malady, which destroys all my earthly comforts, which wastes my strength and flesh, and wluch seems to wait to swaUow up my IKe and soul : but it hath its bounds set by Thee, whose word hath said to the proud waves, ' So far shaU ye come, and no further.' My faith is in Thee, oh Physician of value; and in thy power do I trust. The suffermgs of thy poor creature are not hid from Thee. Oh speak the word only, and I shaU be healed; or grant me that which is sufficient- even thy grace; that when the moment of dehverance comes, I may find myseK more fuUy united to Thee in the etemal covenant' of thy hght, thy hfe, thy love; and that thy great name may be exalted over aU. Amen. S. G." .ETAT. 15, 16.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 21 EXTRACTS FROM LETTERS. To Sarah Grubb. Anner MiUs, Eighth Month Wi, 1788. Dear Mistress, I can inform thee the cluldren are aU AveU, and in spirits. They were in great spirits yesterday evening ; so much so, that it was hard to get them settled; but I got them to sit down after tea, and read to them. I beheve I caimot keep them as orderly as when you are at home, yet I hope to do as weU as I can. I wish it was in my power to keep them enthely to your wish, for it affects me when you come home, and find a deal of labour seems to be lost, which had been bestowed for theh good. They aU give theh love to thee and theh aunt : may I ask you to accept of mine ? I think to conclude, not remembering anything more now^ Sarah Lynes. To A Eriend (probablv E. Pim). Twelfth Month 21th, 1789. My beloved Friend, Perhaps I may teU thee how I have fared this day. In the moming I was as one dead for some time, as to any spmtual hfe, but after a while, S. Lees stood up, and exhorted to faitlifulness in a httle, though it might seem indeed very little ; and after her, J. T. took up part of what she said, and spoke encouragingly to some, but said it appeared to her that the pm-e seed was oppressed, even as a cart is pressed down with sheaves. I may say of my poor seK, I found this aftemoon, that what mercy did not do, judgment did; for truly the word of the Lord was in me as a fire, so that I durst not withhold what ran through me ; for if I did, I believed I shauld be forsalcen ; and the absence of my Be loved is so great a trial, that it is hard to endure ; but glory for ever 22 A SELECTION FROM THB LETTERS I-l" ' to His great name, who makes a way in the sea and a path in the mighty Waters, He hath caused my poor sphit to know 'the momi- Sins t'o skip ike rams, and the httle hiUs like lambs" before His presence; and I, a poor worm, am made to praise Hun on the banks of dehverance. -, , i -, -j. • I have a very bad pen, and not a steady hand, and it is not very easy to write intehigibly : also there is one waitmg to take me home. I sincerely deshe thou, my weU-beloved friend, mayest fareweU. S. Lynes. To Sarah Grubb. Fifth Month Srd, 1790. My dear Mistress, Thy letter was handed me this mornmg. We were all out yesterday, but B. thought best to come home with the children after first meeting ; so S. and I staid the second, in which dry season was a word of encouragement to some who go heavily on then way, from S. Lees. Wlien we came home and had got tea, some friends came in to see us, which occasioned our reading to be rather late; however, quite unexpectedly to me, we seemed fastened to silence after closing the book, which, in the end, was comfortable to my often tossed mind. Truly fareweU, Sarah Lynes. To Sarah Grubb. Seventh Month, 1790. My dear Mistress, We received with pleasure thy letter Eirst day afternoon S. A. appeared. I think her words were, "Turn ye, turn ye, oh house of Israel; why wiU ye die?" Great dryness and dead ness is often my lot, so that I may say, " My WeU-beloved is unto me as a spring shut np, a fountain sealed ;" but I know I often bring these times of drought on myseK, by not keeping pure and sincere : so that, though I teU thee my state, I do not complain : I beheve it is good for me that I am afflicted. FareweU. S. L. ^tat. 17.] of sarah grubb. 23 To Thomas Dobson, of Cumberland, after his return from a religious visit to ireland. 1790. In that love wluch many waters cannot quench, neither the floods drown, do I salute thee; having often, since thy de parture fr-om this land, had a desire to coramunicate a little to thee after this sort. Wliilst thou laboured in this vineyard, I believe, if I know what sympathy is, I did sympathise with thee at times ; and although many are the trials of the Lord's cluldren and servants, yet is there not consolatory rehef for these ? Their dear Lord and Master took upon Him the nature of poor faUen man; He, being touched with the feehngs of human creatures, carried our sorrows and bore our griefs ; and if He, " the only-begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth," passed through so many baptisms, ought not we to rejoice when we are buried with Him in baptism ; yea, to suffer with and for the precious seed ? Oh ! this seed, may it more and more, by the pure love of God shed abroad in the hearts of the chUdren of men, rise into dominion, and show forth the praise of the great Husbandman ; and may the cloud which was seen to cover the daughter of Zion be removed, that so that language spoken for merly may be apphcable — " Arise, shine ; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee." And now, dear friend, beheving I may write freely to thee, even as a simple chUd would talk to one growing in years and experience, I teU my thoughts : — I much wish and desire to be humble ; yea, continuaUy to dweU in the low vaUey. This is often, more often than the morning, the breathing of my soul to the great Searcher of hearts ; but the unwearied adversary is so busy and subtle, that I am at times ready to flunk I shaU never attain to that state of purity which, when under the precious influence of the power of Holy Jesus, I am enabled to press after. Oh ! truly I am often afraid I shaU faU at last a prey to the devourer ; and what shall I say ? May it please Divine Goodness to cut the thread of my hfe, rather than that I should be a reproach to the spotless truth, the pure truth. I trust I feel in degree what I write ; for when I am made sensible of the Lord's hand at work in my heart, I am at seasons ready to say, I AviU offer unto Thee and thy truth not only my body, but aU that Thou hast given me, only go Thou before ; and 24 A SELECTION FROM THE LETIERS [1790, oh! saith my soul. May I never ran before I am sent. This is what I am much afraid of. Oh ! do thou, when permitted to ap, proach near the throne of grace, think of me, and entreat the ever lasting Arm of Power, thy Beloved and my Beloved, that I only foUow His heavenly voice, and never the voice of a stranger. Yery slippery, thou knowest, is the path of tlus life, and many are the ¦wiles of Satan; if, therefore, I should be caught in his snares, great will be my fall. One comfort just now occurs to me, " Greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world." I suppose thou hast heard of the removal of that bright star which did shine in the firmament, much to the glory of Hun who causes the stars to move in their courses ; may I not say, surely K ever one was redeemed from seK-love, she was; but I am not telhng the name she went by whUst in the body : it was Sarah Grubb (Eobert) who was engaged in her dear Master's cause in France and some part of Holland whilst thou wast here ; but I must conclude, desiring that thou mayest fareweU. To E. Pim. Anner MiUs, Twelfth Month lUh, 1790. My beloved Friend, Although very poorly quahfied, I am deshous to comply with thy request ; and may teU thee we got home safe about four o'clock on thhd day evening, and stayed to the sitting at Suh Island, which was an awful humbling time to me, and I beheve to more. J. W. was there ; he appeared in testimony and supplication. Also S. S. said, I think, these words, " The almost continual cry of my heart, these several days past, hath been. Oh ! Lord, have mercy upon us, for we are brought very low ;" and, after her, S. A. said, "The Lord giveth, and the Lord taketh away; blessed be His great and adorable name." I came home poor, very poor ; and, instead of being reheved, my mind is greatly oppressed; but if I am in the great and good hand of kind Providence, I am glad. I thought I feh rehef and a degree of peace in Cork; but it hath often been suggested to. me since, that I was not always right : perhaps this is the w^ork of the enemy, Continue, my dear friend, to breathe for my preservation, who am very weak. I tliink of thee a great deal : I hope thou art weU. ^TAT. 18.] op SARAH GRUBB, 25 The chUdren aU give their dear love to thee. I remember the kind ness of friends to me wlulst I was in Cork. FareweU, saith S. Lynes. To Samuel Davis. First Bay Moi-ning, 1791. My heart is so frdl towards thee, beloved friend, that I seem as though I could not weU forbear opening it. I mean to tell thee of my infirmities and weaknesses, which are many and great, not merely for the sake of teUing, but I think, where there is a free dom of communication of this sort to a dear friend, it is in degree consolatory. It hath pleased the Most High to deal with me lately in a manner to me ahnost wonderful; for verUy, I have been brought into darkness and not into hght; yea, I was hedged about that I could not get out : my chain was indeed made heavy ; insomuch that I was ready to conclude my soul was never more to see the glorious hght of Almighty Power ; yet, blessed be His name, I had. not been long here, when, out of the depths of my sore trouble, I was per mitted to cry unto the depths of His mercies ; and He granted to me, even to so poor a worm as I, " the word of His patience." He gave me a resigned heart, let what would befal me ; and I felt, that K I had offended my Beloved, I had no other to look to for forgiveness ; and, through Him alone, was enabled to wait, and trust in the arm of His power : so, in His own time, did He cause me to sing praises to His name in my heart for a httle season; but again hath it pleased Him to let me feel trouble and sorrow, yet I think not to so great a degree. I fear I have done something wrong. Ah ! dear friend, all my soul deshes is to be preserved pure and humble ; and truly it is not without the continual warfare this is to be kept to : so many are the temptations, and so subtle are the insinuations of the cruel adversary, that often I think I shaU one day faU by this mine enemy : he does indeed go about " as a roaring hon," seeking what poor soul he can catch for his prey ; but K we beheve, we may, I sometimes think, take comfort in this expression, " Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world." May we lean upon Him and trust in Him ; even in that sure Eock, against which the 26 A SELECTION FROM THE LETTERS [179^. very gates of hell shaU never be able to prevaU. FareweU : I must leave talking with thee, as I have not more time. Thy poor, bnt affectionate S. Lynes. To HER Mother. Anner MiUs, Fourth Month 22th, 1792. My dear Mother, I had given up writing to thee at this season, but now, finding another conveyance, I gladly embrace the opportunity. I know it would be cause of rejoicing to thee to see me at the ensuing Yearly Meeting, but it seems to be ordered otherwise, so I make no doubt thou wUt reconcUe it. I feel comfortable about it, hoping I am where I ought to be ; and I wish very much it may please Divine Goodness to preserve me in the right path during my journey in this world (I beheve I may say from a smaU degree of experience) of trials and deep anxiety ; for though my lot, I beheve, — and may I, through Divine mercy, stiU continue to think so — ^is a favoured one beyond many, as to being kept much out of the way of temptation, yet, in every station, I am apt to think, there are proba tions and besetments ; and truly it was not intended it should be otherwise. We are placed here to work out our salvation, so if we had not trials, the reward wonld not be ours : without a cross we need not expect the crown ; so then, my dearly-beloved mother, let thee and me lay aside every weight and burden, aU impurity, and run with patience the race that is set before us; looking unto Holy Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. Could we but be clothed with tlus faith, surely we should be enabled to quench the fiery darts of Satan; to overcome him, even the prince of the power of the air, in ah his assaults to catch the poor soul. Oh ! methioks I can sometimes feel him close behind me, waiting every opportimity to destroy me, by his secret insinuations to my mind. But when I am led to consider that He who is in us is greater than he who is in the world, I am ready again to be glad in His name or power ; feehng His holy arm of preservation is stiU extended even to me, a poor unworthy creature, ready to faU every hour, but that He holds me up, yea, invisibly so. Oh that the whole worid could but be per suaded that there is a possibUity of hviug without sin here; that all would but believe that they can keep the commandment of our dear jETAT. 19.] of SARAH GRUBB. 27 Lord and Saviour, who said, "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect :" then would our conver sation indeed be in heaven whUe we hve on the earth. Please read tins part to my father, and remember me to him, I suppose sister S. is at home : teU her to be sure leam the fear of the Lord who made her ; it wUl teach her better wisdom than aU the wisdom of this world. I beheve I may now bid thee fareweU, much desiring it may be so with thee. Thy duthul and truly affectionate daughter, Sarah Lynes. To Sarah Grubb. Cork, Eleventh Month I9th, 1792. My dear Mistress, It seems as though I could not teU thee that I expect to be with you to-morrow, which I would gladly do did I think I should have peace therein. I felt and feel grateful for thy letter ; I took it as from a mother, and as a chUd. I believe I may teU thee how I have fared. I have been indeed low ; although at parting, and for a time after, I felt the evidence that T was in the right place (or at least I thought I felt it) yet greatly was I tried. Many were my doubts indeed yesterday, in the morning meeting ; but in the after noon I thought I was in a state of suffering, and that I felt the approbation of my mercKul Creator, who has a right to do what He pleases with me : in this did I sUently and humbly rejoice, and after meeting felt peace and quiet ; from whence I went to E. H.'s, where was a humbling sitting. We got safely and very quietly to Myrtle HUl, on seventh day evening. Thy Sarah Lynes. To Sarah Grubb. Myrtle HiU, Eleventh Month 22>rd, 1792. My dear Mistress, It is under deep conflicts I now address thee. I had much rather be getting towards home; but after deep probations last night, I felt easier to stay tiU after First day; and though I would gladly go, and had told James AbeU I intended to do so, yet I beheve I should not have peace if I did, so. that I should not be 28 A selection from the LETl'ERS [1793. likely to do much good at home in such a state: indeed it is no pleasant thing to me to stay in Cork: I think I shah remember this wormwood and gaU. James AbeU says, "Give my love to thy mistress ;^teU her, I hope we shaU not be sorry for thy staymg, I hope so." He also deshes me to teU of the bustles here, and ask thee is there any such thing with you. The mobs rise every night. It is reported they have done much harm in Bandon : they were about the town last night, and many soldiers were caUed out. I beheve one or two persons were taken prisoners. Many times do I think of the dear children, and long to be with them. May you aU fareweU. Thy S. Lynes. A verbal communication op Job Scotp's to Sarah Lynes, when SHE WAS LIVING AT AnNER MiLLS, NEAR ClONMEL, 1793. " Hold fast that which thou hast received — a gift from the holy anointing ; the enhvening influence. Ay, those who give up when they are young, I beheve, enjoy more of the fat of the land than ahnost any one else. " Art thou at aU aware of the many difficulties and trials which, if thou art faitlKul, thou must have to encounter? or is it, in wisdom, hid from thee ? Be faitliful, and thou canst not think how easy things wUl be made to thee. I wish thee to be encouraged. I feel near unity with thee : don't be afraid when thou art brought before kings and princes in Israel, or in the world. Thou knowest not what thou mayest have to do yet, and aU do not hke to be told the truth. Thou knowest not what perils thou mayest have to meet with amongst false brethren; but give up aU to the Lord: be faithful. " I am pleased thou art cheerful in thy station : keep low ; we cannot be too dependent. I do not say these tlungs because I believe thou wUt be exalted ; but I know Satan tempts people when they have got to be a little more than they expected. There is nothing like giving up the whole heart to the Lord, which I hope thou hast done in a precious degi-ee : take care thou take up with no other leader but the Lord alone. It was an exceUent saying of Gideon, ' I wUl not rule over you, neither shall my son rule over you ; the Lord shall rule over you.' It is a sad thing when any get iETAT. 21.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 29 above what they ought: do thou keep close to the Lord. AU things are possible to them that believe : it was a noble saying." Oh ! Thou who sees not as man seest. Thou knowest these things were spoken in thy pure spirit, which made my heart deeply feel them. Do thou fasten them therein, as naUs in a sure place ; and ever make me grateful for such favours as these. S. L. To Sarah Grubb. Anner MiUs, Tenth Month 3rd, 1794. Yes, my dear mistress, I did think it very material to get an answer from thee to my letter. I longed for thy counsel, and when I got it, was, I trust, a grateful receiver ; though under very deep conflict; so much so, that .my hfe seemed of httle consequence to me ; indeed I was afraid I was losing my lest hfe. I know not how I should have got through, had not the immovable Eock been nearer than I was aware of, and had not abUity been afforded to escape there for my hfe. I know great is your maternal care for my preservation: I also know that you are sensible I cannot be pre served but on this Eock ; I therefore beheved it better for me to stick very close thereto ; and notwithstanding the deep distress of my soul, and the discouragement which I thought surrounded me, I saw no way for real safety, but to move under what I conceive Divine command; although the language was deeply felt, "How dreadful is this place !" There is only one source of effec tual help, and when this is deeply sought unto, and some degree of its efficacy felt, do not " the mountains skip hke rams, and the httle hiUs hlce lambs ?" This famUy are weU. Our dear love is to you aU. Farewell. Sarah Lynes. To . Youghal, Twelfth Month 23rd, 1794. Thy dear mother is, I think, better in health than we might expect, seeing how much she goes through, and the severity of the weather. Thou seest, my dear, that she counts not her natural hfe dear unto her, that she may fiU up her measure of labour and suffering : mayest thou foUow her, as she is endeavouring to foUow her great and good Master ; may nothing be too precious to part 30 A SELECTION FROM THE LETTERS [1795. with for the glorious reward of a truly devoted soul; may no con sideration hinder the progress of this dedication m thee. " Honour the Lord Avith thy substance, and with the fivst fruits of aU tlune increase : so shaU thy bams be fiUed with plenty, and thy presses shaU burst out with new wine." Many tunes since and before my being joined to your precious mother, I have wished that you, her offspring, might, as you grow in years, grow also in that which will make you wise unto salvation ; and so be blessed with that wliich wUl make you, as it does her, truly rich. May every one of you be under the peculiar notice and regard of your heavenly Eather, saith Thy poor but affectionate S. Lynes. To Elizabeth Grubb. Cork, First Day Evening, First Month 2Uh, 1795, I was very glad of the receipt of thy letter to-day, not only because I longed to hear from you, but thereby I have leave to write to thee without professing a concern to do so, which I have wished to do ; although perhaps tlus letter also wiU be fuU of com plaints concerning myseK — my want of patience under necessary, painful baptisms. I was, for what I call a long time, in possession of an enjoyment of unspeakable peace, except at some few intervals. This was, I trust, enjoyed in the moderation ; for I knew summer was not likely always to continue, and now I am glad I was favoured to feel resignation to accept the dreary winter, whenever the change of season might take place, which is now come ; for " the time of the singing of birds " is at an end, and the voice of melody is no more heard in my land; yet, praised be my gracious Helper, I am not without feeling : the pinching frost has not been suff'ered wlioUy to benumb me — no ; for I have this day witnessed a sharing ivith the precious, suffering seed here. Oh ! my dear, I was and am bound with it. May the bars of hon not be broken tiU the Master's time. In meeting to-day, deep caUed unto deep in my heart : the waves and the biUows passed over me ; yea, my head was wrapped about with weeds : I thought I could acknowledge with the prophet (in silent ti-avaU) " I am pained at my very heart." May the aU-power- ful arm bring His oppressed seed in this place, out of its imprisoned and deeply afflicted state, saith my very soul. I have often thought, my beloved friend, that tlus is a day when MTAT. 22.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 81 we must travel alone, and often feel " like a pelican in the wilder ness," or an owl in the desert ; and perhaps at times be ready to conclude we are comparable to " the heath in the desert, wluch sees not when good cometh;" but I cannot beheve that this is designed to be our continual lot, K we endeavour to " leave the things that are behind," and to "press forward:" then I am of opinion our wUderness at times wUl be made like Eden, and our desert hke the garden of the Lord : that we sliaU know the descending of heavenly dew, causing us to increase in holy verdure ; yea, and to grow up as a root out of a dry ground. I am glad that these tlungs arise in my heart unsought for to say to thee. May He who knows what we aU stand in need of, abund antly help us both to walk in the path of holy rectitude. Please give my dear love to my precious H. TeU her not to lay down her weapons of war, then they wtU prove mighty untU every thought is brought into obedience Could these things happen unto me, K not permitted or appointed by unerring wisdom ? Tlie Lord knows ; therefore I leave all to His ordering. My dear love to N. TeU her to hold out, and seek to increase in weU-doing, that the end may crown aU. TeU A. and S. M., with my love, I often wish they and I may know an early surrender of every pleasant picture, or any other gratification called for ; so shall we feel superior joys. I do not forget thy dear mother. I often feel grateful for her affection to me. I love her too. I also remember thy brother ; and a wdsh just now arose in my heart that he might also believe in the declara tion, to his comfort (not that I flunk by any means he does not acknowledge to the truth of it) that ^'to them wliich sat in the region and shadow of death, light is sprung up." I did not seek for sometlung to say to you aU, but one after another occurred to me ; and, in the love in wluch I have mentioned you individuaUy, I now bid you so and coUectively fareweU, dearly farewell. S. Lynes. To Elizabeth Grubb. Dublin, Fifth Month 3rd, 1795. I think I increasingly feel thee near in that wluch " many waters cannot quench nor the floods drown," either in an outward or inward sense, wliUe we abide with that which is able to sustain the soul, and wluch unites the living members of the mystical body of 32 A SELECTION FROM THE LETTERS [1795. the immaculate Lamb. Oh ! how I crave that thou mayest witness the sealed book to be unfolded unto thee, by keepmg with the "Lion of the tribe of Judah," who alone can prevaU; and I do beheve, as thou dweUest deep with Hhn, thou wUt at tunes have to sing the song which can only be sung in Judah's land, "We have a strong city; salvation wUl God appoint for waUs and bulwarks:" thou wUt know thy habitation (being with the Eather and the Son) to be a fortified one, secured from the noise of archers ; for thougli these may shoot, yet shaU they not be able to overcome in this sure resting-place, where the flocks of Christ's companions do indeed know a resting at noon. But perhaps thou wUt say, how shall I attain to this? If thou know not in the manner thon sincerely, I do beheve, desires, go thy way forth in the tribulated path, even though it be pointed ont to be fitrst to the judgment-haU; for I beheve those whose eye is single to the great Master, are not left in the dark as to the way in which they. ought to walk: then other various dispensations, even untU thou become nailed to the cross. As this comes to be the case, thou wUt experience that "precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints ;" so wUt thou be enabled to fight under the banner of a crucified Saviour here, so as to obtain an everlasting inheritance with Him, when the conflicts of this hfe are at an end. Dear said in meeting yesterday, " Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh b's arm;" but "blessed is the man who trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is." Come, let us aU, whether separated or not, seek for abUity to go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacobj where He wiU teach us of His ways, and we wiU walk in His paths; for thereby sliaU we be enabled to fare weU in Him. c -r S. Lynes. Probably to the same. Sligo, Third Month Ihth, 1795. We have been longing to hear from you, and particularly abont thy dear father ; but we must have patience about inteUigence from home now, as we are so far from you : it is, however, a consola tion, that though we may be separated outwardly, yet nothing out ward can hurt a love rightly founded. Your conflicts, I think, must be great concerning your dear father ; but what a favour to be in structed where to look for, and to be sure of finding, help at such ^TAT. 22.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 33 times, if we rightly seek ; but wc often ask, and do not receive, because we ask amiss. May we, therefore, seek for abihty to breathe the pure language, " Thy wiU be done." But oh ! what reduction it requires to attain to this in aU tlungs ; yet I believe it is the only way to be found in a state of acceptance, and of the number of those behevers unto whom aU things are possible. WeU, let us leave the things that are belund, and endeavour to press toward the mark, that we may obtain the prize. I feel more towards you than I have ability to express. May you farewell. S. Lynes. To . Sligo, Third Month lUh, 1795. I feel so much love to thee that I think it almost a pity to miss this opportunity of writing, and yet I do not seem to have much to say. I may, however, teU thee, that I look towards thee as though thou wast in the deeps : weU, my dear, here the wonders of a great and good Master are to be seen and experienced, I suppose in the best sense witnessed; yea, and those who steadily abide there the appointed time, I beheve, are enabled to bring up hving stones of memorial, whereby perhaps, not only themselves, but many others may be instructed. But why should I talk to thee about things I know so httle about myseK; but, K I could at aU encourage thee, I should be wUling to expose my weakness, which, I think, I in creasingly feel to be very great. We have been to an appointed meeting here to-day : merciful help was extended, and I believe the people in general much satisfled. I hke to join in the feehng of your consolations as weU as depressions, and, when I am sensible of very little else, I think I sometimes feel a love for thee, thy brothers, and sisters, which is the case at present; and I suppose this is a little symptom of IKe : " For to lum that is joined to aU the living, there is hope; for a hving dog is better than a dead lion." Ah! my dear, K we are but kept alive in the root it wiU do, let our provings be ever so great. May it be thy experience to have thy vessel so steered through every storm, as to be safely landed at the haven of rest at last. Dearly fareweU, saith thy truly affectionate S. L. 34 A SELECTION FEOM THE LETTERS [!' • To Sarah Grubb. Anner MiUs, Fifth Month Uh, 1795. My dear Mistress, I was very grateful for the receipt of such a kind letter as came to hand yesterday, and wherein was so much information, My mind was under a pecuhar feeling whUe Dr. H. was here, so that I thought it would tend to distress me K I did not offer a few sentences to hun when we were alone, which he took very kind, he said. I felt quiet after. I heard he told somebody the mark was. hit to a hah's breadth : it felt very diificult to me to give up to it, and what was said was in much weakness. In the fresh feehng of much affection and regard, I remain thy S. Lynes. To HER Mother. Dublin, Eighth Month 2Uh, 1795. My endeared Mother, Having arrived here about two hours, I am willing to let thee know as soon as possible, beheving it wiU be pleasant to thee to hear from thy poor S. L., after being, perhaps, some time in suspense about her. We left Liverpool last sixth day, about two o'clock, so that we were more than seventy-five hours on sea: 1 was very sick the first night, and poorly most of the thne, which was, I beheve, increased by the great number of passengers on board the small vessel ; there being, I suppose, above one hundred and seven, twenty- six of whom were cabin passengers. Not only the beds were fuU, but the fioor also covered, insomuch that it was almost too close to go into without being sick : I stayed mostly on deck, notwithstanding, on first saihng, it rained hard. Instead of Thomas Scattergood and WUham Crotch, I had two other Friends' company here ; they not being ready, I thought it much best not to wait in Liverpool; and come what wUl next, I can, through abnn dant mercy, feelingly acknowledge the Lord my God hath dealt bountifuUy with me, and my soul is at present bowed in gratitude. Oh ! may it continue in this humble resigned frame ; for indeed I have no right to expect other than afflictions and trials ; these I look MTAT. 23.] OP SARAH GRUBB. 35 for, now that I have returned to this land ; and if, in mercy and wisdom, they should be handed, my heart craves to be so resigned as to be enabled to breathe the language, " Not my aaiU, but Thine, oh Lord, be done ;" so, by believing in the aU-sufficiency of revealed Power, aU things wUl become possible AU I coveted (K I knew my own heart) was to stay and return in the right time ; which, K I may judge from the present peaceful state of my mind, was in good degree the case : but I am stiU about eighty miles from Anner MUls, so that I have to write again from thence. I wrote to M. S. and dear sister, since I left York ; but thou wilt, I doubt not, teU those dear friends of mine, Joseph and Mary Smith, of the receipt of this; and wilt, I hope, let them know the contents, as I beheve it wUl be pleasant to them to hear from one to fl'hom they administered so much kindness for such a long time; and that language livingly arises, "God is not uiu-ighteous to forget their labour of love ;" because I verUy beheve it was acceptable, as though it was to one much more worthy. My very dear love is to poor ¦ . Dear love to • , for whom I at times travail, that though, comparatively, there may be but " two legs and a piece of an ear" saved from the devourer, and even that in his jaws, yet, by submitting to that Power which is alone able to do it, the remains may, in abundant mercy, be taken from his mouth ; yea, and by that hving Divine faith, wluch produces that wliich pleaseth Hun who hath been grievously offended, there may be a being made whole. FareweU, fareweU, saith the heart of Thy affectionate daughter, S. Lynes. To HER Brother. Anner MiUs, Fourth Month 2Mi, 1796. My beloved Brother, My mind is very often occupied about thee and thy pre cious charge ; I wish you to be of those wdiom the Great Shepherd of Israel wiU, in the day of trial, hide in the lioUow of His holy hand: then what watchfulness is necessary in order to mind and obey His wiU in aU things — how closely should we cleave to His Providence ! I have sometimes thought, if this is our happy expe rience, we shaU know hard things to become easy, crooked tbings straight, and rough places plain; and I beheAC Ho wiU no more D 2 36 A selection from thb letters [1796. forsake these than He did Caleb and Joshua in the wUderness, when, without murmuring, they encountered many difficulties, and at last got to the land flowing with miUs and honey. Ah ! my dear brother, wUl He not, whose "the earth is and the fuhiess thereof, the world, and they that dweU therein," care for thee and thy chUdren; yea, thy companion in life also, K you only depend upon Hhn for help, and do aU things as by His Holy Sphit? Salute for me; teU her to give up her heart to the Lord, and He wiU be unto her aU she wants : let her take great care she offend not His precious principle in her heart, in word, thought, or deed. I wish thou wouldst write to me in return, and teU me aU thou canst about ycjU. I may not take up more time now in tlus way, so fareweU saith Thy affectionate sister, S. Lynes. To Elizabeth Grubb. Cork, Eighth Month llth, 1796. It was very kind of thee to write to me, and very like thee to express what thou didst about the Minute ; and although I do not know that there is much at present in my mind to write to thee about, yet I feel that I love thee, and can fuUy beheve thou canst and dost rejoice in anything that seems likely to tend to my rehef. I trust I also could for thy sake rejoice, if thou couldst acknowledge cause for joy and rejoicing of heart in thyseK, and not in another. This perhaps may at times be done unto Him who remains to be the help of His people without another intermeddling, and is, I beheve, the reward of dedication of heart and abasement of soul. Dear is a striking example, in my view, of wiUing ness to become a fool, for the sake of Ius worthy Master ; which, I expect, wiU enable him to become wise in those mysteries only revealed to babes, and wise unto everlasting hfe, as he does not grow weary in weU-doing. Bonds and afflictions await thy poor friend— of such a sort, I believe, as my natural disposition introduces me into, and which, to be sure, do not belong unto the Gospel : I seek to be dehvered from these by aiming after more unmixed resignation of soul. Here' is all thy affectionate friend hath in possession at present to communicate ; but I expect thou wUt continue to be near at tunes in spirit, if we are mercifully preserved. S. Lynes. ^TAT. 23.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 37 To Sarah Grubb. Cork, Ninth Month 1th, 1796. My dear Mistress, I did not expect, when I wrote to thee last, that I should again address thee in or about this place (though I think it was left loose) nor did it seem very likely long together, that it would be the case : even since that time, great hath continued to be my distress ; and on getting up this morning in order to set off behind J. E., it looked very trying. The prospect of leaving this city unreheved I had got resigned to, which stUl looks likely to be the case. Dear H. H. is stUl with me, and is hkely to be so wlulst I am here. Thou, it is probable, heard some way or other of our movements whilst dear J. A. was here. Last sixth day v,'e went to Middleton, which I question being the case, had he not expressed some feeling respecting it. He took us to a school wliich appeared to be for the education of chUdren in pretty high IKe : we had an opportunity to some rehef amongst them, which seemed to them very new at first, but afterwards they got a httle to understand our manner. From that place we went to the factory, just in time to see the people coining out to go home for dinner. They were requested to stop iu a kind of shed near the yard, which is a large place : we sat down on some stone steps, and the people gathered round us : after a short time they were addressed, and appeared very quiet. I believe aU or most who know J. A., of aU descriptions, cannot but be taken with his loving and affectionate manner. Several expressed their great satisfaction at that time. Erom thence we went to the inn, and the time of holding a pubhc meeting soon came on. It was large, and I believe tended to some rehef. On seventh day we sat with a few who stiU remained of those who had some claim to the Society, but not in membership. On Eirst day, great was the suffering of my mind in silence. J. took his leave of Friends, and I did not know, tiU after fiirst meeting, of his being really hkely to go in the morn ing. He said he was wUhiig to stay a day or two, K I was fully come to a conclusion that this was the time for moving amongst the people at large here. I could not say so : it appeared very awful; and unless he was under the weight of it for himself, it seemed best to leave it enthely for the present. I don't knoAv that I sliaU now go farther than my lodging, except to meeting, while 38 A selection from the letters [1796, here, save that I have thought of seeing another school, that I men tioned to J. A., but way did not open before he went. I have also thought of seeing L. N.'s family once more, and a young woman whom we did not sit with; but unless way opens even for this, surely I cannot attempt it, and I hope would not dare. No one that has not been in the same spot can, I beheve, conceive the situation of my mind; whether it is brought on by myseK, perhaps remains to be one time or other made known. With love to aU at Anner MiUs, I conclude. Thy S. Lynes. To Sarah Grubb. Miltown, Ninth Month, 1796. My dear Mistress, Eor aught I see at present, I am likely to proceed towards home to-morrow after meeting. I have frequently felt the weight of a public meeting in Cork pretty heavy upon me ; and at times, since coming to it, thought I had a clear evidence of its being my place to make some attempt to move in it ; but now aU is one load of oppression and darkness that may indeed be felt ; yet surely He who makes, for some, these things His chariots, and "rides as on the wings of the wind," can cause the change to take place, as easily as a man turneth his water-course in his field. It is hkely, seeing I am now left as alone, my safety may be in retiring enthely from the field, though I do not feel clear of Cork : yea, there are other things wluch feel burdens hereaway ; such as, I beheve, were brought from home at first ; . but surely the ways of wisdom are inscrutable. May I be enabled to steer safely ; and if I now return unreheved, ought I not to leave aU to Him, without prying into His secret things ? Thus, having pretty openly told thee my present situation, I may, in great sincerity, bid thee fareweU. Tliy affectionate S. Lynes, To Sarah Grubb. Cork, Third Day Morning. My dear Mistress, It hath so turned out that I am here yet, contrary to my own and others' expectation. It is not without making some .STAT, 24.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 39 attempts to get home, which felt so contrary yesterday to what I beheved was right, that I gave it up. I am at A. H.'s, where several friends accompanied me to call on James AbeU, in order to fulfil a proposal I laid before Friends of the Select Meeting, last evening, but the moming proving so very wet, prevented it. I was deshous to lose no time, that I might then know whether home might be pursued. I thought it looked more hkely on Ehst day than now, when I was mercKuUy enabled to get considerable rehef by some of the inhabitants, not of our Society, coming to our meeting, appointed at five o'clock for that purpose. On seventh day James AbeU accompanied Hannah Hatton and my seK, to the school mentioned in my letter to thee. The dear chUdren (in number about thhty) behaved as weU as any I have seen among ourselves, I think. Theh governor and his two daughters sat mth us : it appeared very new to them, but they were very kind. The former gave us a great charge before we went into the school-room, to beware that we said nothing improper ; and told us it would be wisdom in us to let him into the secret. James told him it was my deshe to see the chUdren ; when I said we had no secret in it, nor did I know that anytlung would be said by us ; therefore could not teU him what might then be given us to say, K anything was. He expressed much satisfaction after it was over, as did Ius two daughters ; but I suppose they thought it was only pohte to do so, as they could make no objection. I feel not a very httle about yom- confinement ; perhaps in great measure occasioned by my being from home ; but really I do not know that I could do otherwise, without introducing myseK into a state of condemnation. Now aU that I can say is, that I feel a hope of having tried to act as weU as I knew how. I cannot see the least glimpse concerning the time of my going : oh that I may be pre served from anything that would obstruct the sphitual sight. Fare weU dearly, saith thy S. Lynes. To Liverpool, Fifth Month Uth, 1797. We got weU here about twelve o'clock last night ; were thhty-six hours at sea. I was very iU the first day, so that I went to bed, and staid till within a few hours of landing ; not finding 40 A selection from the letters [1797. staying on deck would do, as I have known it before ; however, I was better than some others; almost continuaUy thinking of my dear friends in Ireland, sleeping or waHng, some of you are nearly constantly with me. I must labour after depth of sphit, that so the wUl of my aU-wise Creator may be knoivn, and abUity felt to obey. I feel a very poor creature indeed, at present : my help must be alone in Him who is from everlasting to everlasting. It is time to go to meeting: this is Ehst day — ^we did not go to bed tUl two o'clock : we are at E. Benson's : their kindness is great. May you aU dearly fareweU ; and it just arises to thee, my dear, " Trust in the Lord with aU tlune heart, and lean not unto thine own understand ing-" S. Lynes. To Sarah Grubb. London, Sixth Month, 1797. I feel not satisfied, my dear mistress, to let thy brother leave this city without addressing thee again, K it is only to teU thee I continue to love thee and thine without disshmUation ; and to add to this, that I am a poor, exercised creature, sometimes ahnost ready to style myself forsaken, and grieved in sphit; less than nothing (I expect thou canst understand the term) and altogether vanity. I wish to be preserved from saying, "What profit is it unto me that I have walked mournfully before the Lord of Hosts?" but the labour is hard, to get to pure unmixed resignation in all things ; nevertheless, surely " in quietness and confidence" must be my strength, if any continues to be revealed, which, in the moment of greatest extremity, hath hitherto mercifuUy been the case. I cannot describe what my soul feels for you aU separately and together ; please teU the dear cluldren so. Oh ! that I could con vey to you the sensations which my mind is sensible of, in that which, I trust, neither sea nor land can divest us of. To the aU- wise dhection and providence of a faithful Creator and compas sionate Eather I recommend you, in tender sympathetic love, which, to the fuU, cannot thus be set forth. May we labour after that sphit and power, whereby we may receive capacity to keep our ranks in righteousness, and be made perfect in Jesus Clnist, the great and holy pattem in aU things : very dearly in Him mayest thou, and may you aU, farewell. Thy S. Lynes. .JETAT. 24.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 41 To ONE OF Sarah Grubb's children. [London,] Sixth Month 22nd, prolally 1797. My dear , I am much obhged by thy inteUigent letter. It is amongst my httle comforts to fimd A. B., J. J., and thy dear aunt Margaret occupy with theh precious gifts : teU dear Margaret I love her dearly, and I love aU the family. " Although the fig-tree shall not blossom, neither shaU fruit be in the vines ; the labour of the ohve shaU faU, and the fields shaU yield no meat ; the flock shaU be cut off from the fold, and there shaU be no herd in the stall," yet I most assuredly beheve, they may rejoice in the Lord, and joy in God, who offers to be theh salvation. Oh ! that holy preservation may be near to uphold the mind, that faitii may not be shipwrecked in the greatest tossings conceivable I love you aU dearly : oh ! if I could convey the solicitude I feel in a peculiar manner for aU your sphitual good, I should not be backward. May the ever lasting Arm be near you aU ; may He sanctify the exercise begun in thine, and at times felt also in thy dear sisters' minds, that so, in all, the seed of His kingdom may so have dominion, that "the glory of Lebanon may be given unto it; the exceUency of Carmel and Sharon ;" that things in heaven, things in earth, and tlungs under the earth, may bow to the name of the cluld Jesus : thus I beheve you wUl know His name to be a strong tower ; and, your righteous ness being of God, you wUl flee there, and find safety amidst your various probations, even as they may increase for your sanctification. My heart salutes you individuaUy. Dearly farewell, S. Lynes. To Elizabeth Grubb. London, Seventh Month, 1797, First Day. It is in my heart to address thee, my dear, not merely by way of an acknowledgment for thy very acceptable and comfortable letter of 24th ultimo, neither for one received since from , for which I feel there is abundant cause to be thankful, seeing that, be tween you and me, neither distance nor time, heights nor depths, nor anything else, has yet broken the feUowship, begotten, I humbly hope, in the truth of our Holy High Priest, but I want to give thee any comfort or gratification in my power; and this afternoon, in 42 A selection from the letters [1797. meeting, thou wast, for a whUe, much the companion of my thoughts : afterwards I forgot thee and aU things else, in the pursuit of doing the wUl of our Heavenly Eather ; for when my heart is warmed with holy fire, and the command issued to offer a sacrifice, I mean of that kind wherein we are obliged to appear openly in the cause of Hun who hveth and abideth for ever, aU outward objects seem to me to vanish, the mind being lost for a time in vision : this, according to my apprehension, was the case with me this afternoon at the Peel. Thou needest not suppose that I forget thee ; no, I remem ber thee at times to my comfort ; deshing also that it may please Infinite Kindness so to preserve, and even keep as the apple of the eye, that we may be one another's joy in Him, He being our Alpha and Omega. I beheve He designs to bring about in its fuhiess, in thy experience, that " the fruits of the Sphit are love, peace, joy in the Holy Ghost;" and, by enabling thee to pursue the path of holy rectitude, in Him who never faUs to unfold it to the rightly reduced mind, make thee a star sinning more and more in the firma ment of His power here ; consequently of those who shall everlast ingly slune in fuU lustre hereafter. He knows the secret exercise of thine and aU our minds ; He graciously regards the groans unut terable, and, in His own time, wUl answer, if we wait patiently: His reward, then, is found to be with Hun, and His work before Hhn. I have not been trying to muster up anytlung of this kind for thee (that would be poor stuff) ; my pen can hardly run fast enough for the words, or the matter that arises in my mind : I long thou mayest not, in any measure, faU short of the inheritance designed for thee to purchase by an entire submission to the wiU of God, only fuUy known by the mind being centred in Him alone, and the dependence purely fixed on the revelation of His power in the heart. All that happens to yon or me, in inscrutable, yet unerring wisdom, must be in order that we may more fuUy know the habitation of our sphits to be invincible; that, feeding on the flesh and blood of Christ, the soul may be nourished up unto eternal hfe, and that we may answer the end of our being here. I doubt not but all thou sayest about Cork is true. I feel very sohcitous at times about many things in Ireland, and at intervals almost forget I am not there ; but again when I look at .... and some other secret exercises about places here, I awfuUy remember I .ffiTAT. 24.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 43 am not in Ireland. Was it not that, in deep conflict, my soul can, through mercy, make the appeal, that being here was not sought for by me, I should often " faint in my sighing, and find no rest," when "grief seems added to my sorrow;" but at tins moment, as weU as other times, I feel that there is cause to magnKy the Lord, and rejoice in God my Saviour, for He graciously regards my low estate. Assure dear Hannah, with as much affection as I am capable of, that I cannot at present thinlc it is the design of the Great Shep herd of His own sheep, this separation should be without its own pecuhar use to us. Second Day Night. — ^Thomas Scattergood has retumed from Ux bridge, where he has been Ul of a nervous fever. This letter was omitted to be sent yesterday, and I have nothing more to say, save that poor T. S. has been very Ul aU night. I am just going to meeting ; my poor mind, yesterday and to-day, pecuharly tried ; but unto whom shaU we go at such times, but to Him who hath the words of eternal IKe ? To London, Eighth Month \Uh, 1797. I hardly know how to apologise for not writing before, as I gave my dear to expect it woidd be the case after our Monthly Meeting, which was held last fourth day ; and the result of it, with respect to myseK, was to obtain a certificate for some coun ties in this land, particularly northward (this is the way it is ex pressed) ; and that day dear Thomas Scattergood came to see me, took me into a room from the company, and queried what was to become of the other affair — ^that of the famihes in this meeting. I said it must be left. "Ay," said he, " two burdens on thy shoulders at once : weU, thou dost not know what use it may be of, thy men tioning them both at one time." So I told him my mind had been perplexed, lest it should not be right, as Friends thought it a inixture. He seemed as K he was aware of my feehngs, and intimated how unacquainted people were (even those who often had, as it were, to sit in judgment) with these exercises or burdens, and the true nature of them ; and also cautioned me against hstening to the old adver sary, when I might be out, K he should try to persuade me I was wrong, and had attempted what I could not accomphsh — ^that of two concerns at once. He charged me to keep to my gift, let it turn 44 A SELECTION FROM THE LETTERS [1797. which way ft would. My heart was abundantly humbled under a grateful sense of the care and wonderful kindness of Israel's Shep herd. I met with tins dear exercised man again on Ehst day, at Tottenham, where he made way for my rehef in meeting, and took very kind notice of me afterwards; got me to go with lum to Thomas Home's, and, in a rehgious opportunity, spoke of some of the deahngs of the Most High with hhn in his travels abroad, and said some present would know changes of dispensations, many strippings and deep probations of sphit ; but there was no need to be discouraged. Thus He, who is everlasting in loving-kindness,' either immediately or instrumentaUy, gives unto us what we stand in need of; and I feel a wish thou mayest be encouraged hereby, for I beheve very many have been thy conflicts of late, perhaps in a pecuhar manner. I have no doubt but many are the struggles of spirit that many of you feel in visited Clonmel. I remember the conflicting meetings, the difficulty to get to the weU of everlasting hfe; and can cordiaUy sympatluse with the httle exercised flock amongst you, even in my sittings here and elsewhere, as weU as at other times. Since writing to my dear , my time has been fuUy occu pied, pretty much between this house and my dear mother's, she being poorly, and desiring my company as much as possible ; M. S. also wishing me to stay as much with her as convenient, she not being weU, and often low-spirited. I have had many invitations to spend some time in famUies in and about this city; but I dechne, as thou mayest suppose, and I hope not to accept anything of tli^' kind merely as a visitor, except I beheve it right ; neither do I seem as though I might have any intimate but M. S. To-morrow is the time I look towards setting out for Staines Monthly Meeting, without an expectation to return, and without a companion ; about which I am a little encouraged, as T. S. men tioned to me it was better not to urge any one ; and that, in America,- he had sometimes known it best to go out alone, and afterwards somebody had rightly turned up as a companion. He said, "by keeping to thy gift, and being helped through this journey, it may make thee stronger for the next;" and he expected I shouldbe helped through. ^TAT. 24.] OP SARAH GRUBB. 45 To Sarah Grubb. Buckingham, Eleventh Month '14h, 1797. My dear Mistress, You have perhaps heard of the way in which I now tread — a way which I knew not ; a Avay, at times, which notlung could reconcUe to my nature, but an apprehension of its being the wUl of Hhn who doth aU tlungs right. Tliis makes crooked paths straight, and rough places smooth. I am hardly able to tell two days beforehand where I may be. The same friend whom I mentioned is stUl with me : she is a kind, sympathising companion. We have had many very large meetings ; and although what I caU preaching the Gospel is seldom got to, without obstruction of various sorts, partly on account of the mists of darkness wherewith many minds are clouded, yet it is generaUy a satisfaction that we meet with openness in some, and have cause to beheve the petition is more and more answered — "Give ear, oh Shepherd of Israel; Thou that leadest Joseph hke a flock. Thou that dweUest between the cherubims, shine forth." Sometimes, after a meeting of more than two hours, the people can hardly be persuaded to withdraw, saying meeting is not over ; and they often wish for another ; but we seldom find tins re quired of us, and are generaUy glad when, tluough adorable mercy, our hves are given unto us for a prey, so that we can escape with them to the next place, and come under renewed baptism for what is to come ; nevertheless, at one or two places, partly for want of sufficient room, I beheve, for those who would come, we have ap pointed a second, whereby more relief hath been obtained. Many of the roads we travel are very bad, being cut across the country,, and not very much used, except by farmers. The other day I went with some friends to seek a place in a large vUlage, for a meeting, and was so frightened at the road, that I was obhged, as I thought, to ahght from my horse, giving a friend the trouble of getting me over a sad mhy place, as weU as my horse, and then hft ing me up again : I confess I was ashamed afterwards, and thought I had lost most of my courage ; but I teU them, I never saw such roads in Ireland. We were once up to our horses' knees in nure, and at another time I leaped my horse. [Here part of the letter is wanting.] We went the other day to see a great woman, to request leave for 46 A selection from the letters [1797. the room over the market-place, for a meeting with the inhabitants of the town of Wathngton. I was not easy without being one of those who went, and yet, I came away burdened, and left the town so ; but, next day, thought myseK obhged to go to her, which, with another friend, I did; and she admitting us into her company, we had a very satisfactory opportunity, which she received well, and was very still wlule I was speaking. [Part of the letter wanting here.] To . Banbury, Eleventh Month 2Qth, 1797. Yesterday thy lively and instructive epistle of Eighth Month came to hand, and when I read it, I said in my heart, surely, though apparently out of date, it is come in the right time. I can not help esteeming it a favour that I am not yet forgotten by some of those whose desires are, I beheve, heard in an acceptable time. We stayed about ShiUingford a long whUe, and I passed through bitter conflicts ; I dare not doubt their being altogether best for me, and perhaps they helped to fit for what befel me from day to day, almost during our continuance there ; for we had many pubhc meet ings, &c. — seventeen or eighteen since I wrote, and many among Eriends, but have not seen it right to appoint any among the latter, except one at Buckingham., where we also had a meeting with the inhabitants in general. I thought it might be safely said concern ing it, the Lord's power was over all, in an extraordinary manner. Some other meetings of this kind have been hke it, and I think especiaUy when we had them in large rooms, where the people have come in great numbers, and notwithstanding been accommodated, so as to be able to keep quiet. Such an one was at Abingdon, in the town-haU : I suppose there were fourteen hundred at least. We had before had one in the meeting-house, but could not be clear. This place (Abingdon) is six miles from Oxford, where we had three meetings with the people, aU much favoured; and yet I am not reheved about that city. We tried for a larger place than our meeting-house, but cquld not procure it then. Thou canst beheve, without my saying much of it, what plunging my mind had there, and concerning it, when not there : it seemed as much as my faith or patience was equal to, yet I got some rehef by going to visit the prisoners in the Castle ; for I went under a heavy load indeed, and the Great Master was Avith me by His power. .STAT. 24.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 47 and the poor creatures had the Gospel preached to them : they were very attentive, and seemed glad. Just as we came away, the word was in me like fire, to the keeper, for I beheved he was not far from the kingdom of God ; so I told him this kingdom was within liim, and as he submitted to the simplicity of the Gospel, he would see aU things clearly. Last evening a very large meeting was held in this town to some rehef, although there was much to get tlu-ough before the Gospel could be preached. I believe I was on my feet two hours and a haK, and the farther I went, the more it seemed to make way in the people's minds ; tUl at length, (blessed be His name, who hath promised to be with me while my eye was single to His power) truth was in doininion, and it seemed rather a disappointment when they were told meeting was over, though it was nearly nine o'clock. Last week my dear friend Ehzabeth Eoper left me, which proved a great trial, as she had, for more than two months, been a tender, sympathising companion ; but I was obhged to resign her, for she said her time was come, and it would be presumption in her to attempt going farther, though she loved me in a manner she had hardly known with any one before. She wept much, but I could not at aU, though Ifelt much : however, another friend offered that day, who is with me now. I met with Ann Baker of Bhmingham, and was not easy without teUing her I wished her to consider about joining me, when we might meet at Bhmingham. The low spots my mind is in at times, thou knowest I cannot de scribe : if it prove at aU like receiving the " white stone, wherein is written the new name which no man knoweth, save he that receiveth it," my soul is bowed even in gratitude for the dispensation. Dear Thomas Scattergood has been at Sheffield some time, of which I suppose you have heard, as it is said he had a meeting in a place which held three thousand people — that it was fuU, and many went away : this is not the only one, for he had many in that place, to the astonishment of the people, he was so fiUed with the power of Him who is almighty This I beheve ; we are never more pecuharly under the notice of the Shepherd of Israel than when the sensible enjoyment of His presence is the most withheld, in His inscrutable wisdom. FareweU in the Lord thy God ; may He Ihde thee in the hoUow of His hand, and divest thee of all slavish fear, saith the heart of Thy affectionate, though tried friend, S. Lynes. 48 A SELECTION FROM THE LETTERS [1797. To Birmingham, Twelfth Month Uh, 1797. Notwithstanding it is not long since I wrote to your fanuly, perhaps not more than two weeks, dated Banbury, I seem inclined to address thee, having thought much of thee of late, and been deshous thou might not let thy spirits sink below the hfe of truth in thee : this I beheve many do, which tends to no good, either to themselves or others. Oh! how I wish to be the least strength to any of you herein, K it is only by the deep inward attention of spirit in feUowship with yours. There are seasons when I think I am made partaker hereof with some of you, my dear friends in Ireland, for wluch feUowslup I am thankful. Here I may acknowledge, great is the kindness of many friends towards so poor a creature; yet my attachment to a place where I knew many heights and depths for so long, and where, I humbly trust, through adorable mercy, aU wrought together for a degree of furtherance in the great and necessary work of sanctification, is likely to exceed anything yet known here; although my dear, here hkeivise many proving times have been in wisdom pennitted and appointed; yea, and what is more, and more than anything to be deshed, the great "I Am" hath granted, as far as I am at aU able to judge, resigna tion in a great degree, to these turnings of His aUivise hand. I believe the Most High designs there should be an arising, shaking from the dust of the earth, and putting on the beautiful garments ; and that many of the dear young people are preciously given up to His honour; acknowledging that "Worthy, worthy is the Lord God, and the Lamb who is redeeming them by His blood, to receive honour, power, and dominion in aU, by aU, and through all." Amongst other people, great is the openness in many to hear the Gospel pubhshed, though to this there remain obstructions ; yet the power rises high in many meetings, in setting forth the purity and exceUency of the glory of God, in the face or appearance of His Son Christ Jesus our Lord. May you aU dearly fareweU, wluch we may through aU, by keep ing our ranks in righteousness. Do teU me how you and dear Ire land fare ; I hear dismal accounts of it. Many attempts have been made for T. S., and some were for S. L. before, to get the town- ^TAT. 24.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 49 haU at Oxford, to hold a meeting; but they compared it to admit ting the enemy into their fortffications : I suppose it would hold several thousands. To Sarah Grubb. Birmingham, Twelfth Month \2th, 1797. My very dear Mistress, Yesterday I received thy valuable epistle, together with the acceptable additions from the beloved childi-en My dear companion's name was Ehzabeth Eaper ; but she has left me several weeks, which was a close trial to us both, but she thought it was not right for her to come any further, and I afterwards thought it proved so, for she could not have borne riding on horse back, and some of the roads H. H. and myseK went were impass able for a chaise. I had with me, for several hundred iniles, E. E., of Amersham, an elder, and an elderly, yet active man; he mani fested much fatherly regard and care, and said he had great satisfac tion in giving up to come, though much in the cross to his natural disposition. I adnure Ius innocency and openness : nothing he said hurt me, though he often freely communicated his mind : before we separated he acknowledged, that wlulst we were together, he was frequently made sensible of something very comfortable wdien sitting by me, which I think a great favour. Since I wrote thee last, have had a deal of traveUing, and many meetings in very foul weather; I have been wet through several times, and for some nules the snow was so heavy I could hardly see, it coining so thick in my face ; my companion, riding double, fared better. That day we rode from Eatington, in Warwickshhe, to WaxAvick, ten miles, to a ten o'clock meeting, and had another in the evening with the people who do not profess with us, wluch, not- witlistanding the severity of the weather, Avas large, and, in a good degree, divinely favoured, as was another the next evening at Coven try. Blessed for ever be that Power that doth aU things right ! Our joumey to Coventry was almost dangerous, but we were not easy to stay at Warwick. A friend who accompanied us cut the snow several times out of the horses' feet with a knife, or they might have faUen. We got to this place, coming through a deal of water, from the great rain that foUowed the snow; sometimes we could see nothing, for a long way before us, but water. However, E 50 A SELECTION FROM THE LETIERS [1797. we have been mercKuUy preserved from accidents or cold very much. My health seems bravely, except at times a pain in my chest. Here I feel stUl bound, although I have sat some distressing meetings in sUence, or nearly so, and in others have been a httle enlarged in the gift mercKuUy vouchsafed ; have also sat in fourteen famihes. What I have done has been through inexpressible pain, and in one instance, particularly, where I had to teU a young woman who appears in meetings, that hers was a floating ministry, and the Lord would have none such. Oh ! I could not help it, let the consequence be as it might ; the word was hke a sword in my soul tUl I gave up. I remembered I could not choose what to do, and what to leave undone, and yet be accepted. Dear Ann Baker says she feels her mind engaged to accompany me for a whUe from here ; her precious gift seems to be used in much purity and simphcity. My mind is often occupied about dear ; teU him my soul feels solicitous on his account ; so much so, that I have thought of Avriting to him. Oh ! that he may be one of the behevers, unto whom all things are possible ; he must then assuredly beheve in the simple revelation of that eternal Power that hath eminently visited and brought his mind under close exercise : so wUl the "mountains skip like rams, and the httle hiUs like lambs," at the presence of the mighty God of Jacob. Oh ! how different wUl the face of aU things appear ; his wilderness shaU be made like Eden, his desert hke the garden of the Lord : he shaU have to say rejoicingly, "Let my Be loved come into His garden and eat His pleasant fruits." " I am my Beloved's, and my Beloved is mine : He feedeth among the hhes." How is this, at the present moment, iUustrated in my view on his account. I do think aU he has to do is, simply and unreservedly to resign himseK into the hands of a faithful Creator ; not approving in part, and disapproving in part, the works of Omnipotence, but ap proving the whole, and saying, "Thy wUl be done." Solomon in aU his glory was not arrayed as these are; these shaU be clothed with the whole armour of hght. Amen, saith my mind herein toward dear . Didst thou ever know of so many out together on rehgious serAdce in the two nations as now ? I long we may accept the present large offer many ways of everlasting kindness, mercy, and truth. I must conclude, although my heart is as fuU as I can express of love, of sympathy, and of desire for you aU, particulariy for thee:. jETAT. 25.] OP SARAH GRUBB. 51 "feeling has no fellow," and I do hope thou feels I love thee dearly, dearly, and hope thou wilt remember me stiU. Dearly aU fareweU. Thy truly affectionate S. Lynes. To Sarah Grubb. Birmingham, Third Month hth, 1798. My very dear Mistress, My mind is much with thee and thine in sincere affection, and I trust, at times, in feUow feehng in yom- various conflicts, perhaps in the Lord's turning and overturning in the secret of your own souls, some of you particiUarly. It seems long since I addressed any of you in tins Avay; I hardly know why it should be so ; but it is more unaccountable, perhaps, to you and to me, that the date of this should stiU be Birmingham, the same as my last, now nearly three months ago ; but so it is. Yet, as thou hast (it is likely) heard, we have not been aU this time here; we went to attend the Quarterly Meeting at Worcester, and were unexpectedly detained from this place about five weeks, passing through much probation, liaAdng pubhc meetings, &c. Since our return we have had considerably more than a hundred opportunities in famihes, haAring frequently had two in one fanuly, and attended many meetings, but have not appointed any, yet feel bound in spirit, and caimot rightly make our escape ; K we could, I believe it would be cause of gladness. Many have been our trials here and various ; perhaps I have never known closer proving of spirit on divers ac counts ; yet beheve now, wlulst I write, aU things are designed to work together for good, K the intention is but pure, and resignation to the Divine wiU honestly endeavoured after in aU things. I am ready to conclude, at times, I have many deatlis to die, before the Divine wiU is wrought out in me; peradventure, in the progressive advancement of this painful, yet necessary Avork, it is that this Divine wUl may be Avrought out by us and through us : weU, Divine aid is the alone sufficiency ; where else can we centre ? unto whom sliaU we go? He hath the Avords of eternal hfe, even He who speaks in righteousness, and— oh ! precious annexed language — "mighty to save!" He hath, my dear mistress, even to my soul, many a time since I sav thee, proved Hunself omnipotent; for which, repeatedly, hath my mind been bowed in reverent submission ; e 2 52 A SELECTION FROM THE LETTERS [1798, in the moment of extremity He hath been my DeUverer, Yes terday (First day) was a time of uncommon exercise. I had been silent at several meetings and two burials, save a short testimony in one of them, and felt, on going to meeting again, poor and empty, withont any expectation of being quahfied to minister to others; but "whilst I was musing, the fire burned;" then I spake what flowed unpremeditated, not only in testhnony, but suppUcation: but oh ! between meetings, the suffering was unutterable, save in mental groans to Him who, I believed, existed; who knows all hearts. Thus I lay on the bed most of the time tiU we must go again, not knowing that He who hideth HimseK in wisdom, would be pleased to put a new song into my heart, and command the utterance thereof in words, as was afterwards the case, both in meeting, and in a famUy in the evening : then I said. It is good to tmst in the Lord. I wish, as for myseK for thee, dearly do I wish it. He may be tliy aU in all, sanctKying every secret or visible trial to thee. Many times of late, by night as weU as by day, the language of my heart in effect is, "Bless her, oh compassionate Eather; bless her and hers, not only with the fatness of the earth, but with the dew of heaven ; that so there inay be a pleasantness unto thyself, a holy verdure :" thus hath my spirit been wafted to thy habitation,, when I have remembered the exercise of soul that assailed me there, at different times, in different shapes. When I reflect that I might have done better at some periods — have been more meek, more sub missive, and have had thereby more true firmness, more fortitude, yet can I throw myseK into the arms of adorable mercy and say, "There is forgiveness with Thee, that Thou mayest be feared;" yet can I be glad in that His love unites ns in spirit now, as it did at times, through aU. The dear chUdren every one, are affectionately in my thoughts, ' and poor : I wish her weU, now and for ever, with all my heart. May aU the dear chUdren cultivate truest wisdom, by an iuAvard attention to its dictates : I cannot now, Arith pen and ink, say hoAv they individuaUy come into my thoughts. Tliis may serve as a httle testimonial of my continued, undimin ished love, but I confess myseK not equal to the expression of what my mind feels for you; in which I bid you fareweU, hoping it oi-iginates in something that I could not of myseK manufacture. Thy sincerely affectionate S. Lynes-, ^TAT. 25.] OP SARAH GRUBB. 53 John Burlingham to his Wife. Dudley, Fourth Month 2Uh, 1798. My Dear, Although my brother is intended to be the bearer of this, and would inform thee verbaUy respecting me and our dear friends, S. L. and A. B., yet I do not feel excused without briefly saying, that yesterday is, I hope, not to be forgotten by us their companions, and I trust, many, many more. Thou mayest remember I told thee 8. L. had spoiled my night's rest. I may say it was a very great trial to me, and not the less so, from seeing S. L. in such a distressed, low spot ; which, more or less, continued untU witlun a httle dis tance of Wolverhampton. She neither saw nor spoke to any Friend there, except those at our quarters. On inquiry we were told the most suitable place to speak would be from the upper window at the inn, but that not feehng right to S. L., we left her to take the hehn. She said to A. B., " do thou take E. B.'s arm ; I wiU take J. B.'s ;" so she led me the way into the market. After making a short stand, she began to address those around her, and had not spoken many sentences, when divers shed tears, struck dumb, as it were, vrith amazement ; indeed the power was so great, and so CAridently felt, that fear was taken from me. After a very solemn, but short oppor timity (having hold of my arm aU the time) she went more into the centre of the market, which is a very large one, and seeing a butcher's block, without asking any questions to whom it belonged, she and Ann mounted it, my brother and seK standing on each side. A large audience coUecting hnmediately, she addressed them for about one hour, to the satisfaction, I beheve, of most that could hear her. When she got down, great was the anxiety of many to shake hands with her, which numbers did, and also expressed their thankfulness. By this time the farmers, mariy of them, were gone and going to dinner ; we therefore went to the inn, the people making way for us to pass respectfully : when there, S. L. did not seem quite easy in thus missing the farmers, but, understanding a number of them were dining at the ordinary, she concluded to offer herseK to them as soon as they had dined. My brother went and asked them the question : the chahman immediately rephed they, or he, had no objection. My brother and self accompanied S. L. and A. B. into the room. We 54 A SELECTION FROM THE LETTERS ^1 9 • , , 1 J. c T ilprlined. and sat doAsm at were asked to go up to the top, ^-^ »• ^^ ^^^^^ ,ile^ee, divers the bottom. During a space of about ten nunm ^ , interruptions took place by people coming m. it i may give a ae- scription of S. L.'s engagement at that time, agreeably to my own feehngs, both then and since, I must say that her elegance of Ian- guage, pertment matter, persuasive energy, and above aU, the crown- ing authority and power, I think I never witnessed exceeded, if equaUed. When she had done, she instantly began to withdraw; when the company, every man, rose from his seat, though silently, yet most respectfully ; they showed, at the same tune, good manners, and also assent to what they had heard. On inquiry, we found the company she had thus been ajddressing was composed of gentlemen farmers, several attorneys, and one cler gyman ; the latter had heard her in the market : the chairman, we apprehend, was the high sheriff of the county. So we see how her language was suited to the company, and she knew nothing, until afterwards, as to who they were. After the opportunity in the market, S. L. found other work. The Methodist meeting-house being offered, she did not feel freedom to go without seeing the towns-people ; the offer was accepted, and those who belong to the meeting, say two thousand people, were within the waUs. Many hundreds could not get in. I beheve it was a favoured season ; her mind pretty comfortably reheved, hut she is withal, so ivorn down, she concludes to rest to-day. I conclude in haste, and remain Thy affectionate husband, John Burlinghah. Sarah Lynes to . Dudley, Fourth Month IWi, 1798. Ever since I received thy letter of 9th instant, I have .longed to reply, but could not tiU now, not only because of engage ments to fill up my time pretty closely, but because of the sore exercise of my sphit from day to day, in aU which I can now rejoice and give thanks. When this joint letter of yours came to hand, we were at Worcester again, and my heart beat high on opening it. I had longed to hear of you, and how you went on, particularly Jas the sad doings in Ireland had reached my ears ; yet, tluough all, I seemed to hope Ahnighty aid would be your support under every jETAT. 25.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 55 difficulty — ^you, whom He hath gathered under His own holy direc tion ; you, whose hearts He has disciphned to the cross of His dear Son. Oh I there are seasons when my spirit bows for myseK, and for individuals in and about Clonmel particularly, that we may be of those whom nothing can harm, because they are simply and singly foUowers of that which is good: surely this makes the hfe pure enough to be " hid with Christ in God." What, surely, what can we do better, than seek to rely in resignation on the simple guidance of that Wisdom which is infinite ? for then it increases in us, and the more we are acquainted with it, the more we love it, and are made partakers of its bread, and the wine which it hath mingled : thus may we be helped on, and the soul nourished up unto etemal hfe. My dear knows surely that my love and feUow feehng with her caimot by me be frdly expressed. I fear she hath again been anxious in not hearing from me : it is not a want of inchnation, but I may say, " How can my pen pourtray the deep distress. How paint the anguish of a heart that bled," &c. Because of these most trying feelings of late, I could not teU you how much I remembered you, even through it aU. I believe for more than a week I had not one quiet hour. I told thee of going back to Worcester ; it was after attending a burial at Bhmingham, at which there was a great multitude, and I was helped to set fortii in a good degree, the efficacy of the living eternal power of God working in the soul, for its thorough sanctification, justification, and everlasting glory : this was the most reheving time to me of any in Birmingham. Next day was the Select Quarterly Meeting in Wor cester, so we proceeded, and were detained, visiting famihes, &c., for three weeks. We had often the company of those of other societies at meethig, and appointed one for the topping people of the city, which was not very large ; and although we had satisfaction in being "unprofitable servants," doing that which was our duty, my sphit hath never felt rehef in Worcester. We left it last third day after the Monthly Meeting, and next day had to go to Wolver hampton market, and speak to the people in two places, also to speak to a large number of what are termed gentlemen, who dined at the inn: we yet could not get away without a meeting in the evening, and it was thought fifteen hundred got into the house, and very many could not. I had another opportunity with my feUow- 56 A selection from the letters [1798. iraveUers that evening, which closed the day, and next morning we came here to breakfast : had, that day, two private opportunities, and saw the next day's work, which, in prospect, seemed enough for nature, yet so it must be ; for we went to the market-places at Stourbridge, had one fanuly visit, and came here again next day, which was yesterday : and oh ! we must needs go to the market place here likewise, and so we did. We have this day (Ehst day) been at two meetings, which, in consequence of the people knoAwng we were here, were crowded, but what is better, were much favoured : many came from the country round about, and I beheve many of their souls were truly hungry and thirsty. At Wolverhampton there were many hearts tendered, and we were sensible of much holy aid to fulfil aU the apprehended wiU; yet as soon as this was done, my spirit as it were was again in the deeps : yes, my dear friend, and so it hath been nearly throughout this last week ; but this evening I am quiet, and seem bravely, notwithstand ing aU. But who can understand these things ? Very few can know what it means, or why it should be so ; and I can't give thee such an idea of the deahngs of the Most High with me as I wish; thou wUt, however, make my dearest a sharer, and you must feel the rest, if you are permitted. It is the language of my sphit, "Great and marveUous are thy works. Lord God Almighty," &c. Dearly farewell in the umnixed, inexhaustible source of aU-sufficiency. S. Lynes. We return to Birmingham, and bonds and afflictions seem to await me everywhere. The Lord is our strength. Oh ! He is great, and greatly to be praised. His is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, for ever. S. Lynes. To ONE OP Sarah Grubb's children. London, Fifth Month 2Uh, 1798. I feel disposed to endeavour to teU thee a little about how my mind has been engaged concerning thee, and aU the family at Anner MiUs, from time to time: it is indeed in love unfeigned, accompanied with a desire that Heavenly Goodness may be with you, as an aU-sufficient Helper, in and through all. I have not the least doubt of ils being His design, therefore oh ! that from day to day, MTAT. 25.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 57 He may be simply and singly rehed upon. I cannot suppose but your minds are indiAriduaUy and unitedly exercised before Him, and this is precious to my soul ; for K this exercise is not flinched from, nor mixed Avith the natural wUl and Avisdom, it wiU cause all things to be sanctified unto such ; so that, in theh sphitual measures, the depth of that exercise avUI so increase as to cause a dying daUy, yet living; and the hfe of these is by faith in the Son qf God: hence these are on theh way to the blessed experience of being fiUed with aU His fulness : the mystery of the language, " because my Eedeemer hveth I hve also," is to such unfolded. WeU, my dear, my heart is enlarged, but here I leave you aU to Him who is omniscient and omnipotent, and avUI begin to say that the Yearly Meeting has now sat seven times ; and though we may say that it surely doth not rain on every field at once, yet, speaking in a general sense, I beheve the Lord Almighty hath so far bowed the heavens, and come down amongst us, as that He hath again evinced that this people He hath formed for HimseK, and stiU de signs they should pecuharly show forth His praise. May the present visitation of Divine love be accepted to us as a people ; for if we, as it were, hold our peace, the stones of the street wUl cry out ; seeing that, in the most expressive language, that of the whole tenor of the hfe of man, God Almighty wiU be glorified. AU the American Friends now in England, are here, and have exercised their gKts. Yesterday forenoon we did no business, for many were engaged in exhortation, or suppUcation ; amongst whom was WiUiam Savery, who came to visit us. I send by J. B. a little box, in which is a smaU portion of my knitting, whUe traveUing ; for thy dear mother, a few labels ; for thy aunt, a watch string ; for thee .... (some words wanting.) I am ahnost ashamed of the colour, it being a new thing for me to choose colours. I excuse myself, and conclude, if it was to do again, I should have it otherAvise : none of the knitting is perfect ; constant attention could not be paid to it. I send to dear A., a thimble ; to E. and J., a httle watch-hook each : hope you avUI accept these trifles in the love meant. I have heard speak of " love in a nut kemel." I have sometimes deshed you might know that I am, in general, as weU in health as when Avith you. I lately lost my voice, but have got it again. EareweU, S. Lynes. 58 A SELECTION PROM THB LETTERS [1798. To Friends of the North Monthly Meeting, Warwickshire, Sixth Month lUh, 1798. Dear Friends, In the fresh feeling of that life and power which first gathered us to be a people, separated to serve the living God, and which, I humbly hope, drew my mind to visit you personaUy, do I now salute you ; deshing you may so adhere to the precious gift of grace in yourselves, as to be increasingly made and kept ahve in Him, who hath thereby caUed you to glory and virtue. I know that there is cause for some of you, who are standing first in the tribes, as weU as others, to bend more imphcitly to this Divine call, that, in the sight of the Searcher of hearts, you may serve Him in holiness and purity aU the days of your hves ; " whatsoever is not of faith is sin." There are many things that are not brought forth by the hving faith of the Gospel of Christ, which the world even approves, which are, nevertheless, iniquity in the sight of God, and wluch are seen to be so by those who are quick of understanding in His fear. This faith, which works by love to the purifying of the soul, would keep you in holy order, when engaged about your law ful concerns; and in your meetings, whether for worship or dis cipline; for it is that which puts a man into the capacity for producing those works which please God, and a purity of depend ence on the simple leadings of His own Holy Spirit. Who is there amongst men, brought into the practical part of true and revealed religion, that dare lean to their own understandings ? Surely none; but, feeling sensibly their own inabUity, as men, to work the works of God, they ask for that wisdom which comes down from above, which "is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be en treated ; fuU of mercy and good fmits, without partiahty, and Avith out hypocrisy." Oh ! that you may thus ask, and you avUI receive, keeping your ranks in pure righteousness. I remember that I told you these things, wliUe present with you; but now, being absent, I endeavour also to " stir up the pure mind by way of remembrance;" letting it keep pace with knowledge, which is not a knowledge that puffeth up, but the simple unfolding of the Divine wUl. There are amongst you, who are near and dear to my life, in Christ: these are the httle ones; unto these I now put the language, " Fear not, httle flock, for it is your Father's good .ETAT. 25.] OF SARAH GRUBB, 59 pleasure to give you the kingdom." You, I mean, who " have none in heaven but Him, nor in aU the earth you desire out of Him :" your foundation wUl stand through the shaking of the heavens and the earth; for, it being purely of God, it hath "this seal, the Lord knoweth them that are His." These among you are an oppressed remnant, but theh fortress is the fulness of strength. Oh ! that you who, though professing the same faith, are so far from the same practice, as to be the foUowers of the world in its bewitching and fluctuating spirit, may awake to righteousness, and sin not; may gather your wares out of the land, even coming out of Babylon, and be inhabitants hkevidse of tliis invincible fortress. How often hath this language been sounded in your ears before now, " To thy tents, oh Jacob ; to thy dwelhng-place, oh Israel ! " and wiU He who is rich in mercy, and just and equal in aU His ways, alAvays strive with US ? We do not know how soon He may deal with these ac cording to theh foUy ; and, because in the day of His mercy there was a turning the back, and not the face. He may, speaking after the manner of men, " laugh at their calamity, and mock when their fear cometh." I feel my heart enlarged to aU in Gospel love, that those who are afar off may come near; and those that are near, may acknowledge the might of the God of His people the world over. There are amongst the dear young people, male and female, who are near, and iriU be nearer, if they are faithful to what hath been, and is made known to them : these must look straight before them, singly eyeing that all-sufficient Power that hath visited theh souls with its Uluminating, quickening influence; so wiU they go forth and " grow up as calves of the staU." " Now unto Him that is able to keep you from faUing," I com mend you, with my own soul ; deshing that, by His witness in your selves, you may be able to know what part of these lines belong to you as individuals. Your true friend, Sarah Lynes. To Uxbridge, Sixth Month lUh, 1798. I want to repeat the assurance of my continued heart-felt solicitude for you, as weU as to say, that I account it a favour 60 A SELECTION FROM THE LETTERS [1798, having, previously to my leaving London, another written testuno- nial of being in your remembrance stUl, amidst your anxiety and trouble in the confusion of the land, I was making ready for this place when it was handed me, at Joseph Savory's, having been most of the thne of our stay in London, amongst my dear relatives, when not engaged in meetings, &c. My heart feels, but I cannot say what, with respect to dear Ireland; and particularly, my endeared acquamtance are much in my thoughts : thou art one of these, be assured ; and I have prayed (K the sincere breathing of my soul may be termed so) that, in the Divine wiU, thou mayest be enabled to bear thy part of this heavy burden and heat of this day of sore- tossing ; bear it, so as to be thereby deepened in the root of ever lasting hfe. Now 1 have not the least doubt of this being the design of Him who doth aU things right concerning thee, although thou canst not think it AviU be so, seeing all seems darkness and distress about it. Oh! learn to stand stUl, K thou possibly canstj in thy habitation, that thus thou mayest, in the Lord's time, sing of His salvation in thy soul ; and may it be so with you aU, dear crea tures. We went to the Monthly Meeting at Brentford; returned here, and oh ! my dear, next day we were under the necessity of going into the market twice, to declare the counsel of the Searcher of hearts to the people. He was in this, and other things, aU we wanted, tbough my faith was tried to a hah's breadth. !Nothing, sure, can compare with this one thing in any of our engagements j all else, when this is full in prospect, looks comparatively small; but we can set up our Ebenezer, and say, " hitherto hath the Lord helped us." May He keep us and guide us aU everywhere in His counsel, and afterwards receive us into glory ! I beheve the Most High hath joined my dear yoke-feUow and me together ; we don't see light on moving from this place. I wish to adopt the language, "Lord, make me quiet in thy wiU." It is thought many people wiU come to meeting to-morrow. Oh ! that I may be preserved in my right aUotment ! I feel many of you as epistles written in my heart. The God of aU true succour be with you, now and for ever, saith my spirit, bearing up in every exercise; even so. Amen. S. Lynes. .ETAT. 25.J OF SARAH GRUBB. 61 To Sarah Grubb. Nottingham, Seventh Month lUh, 1798. My very dear Mistress, It hath been in my heart, for many days past, to give thee some written testimonial of my continued affection, and indeed, I may say, feUow feehng with thee and tliine in this day of trial ; by day and night you are much in my thoughts, with many others in poor Ireland. Past occurrences are frequently brought to my re membrance with heart-aching sensations, that many late peaceful abodes are now disturbed by the ravages of war ; and peradventure, many more avUI yet share the same fate : nevertheless, the Lord is righteous ; He wUl keep them so as that aU tlungs vriU work together for their substantial good ; and these turnings and overturnings may hasten the time, when " Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good-wUl toward men," vriU be the general breathing language of mankind in their conduct, because of the iUustration and fulfiUing of the Gospel dispensation. Oh ! may the Lord of all power and pure consolation comfort you, every one, by His presence in the time of need. I must leave you individuaUy to Him. I often most dearly commend you in my spirit to His providence, as I do at this time. I often think, K I had left Ireland to escape trouble, great would have been my disappointment, for close conflicts have been my por tion from time to time, since coming to this nation ; some of which have proved equal to anything I could have formed an idea of, and beyond it : yet, with heart-felt gratitude to Him who doth aU things right, I can say, He hath been all to me in the needful time ; but oh ! K I dare ask anything of myseK, it seems to be that the work might be cut short in righteousness. I turn from the thought, lest it should be unacceptable to so gracious a God and Eather. Since leaving London have had to go to many market-places to speak to the people there, as weU as having very large meetings in doors, most of which have been seasons of enlargement and of some relief, generaUy after deep poverty and searching of heart : thus am I led along, and it is many times the language of my heart when most relief is obtained, " I have done but that which was my duty to do." It is to my mind as clear as the day, that, let us be how we may occupied in this life, whUst we are unreservedly at Divine 62 A SELECTION FROM THE LETTERS [1798. disposal, and no longer, are we in the fuU discharge of this duty, which wiU bring its reward. Sometimes, in the pubhc exposures, great openness is among the people; at others very little ; but we have been for the most suffered to appear as long as seemed pointed out to our nunds; as at Uxbridge, Amersham, Wycombe, Luton, and Northampton; but at Leicester, two very fierce-looking men would have had me doAvn in their fury, ahnost without my knowing why; my not going untU I fuUy understood that the mayor sent them, gave me an opportunity of just teUing the people that I be lieved that opportunity would have its use, and that I was clear m the sight of the Most High thereby. We got quietly away from them aU, and had peace : some of the people round were in tears before we were disturbed, and many appeared grieved in theh hearts that I might not stay longer, but I thought the Lord would tum it to good, and so it was ; for next day being Ehst day, the meet ing-house was crowded by persons from both town and country, and some of the topping folks that are seldom seen at such oppor tunities. The Almighty was pleased to appear in both meetings, giving authority in the awful hne of the ministry, which yet did not thoroughly tlirow off the burden for that toivn, so we had a very large meeting next evening in an assembly room : I thought truth might be said to reign at last, for which our minds were humbly grateful. We had to go next day to the two jaUs and the infirmary, aU of which we visited generally, and got away that evening to Castle Donnington, the abode of Euth FoUows : she ap peared pretty weU in health and cheerful — ^very hvely in the minis terial gift. We attended a marriage next morning — the meeting house very full of people, and truly comfortable it was altogether ; but though it was easy to minister of the word of IKe amongst that large gathering of sohd people, my mind was much tried with a prospect of returning that afternoon to Loughborough (a town we came tlu-ough the preceding evening) to have a meeting in a ware house, but help was near in the time of need, to my unspeakahle satisfaction, and we got from Loughborough the next moming, pro^ ceeded to Derby, had a large meeting in the county hall same even ing, wherein, though there was close doctrine to some, inward consolation was felt. We came here last night, after visiting the jaU at Derby, and going to see a religious woman who earnestly de shed our company : also paid a visit finally to the few who appear under convincement at that town, perhaps ten or twelve, who sit iETAT. 25.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 03 down together in one of theh houses tAvice on Eirst day : there ap peared something substantial amongst them, found through much searclung of heart. I forgot to say we had similar engagements at Northampton, in the jaUs and infirmary, as weU as havhig two large public meetings. This place hath already been a scene of bitter conflict to my sphit, having had to go to two places in the market this morning. I have been straitened almost as unto death, tUl it was accomphshed, but got tiirough without molestation, though some would have had me driven away from the first place. My soul is now thankful for a little quiet so far, but to-morrow is a day in prospect to be dreaded much, unless there is abUity to hide as in the bosom of Omnipotence ; for this is a great place, and the roof of Friends' meeting-house broke in, so that we are under the necessity of having two dissenting meeting-houses, one in the morning, the other in the evening. Eriends think our having been so exposed to-day, wiU bring very many to us to-morrow : we know we are notlung out of holy help, so must leave aU, K we can, to this power. Dearly farewell aU, as if named. Thy truly affectionate S. Lynes. John Burlingham to his wife. Nottingham, Seventh Month 16th, 1798. My dear. The seventh was a memorable day. We got to Leicester in time for the market, which we attended. After S. L. had been on her feet about ten nunutes, the people very quiet, and some in tears, she was interrapted by one of the mayor's officers, who came pushing through the crowd, and ordered her to desist, saying it was by the mayor's dhections. I told him I would caU on the mayor, and requested he would be quiet a little time. Presently came two more, in a furious manner, like buU-dogs, and would have used vio lence, to all appearance, but the people began to interfere. S. L. told them, that under what she then felt, she was afraid of no man. She told the people she hoped she should be clear of theh blood, and that some good would come out of tlus. Soon after she came down from the chair, a ynung woman belonging to a shop just by. A SELECTION FROM THE LETTERS [1798.- requested we would walk in. After stopping about ten minutes, we walked quietly to our inn. Many people were much displeased at the interruption. James Cook (one of the corporation known to me) caUed on the mayor to teU him I intended waiting on hhn, to explain my friend's motives, &c. I do not know what he said respecting me, but the mayor began to make excuses, and to paUiate the matter. S. L. desired no invitation might be given for Eirst day; however I went to the meeting-house with other Friends, and by adjusting the seats, made room for about fitfty more. In the moming James Cook was there, and divers aldermen, with other principal people. I believe none went away dissatisfied — many quite the reverse. In the after noon many of the principal people who were there in the morning; came again, and many hundreds that could not get in; otherwise it was a very satisfactory meeting. On second day morning I had my work aUotted me in Leicester; which was to fit up a place for a pubhc meeting that evening. I told Cook I preferred the haU, and, as I wanted ta see the mayor, would run the chance of being refused. We called again and again, but could not see him, nor learn where he was : at last I saw the high alderman (mayor last year) who, I beheve, was the man most con cerned in the orders respecting the market. He told me, in pointed terms, how much he disapproved of preaching in market-places. I heard him out, and then told him he had now given me an oppor tunity of explaining that business. I then gave bim an account of S. L., her general and particular engagements ; also my views in thus leaving my home and family to accompany her. I told him various places where I had attended her without any interruption tiU the present, and that no disturbance took place then ; the people being very quiet, and some in tears, tiU the instant the mayor's ofiicers came to disturb us. I told hhn I was firmly convinced her concern was right ; it had carried its own evidence with it. I begged him to consider what he thought could induce a modest young woman, as she was, thus to expose herseK; that she saw a description of people in the market she could not see in any other way (wluch was an unanswerable argument). I adverted to myseK, saying he mnst suppose it could not be a very pleasant thing to my natural feelings, to become a spectacle in a market-place. I felt abUity to teU hin my mind, and he seemed not disposed to reply, only said he would give us credit for our good intentions : with respect to the haU, he iETAT 25.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 65 must refer us to the mayor. We caUed again — still not to be seen. No tune was now to be lost ; we therefore got another place, which had been used as a playhouse, now an assembly room : very close work I had to get it ready in time ; I went without my tea. Before S. L. and A. B. came, near a thousand people, it was supposed, were coUected. S. L. was on her feet in less than ten minutes, and after she had stood an hour, her voice mended to my admiration ; she had much power and command of it : she stood nearly another hour : people seemed as though they were nailed to the floor. Her con clusion was very solemn. She adverted in a very few words to what had passed in the market; it AA-as short but strildng; I doubt not many felt it. I felt myseK weU repaid for the great exertions I found necessary in doing my part, although, compared with hers, but as the drop in the bucket. Thhd day she paid a visit to the gaols and the infirmary On seventh day S. L. had two opportunities in the market, in the first with the butter-women : a constable came, and was much disposed to interfere, but was prevailed on to desist : that with the farmers was solemn and quiet. One farmer came thirteen, and another seven miles to meeting yesterday ; I conclude in consequence. Various circumstances seem to rivet me to S. L. and A. B. at present. I hope this journey may do instead of my usual recruit at the sea-side. I have much wished it might : I had rather be thus employed. Thy affectionate husband, John Burlingham. Sarah Lynes to Hannah Burlingham. Sheriun, Eighth Month 3rd, 1798. My dear Friend, I have thought of writing to thee many a time since thy dear J. B.'s continuance Avith us, poor pUgrims, but thou knowest I do not like much of this as a matter of form ; therefore hope thou couldst, without a written testimonial, be assured of my tender feel ing with thee, yea, and with thine ; and most heartily do I desire the Fountain of Good may be your aU-sufficiency, not only now, in the absence of the nearest and dearest connexion in life, but also when he may be favoured to return. This, I have no doubt, will be your blessed experience, if your minds are seeking to centre in Him. F 66 A SELECTION FROM THE LETTERS [1798. It hath many a thne been the language of my sphit, when it hath been wafted to Catharine HUl, "The etemal God be your refuge," one and aU. Now in order that we may be thus privUeged, He who doth aU things to us, and concerning us, right, sees meet to try and prove, not only by secret unfathomable dispensations, but also by more visible tribulations. Then let us, oh let us endeavour to leave aU to Hhn, and say, "Thy wUl be done," thoroughly done : nothing hke this, my dear friend ; nothing so glorious in its effects : and though we have many a struggle to get to the "nevertheless not my wUl, but Thine be done," yet the struggle maintained in the grain of faith received, does it aU in due time. Thus in blessing may you be blessed, and in multiplying may you be multiphed ; for it is an increase in the increase of God, or of perfection leading to glorifica tion. After this manner do I bid you aU fareweU in the Lord; and I may say, K it is any comfort to thee, that indeed I am not un mindful of thy dear husband's trying seasons in this arduous engage ment wdth us, but I am pretty quiet about even the doing and suffering, beheving it is aU designed to be blessed to him for present and everlasting good; so I hope thou and thy precious famUy at home give hhn up freely, as one of the wiUing in Israel. None of us desire his stay (we dare not do it) longer than the pointings of that which cannot err, appear to (may I not say) demand it. Wlule this is the case, home could not be a home to him, nor his company a blessing to you ; and I have no authority to say anything respect ing the space of time untU he may return : I beheve Best Guidance is near him. Now wdth dear love I conclude. Love and a kiss to the chfldren. Thy sincere friend, S. Lynes. Sarah Lynes to John Burlingham, Whitly, Ninth Month \Uh, 1798. I was glad in thy return, and I was sorry : glad, in that thou wouldst be able to see for thyseK how tlungs were, and that it might make thy dear wKe easier. I have thought that the Lord's httle ones must know what it is, as it were, to lay the body even with the ground, to be walked over; which, nevertheless, does not hurt the hfe, that life which is hid with Cluist in God. "How pure," (says S. E. G.) "must be this hfe!" .KTAT, 25.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 67 Hoav many are the dispensations, my dear friend, necessary for us, to be of those thus redeemed. Mayest thou so abide under aU, as to know the grace thou hast received to be thy sufficiency in this work ; and oh ! may I ! I was sorry in parting with thee, as a kind helper and dear friend. Thy affectionate friend, S. Lynes. To . Sunderland, Eleventh Month 3rd, 1798. Truly I have undergone many secret cogitations on your account : does this mauKest a disposition not wiUing to leave you to the Lord's disposal ? for I do not know. If so, then I have renewed cause to endeavour after greater acquiescence ; for now I am also in fears and doubts, hunting even the newspapers for accounts from Ireland, pecuharly because of some of my much loved friends there. At Newcastle we had to surmount much difficulty in the path cast up for us, as it appeared necessary we should not only have very large meetings, but go into the markets : in aU we had cause to say, "What afled thee, oh thou sea, that thou fleddest?" &c. The next place in view was Shields ; there, too, had many large meet ings; staid ten days, visited Friends, as weU as others, and came here more than two weeks since. Many things have befaUen us, but aU now seem to be good. We had several meetings with Eriends, and many with others, not only here, but round about, seventeen in all, besides having to go into the streets or markets. A. B. being Ul, I had to go without a female, and obtained rehef. Next day I wrote thus : — " Had, on my bed, to scrutinize concerning the en gagements, and deshe all in me might be done away that breathed anything out of the wUl of the Father, and that He "would be vritli me in fature. Oh Lord, Thou only knowest how my soul partook of the wormwood and the gaU yesterday, in endeavouring to move in the hne of apprehended duty in thy sight : Thou wast graciously pleased to support me in it, and bring me through it ; for this, and all thy deahngs with me, to this day, my soul blesses thy holy name." In the street a man spoke roughly to me, and bade me begone ; that that was the place to seU, not to hear my nonsense. I stood tUl I felt the power, and then rephed, he must be serious one day or other ; and that was also the place to clear my -conscience, the Lord God F 2 68 A selection from the letters [1798. having laid it on me; he said no more, that I heard of, and the people behaved weU. At Newcastle I met with a man who is not joined in profession Avith any religious sect, who appeared very glad he had heard me declare the truth, for he said it was truth, and Ms heart rejoiced when any spoke in the power of God, for aU ministry without it is vain. He said he had a nephew, hke himseK, not easy with the forms of worship made use of by most people, who was endued with tMs power, although he naturaUy had an impediment in Ms speech, so that he spake to the tendering of many hearts, and was not six teen years of age. Now, although I do not seem able, at present, my dear friend, to give thee much that wUl do thee good, yet, be assured, I feel much for thee in thy exercises and sore baptisms, and deshe the Lord Jehovah, in whom is everlasting strength, may be Avith thee continuaUy, even though thou mayest not be permitted to know that He is near at times. The language now sweetly arises, " Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world." Do, when thou canst, give me a few lines, even K it should be hke thy last, without beginmng or ending, or rather without address or sig nature. Once more wisMng thee God speed. Thy affectionate friend, S. Lynes. Same date. — My dearly beloved H. G., how precious are thy few words to me : how do I long it may be as thou sayest, "that neither heights, nor depths," &c., may ever be able to separate us from the love we are partakers of, one with another. I am very wefl, and often very happy. We are going further on the sea-coast, where are no Eriends, to have some meetings. At Tynemouth to-morrow. FareweU. To Warkworth, Twelfth Month 2nd, 1798. Notwithstanding it is only eleven days since I sent a few hnes to thy sister, it seems as though I could hardly forbear shnply teUing thee, that in my exercises since, thou hast been, perhaps every day, the companion of my mind. I have remembered many of thy sayings of old, and feft thee near my spirit ; indeed, it is not new to me thus to be thy compamon, although it hath not been in *TAT. 25.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 69 my power to express much of it : when I have been writing to others, I have almost Avished thou couldst know how very dearly I have loved thee. Dost thou continue the same as when we were personaUy together? suffering both in mind and body, and sup posing thou makest httle or no progress, after aU, in Divine hfe ? that thou art not advanced in the experience of so dying to thyseK, as to live to Him who died for us ? If so, my mind can, even tlus moment, sympatMze a little Avith thine, for it is a discouraging ap prehension ; yet is it not possible to be groundless ? May we not tMnk ourselves worse than God sees us, as weU as better ? There fore my affectionate counsel to thee is, to dwell as little as possible on the past, and 'endeavour to take courage; thanking Hhn from whom all our blessings flow, for His unspeakable gift ; even seeing thou hast a measure of that wMch was His tried apostle's sufficiency. Thou knowest it pleases Divine Goodness to work in a Mdden way, in refining us for HimseK : have we, then, more to look after tban humble submission to His holy AviU in doing or suffering ? Oh ! that tMs may be thy whole endeavour, and I fear not for thee, but that blessed contentment wUl be granted thy panting breast. I view thee as one who would not knowingly be satisfied, either in thyseK or others, with anything wMch is not of God's creating, or that has not the sanction of His Holy Spirit. I wish thousands were in this disposition ; for surely in tMs seeking, the pronuse wUl be verified that they shaU find : so for thee, my much loved friend, my heart says, the Lord grant thee ability so to acqmesce in sim phcity Avith the secret turnings of His holy hand, as that thou mayest see of the deshe of thy soul, and be satisfied in thyself. Thus I commend thee to Him who, having made man's heart, knows the most secret thoughts thereof. I wfll now proceed to say how we have got on. I tMnk my last words were, " going to Holy Isle ; " ac cordingly we made for it that mght : it not being accessible, except when the tide is out, we had to wait an hour after riding eight miles in Mgh Avind and hail, that almost cut our faces : it was about six o'clock when it was thought safe to cross over on the sands, tMee mUes : we had two guides, one a chaise-driver, who had often been there, and another, a fisherman of the island ; but although they went first, K I had not beheved we were in the way of our duty, I should have been in a most sad fright, for aU before us was, in ap pearance, sea ; and after awMle we got in deep water, nearly up to our horses' beUies. I Avas in perturbation ; so much so, that I could 70 A selection from the letters [1798. with dhficulty proceed, and so was my A. B. ; but I was ahnost in hysterics, my spirits were so affected. It was no hght matter to have two heads of famihes, two young men — one expecting soon to be married— besides Ann and myseK, in, what I thought, danger of losing our hves, and aU on my concern. WeU, we got safe over, and had two meetings next day, so as to liberate ns the next morn ing, when the tide suiting, and by daylight, we got very weU to the other side again : had two meetings at vUlages, two nules distant from each other, and it being moonlight, went five nules further to lodge. We have not been among Friends since at SMelds ; came to tMs place yesterday ; have had two large meetings to-day, which is First of the week. Tliese have been more comfortable than the last week's meetings, for truly they were tMoughout more laborious than I can describe : we have had also several private opportunities. To Hannah Huntley. Newcastle, Twelfth Month llth, 1798. My dear Friend H. Huntley, I want thee not to suppose, that with respect to me it is, concermng thee, " out of sight, out of mind," for truly it is not so; my love to thee is, I hope, of that kind which " many floods cannot drown ; " and particularly of late, thou hast been near, I vrish thy encouragement, with my own, to go on in the way cast up for ns, although many may be our difficulties witMn and vrithout: thme differ from mine, and we both have our share. I was near saying however, I believe thou flnds what thy capacity, in the Lord, seems equal to at seasons, and so do I. Oh ! then, that we may be so Arise as to endeavour to resign aU into the hands of Omnipotence, for it is in Him alone that pure help and refuge is to be found, WMle I thus write my soul is exceeding sorrowful ; the Most High has some end in thus trying me, wMch may be Md from me. As far as I know myseK, my fervent deshe is to be found in His feai and counsel, and in that alone. So here I rest and proceed to tell thee, that we got here on Fhst day evemng the ninth, after being absent from Eriends four weeks, having meetings to the amount of twenty-seven, and traveUing nearly tMee hundred mUes, many tunes on bad roads and in rough weather. My deai- Ann Baker and myself are both finely ; we have great cause to be humble and good, jETAT. 25,] OF SARAH GRUBB, 71 for we are helped tMough many difficulties. I cannot, thou knowest, plan much, but it would be no matter of surprise to me K we were at York Quarterly Meeting again. We have been to the extremity of England in the north ; so that does it not seem as K I would go the length of my chain, as my certificate extends only to England ? Poor Thomas Scattergood has received an account of the death of Ms daughter by the fever, in PMladelpMa ; he is very low I hear, notwithstanding he appears to bear tMs affliction vritli much forti tude and resignation. What a remarkably tried man he is ! WeU, none are proved beyond what they can endure, tMough seeking after holy aid ; so may tMs be aU our search, saith thy affectionate friend, in best vrishes to all thy house and friends. Sarah Lynes. To Sarah Grubb. Darlington, Twelfth Month 2lst, 1798. My dear Mistress, I vrish thee to be assured my love is not dimimshed to ward thee and tMne ; you are the frequent subject of my thoughts, yea, of my sohcitude. I often fancy myseK in thy fanuly as hereto fore, and a partaker of pleasure and pain amongst you : tMs is par ticularly the case in my sleep, as to pleasure and pain. I see I have never had too httle of the former, nor too much of the latter ; for oh ! what naUing do we take to the cross ; it is many times stUl hard to be resigned. Since writing to Anner MUls last, many and sore have been the conflicts of my soul ; we have been amongst a people, many of whose hearts appeared so uncultivated as to need the plough ; they nevertheless received us civUly in general : with some of them we had the satisfaction to beheve they were measurably wiUing to be more given up to the great Husbandman. We were a month away from Friends ; had in that time seventy-seven meet ings and some private opportunities ; also visited a prison, traveUed two hundred and fifty-four miles north of Newcastle, and returned to Newcastle the mnth of tMs month Durham was a Nineveh to me ; we reached it the fifteenth, and soon after arriving, had to turn out in the streets and markets (although it was snoAving) to declare the word of the Lord to the people : how had my sphit been straitened tiU it was accomphshed ! I do not tMnk I had ever, for so long together, endured so much 72 A selection FROM THE LETl'EUS [1798. suffering as for many days was my lot, preceding this awful day; how ever, in deepest humUity, I can acknowledge to thee, my much loved friend, that in the moment of extremity I was not forsaken : the Lord on high is indeed mightier than the noise of many waters. He was pleased to be mouth and wisdom, tongue and utterance ; although, wlulst thus endeavouring to clear my mind in one of the most pubhc places, a man came with much seeming consequence to endeavour to put a stop to it, tlus did not Mnder in the least : I had, beside my dear A. B., several kind friends with me My strength was exhausted with exercise before going out, but afterwards I was bravely, and visited the prisoners that evening, forty-five in number, who appeared glad of the opportumty. Eriends procured a room for a meeting next day, and gave notice in town and country, both ver baUy and by printed papers : some of the latter were put up in con spicuous places in the town, bnt these were aU, I tMnk, torn dovm before night. We thought tMs raamfested a spirit of opposition, at which we did not marvel, as it is a town abounding vrith idle clergy; one of them, being also a justice, seemed to have no mind we should hold our meeting next day so publicly as we meant ; so informed the person who granted us the room, he was hable to a great penalty by law ; but after a httle sth aU was settled, and the meeting next day was large and favoured ; at the close of this, we gave notice for another: this latter meeting was to great relief — ^truth got into donumon; the great Name was supphcated; the doctrines of the Gospel preached with Divine power, and very largely; women's preacMng, election and reprobation, water baptism, and what is called the Lord's Supper, were particularized and clearly set open. Our souls bowed in gratitude for these two days' help and counsel, in which aU man-made ministry was decried and set at nought. We had a precious season of retirement at our inn, and another at part ing, vrith raost of our company who had come to Durham, but were not for proceeding with us. George Sanders, of Whitby, has been our kind helper for nearly four months. Oh ! that I may never for get my own notlungness in being helped within and without from time to time ; this ought to abase me in the dust, and, if I know my own heart, it is not unfrequently the case. WeU, thou wUt ex cuse my chcumstantial way of writing ; I have not at present any lively commumcation, and I thought you would like just to know how I get along. The day after the Montlily Meeting here, avc had a meeting five jETAT. 25.] OP SARAH GRUBB. 73 nules from this place, and retumed to lodge : tMs was such a meet ing as I never before saw ; for soon after we were in, two men, very much inflamed by hquor, tMust themselves in, and began to talk and laugh loud ; they would not be prevaUed on to go out, nor to sit quiet witMn, so Friends brought (unknown to A. B. and me) a constable. A. B. had just appeared, and warned the wicked to the avring them, in some degree, I do tMnk : the constable ordered them away, but instead of obeying him, they went to fighting in the midst of the people. It became a dreadful scene of confusion and vrickedness. I could not have supposed my mind would have been so tranquU in such a trying time ; but so it was, that I kept my seat, and not once said in my heart, I wished we had not appointed the meeting. I believed it would settle, and so it did wonderfuUy, in less than half an hour, so that the men were kept out, and a good meeting it proved in the end : the fighters were wounded, but not very materiaUy ; and one girl got a blow on her head, but not so as to injure her much : it was a marvel to us that more miscMef was not done, as they tMew each other over the forms. Our G. S. saw the men the next day, and they appeared sorry for their conduct, so that we hope they wiU amend theh ways. We retmned here in a good degree of peace, attended Friends' meeting yesterday, wMch was at length hvely, tMough long waiting; had a very large precious meeting last evening with the people of the town, and have ap pointed another to-day six miles off. We think it likely we may reach the Quarterly Meeting at York ; have nevertheless enough to consider of before then : it is as much as we can do to hve one day at a time. Thus I have given thee a long Mstory, but wish I had some in telhgence to convey, rather of tMngs not relative to my movements, but reaUy I have not. I hear very httle that I could write about ; so, in a great deal of affection, I must say farewell, in best desires to all the fanuly. Once more dearly fareweU. [Not signed.] 74 A selection PROM THE LETTERS [1799. Sarah Lynes to John Burlingham. York, First Month Ihth, 1799. My dear Friend J. B., Not thy commumcation but thy sUence, stimulates me to use the pen a little, partly to say, why hast thou ceased to give us a line at times ? and partly to assure thee thou art affectionately in our remembrance, and frequently the subject of our converse. My dear A. B. wrote to thee from AUerton on seventh day, previous to two large meetings there, to wMcli we went in fear and trembhng, as indeed we mostly do to such assembhes ; nevertheless, in retrospect, there is no cause for complaint ; for the power of the Lord had the dominion in both meetings. Next day, at Easmgwold hkevrise, the unchangeable truth got uppermost, although it was a time, as well as others, of decrying superficial rehgion, and forms vrithout sub stance. We reached tMs city on the twenty-fourth, and have got tMough a visit to the famUies of Eriends. My heart is, even now, warmed vrith that love that is " strong as death," to that dear man of God, T. B. I most affectionately deshe he may know the vrinding up of tMs hfe, so fuU of trouble, to bring Mm the blessed experience of having "fought the good fight, and kept the faith," that so the crowm of righteousness may be for ever and ever the reward. And oh ! that thou, my beloved friend, mayest likewise so fight as to obtain. How did the apostle fight ? Was it not so as, from time to time, to keep Ms body, or nature, under; even in subjection to the Prince of Peace. My soul in, I trust, a httle feUow-feehng with thee, breathes for thy acceptance vrith the Father of spirits, by thy thus maintaimng the warfare. Let us be heve in the power we feel vritMn, which is of God; that, thus believing even in its sufficiency to work, in us and for us, to our redemption, we may yield imphcitly thereto, and thereby stand in our ranlis in true righteousness. I know many are thy secret.cogi- tations, and perhaps the jealousy thou sometimes feels over thyself, may be, and is blessed to thee. May the Most High increase the travail of thy soul after Him, and grant thee therein the desire of thy heart. Yesterday we parted with our kind friend, that humble- minded man, George Sanders ; it brought us to reflection, and nature was pained. I suppose we sliaU have two or three pubhc meetings hereaway, and then make for Sheffield, where, I have no doubt. .aiTAT. 26.J OF SARAH GRUBB. 75 bonds and afflictions await us ; but ought these tMngs to move us ? No ; I most assuredly beheve, that when darkness and distress over take any of us, we should endeavour to stand stUl, judging nothing tUl the hght again appears, and that then we shaU " see the salvation of God." Oh how glad I am I can now say so ! WeU, I have not much to add : may just say I have sat ten meetings here in silence, I believe rightly so, and have been glad in my beloved compamon's appearances in most of them. Now dearly fareweU, saith Thy true friend, S. Lynes. Eemembering, with great affection, every one of thy sweet flock. To Samuel Hull. York, First Month 2lst, 1799. My dear Friend S. H., Very often of late, hast thou been the compamon of my mind, in affectionate deshe that thou mayest know the good Hand to be neai-, to sustain thee in every trial and difficulty wMch may be permitted to befall thee, and to lead thee on hereby in the way ever lasting. I vrish thee not to suppose in low times, that because thou feels thyseK poor and stripped of good, thou art, in the eyes of Onmiscience, cast off as one unworthy of His favour : tMs may at seasons be almost the conclusion in retrospective view, when former omissions and commissions may stare us in the face ; when we may see that we have not come up in such faithfuMess to the Holy wiU, as might have been the case, had we made use of the means gra ciously afforded : tMs scene may be sometimes magnified, in thy sight, beyond reahty ; but, my dear friend, shaU we not endeavour to " leave the things wMch are behind," even reacMng fortii unto those wMch are to come ; keeping in view " the mark for the prize of the Mgh caUing of God, in Christ Jesus our Lord." Surely, if tMs is thy engagement, thy strength vrill be renewed and increased in Him who is the fulness of strength. I feel His love in my heart for thee wMle thus writing, or I am mistaken; thy spirit is near to mine, in the tenderness wMch tMs love causes. I desire no temp tation or trial may be found too hard for thee, but that, by dweUing near Him who hath visited, who has been as the bright and moming 76 A selection from THE LETTERS [1799. star in thy soul. He may prove the Eimsher, as weU as Author of thy faith. I deshe this also for thy dear partner in life ; my love flows towards her. Please teU John and WUliam I have not forgotten either of them or theirs, in dear love : the dear friends at Uxbridge and Amersham are near to us. We do not know when we may leave tMs York ; we feel stUl bound in spirit : are now principaUy engaged in meetings and vUlages round about ; but to-day has been occupied in visiting the infirmary and a spinning school. TMs concern lay heavy on me for some days ; so that getting through it as weU as we knew how, is some relief. To-morrow is the usual meeting day here ; what is to come after I cannot say, but I hardly think that wiU hberate us : may we only aim at being in the Master's iriU, then all iriU be weU. TMs is my deshe for my absent friends, with my own soul. In this, farewell. Thy truly affectionate S. Lynes. To . York, First Month 2Uh, 1799. Perhaps it is a low time with thee — a thne wherein thou mayest be ready to say, " How long wUt Thou forget me, oh Lord? for ever ? how long wUt Thou hide thy face from me ? " If so, mayest thou, my dear friend, endeavour to believe that His covenant is as sure with the mght as with the day ; so vriU He most assuredly keep thee in the hour of darkness, and in His time, cause the day to bring aU its rejoicings to thy soul. How often hast thou known Him thus to work for thee ! Why need I teU thee of these tMngs, who am myself in deep suffering of sphit, in doubting and in fear ? Surely it wUl not do to cast away our confidence, because of this being our condition; therefore I have said to my soul, "keep thy hold, and if thou perish, perish in this endeavour." I have been looking back, and do not remember such a succession of probations for so many weeks as has now been my lot ; but is it not designed for some wise purpose, unseen by me ? What I am surprised at is, that I appoint meetings, &c., in this state ; but so it is ; for since the visit to the famUies of Eriends here, we have had many pubhc meetings at viUages round about ; have also paid a general visit to the infii-mary here, and to the city prisoners. In the former we had four solemn opportunities with the patients. jETAT. 26.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 77 several of whom where mnch tendered ; but one girl, in particular, who I suspected to be far from a good character, wlule I was stand ing by her, speaking, burst into tears. I had to teU her the arms of mercy were vride open to receive her. The portion of relief or quiet granted, from endeavouring to do this bit of work faitMuUy, was more reward than I looked for : my soul was deeply plunged into distress previous to tMs visit. We had one season with the superin tendents. I have heard of 's death, and that it was rather thought to be occasioned by the rough usage of some of the rebels. I should be glad to know as much of tlungs of this nature as is proper to write. My mind is many times sorrowful about Ireland : and how is it amongst Eriends? Are they increasingly of one heart and one mind? 28^^. — Yesterday being Eirst day, we were again with Eriends in the morning : my A. B. was sUent ; I was not, although tlus sUence had been my lot for ten meetings before, not all successively. We had a very large pubhc meeting here last evening, which was favoured vrith hght and hfe from the Lord God and the Lamb, so as, for the time, greatly to dissipate the gloom wluch had hung over my mind. We are to have another to-day, and perhaps one to morrow. If I should ever see Ireland again, how different the scene ! Oh ! what some of you must have passed through during such a day of treading down ; my soul feels vrith and for you, in measure ; I can not to the fuU. ShaU I ever see some of you to converse on these tMngs, face to face ? I had a letter tMs mormng from my former dear companion, E. Eaper, very encouraging ; her language is, " Thy love was never more precious than of late. I beheve thou wast never more fre quently the compamon of my mind, in a degree of that sympathy wMch is far beyond words : my spirit is sometimes dipped into such a sense of the bitter cups handed unto thee, as a test of thy faith and obedience, and no doubt in mercy, to deepen thy spirit in the root of hfe, that, according to my smaU measure, I can say, ' deep caUeth unto deep.' When the apostle was deeply tried, the encouraging language was, ' My grace is sufficient for thee ; ' and hast thou not many times been favoured vrith the blessed experience, when vain was the help of man — ^when the secret cry of thy soul has been, ' Oh Lord I am oppressed ; undertake for me.' Thou 78 A SELECTION FROM THE LETTERS [1799. hast passed, and, I doubt not, art stiU passing tMough the dispen sations of seed-time and harvest, summer and wdnter, heat and cold, day and night ; and so long as the language of thy spirit continues to be, 'to do thy wUl, oh God, is my joy,' thou wUt, no doubt, again have to acknowledge, with songs of deliverance, ' He maketh my feet hke hinds' feet.' " She farther speaks of her desire we may, at the vrinding up of aU things, be enabled to appear before Infinite Purity as the prophet did — "I beseech Thee, oh Lord, remember now, how I have walked before Thee," &c. This, with more hke it, has this good woman commumcated ; and, in teUing thee that thou hast been oftener wdth me than every hour, for days past, I may say, aU tMs is the language of my soul to thee, according to my measure; yet, perhaps, I could never flnd words to speak thus. I renewedly remember, in feehng feeble and stripped, whUe tMs work is in pros pect of public meetings, &c., thy language to me once, " that thou hadst heard the best preparatory qualification for rehgious move ments is, not to be sensible we have any ; " in tMs I endeavour to rest, leaving aU to Him who is omnipotent. Most affectionately thus do I commend thee to Him, with my own soul, my endeared friend, and say fareweU. To ONE OP Sarah Grubb's children. Sheffield, Third Month llth, 1799. Thy late remembrance of me in the epistolary way is grate ful I tMnk I have not a greater joy than to understand the numbers are increased, who are wUling to account the reproaches of CMist greater riches than aU the treasures of tMs fading world, whether of gold and sUver, or vrisdom and honour My heart often yearns toward you in natural affection, and at times in something that wiU hve beyond it ; even feehng the purity of that influence wMch breathes undefided rest. I long every one of yon may be so obediently given to the will, way, and work of Omnipo tence in you, as to know your souls anchored in Him, tMough the greatest tossings now attendant, or that may be attendant ; and, as dear S. G. said, experience such an interest granted in Him, as to give victory over death, heU, and the grave. Ah ! my dear E., this is being made "more than conqueror tMough Him who hath loved us, and given HimseK for us." We have been closely engaged for tMee weeks, visiting famihes jETAT. 26.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 79 here, and taking meetings in course ; none of the latter have been vrithout many of the towns-people at large, and they have aU been hvely, which is a great favour. We have had more than one hundred private opportunities, but have not yet done : we may perhaps find work enough (without seeking any) tiU next fourth day week, when the Quarterly Meeting is to be held at Leeds. Dear E. H. is a precious compamon to us — a sweet baptized sphit. She had many difficiUties to encounter in joining herseK to us ; not among the least is her dear father's declimng health : he seems gradually going to a better country. Oh ! the inexpressible good to be felt near him, even as one who has weU nigh finished Ms course, for whom a crown of righteousness is in store Oh ! may the God of aU power be with you aU. I feel more than I can express about you, in the present state of things : in supphcation tMs afternoon my soul remembered you, in wMch I was and am glad ; believing it was not of myself, in wMcli, indeed, "dweUs no good thing." WeU, my dear, vritli a heart warm vrith affection, I most tenderly say, in the best sense of the word, fareweU. S. Lynes. To London, Seventh Month 1st, 1799. After wading tMough exercise in both meetings, to get at the pure life, and hfting up my voice tvrice in testimony and once in supphcation, as also once in a religious opportunity in a family, I had the comfort of reading 's dear, kind letter, in tMs httle cottage, to my endeared mother and sister, who were both, with myseK, much affected with the mauKested kindness and tender care coming from you. And oh ! dear , whUe I contemplate the ways of Omnipotence, and firmly beheve He does aU tMngs right and best, how is my sympathy excited with you in your late exercises, and perhaps in your present conflicts. I feel for you, but cannot help you; yet tliis is my comfort, you know Him who can help under the most crucKying dispensations. It is no doubt hard for you aU, at all times to say, "The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord,"* yet, as this dispo sition is cultivated, does it not cause the mountains and MUs to be * Alluding to the death of some near relatives of the friend to whom the letter is addressed. 80 A SELECTION FROM THE LETTERS [1799. removed? How does the language sw^eetly occur whUe I vn-ite, "with everlasting kindness vriU I have mercy on thee, saith the Lord," &c. With respect to thyself in particular, I feel as though I almost dared to say, there are seasons to thy tried yet innocent, and in some precious degree, sanctified mind, wherein heaven is as brass, and earth as iron; weU then — "Thus saith the Lord, thy Eedeemer ; although, for a smaU moment, I have Md my face from thee, yet with everlasting kindness wUl I have mercy on thee." Surely thou w^ell knowest this promise is to be our possession, through our keeping the word of His patience ; let us therefore be encouraged so to do in the deepest affliction, when the ways of wisdom are totally past our flnding out. I write tMs, not fi-om having gained experience, but from a heart replete with deshe that aU the designs of Infinite Goodness may be fulfilled in and concern ing my dear friend; and not only thee, but aU of you, notwith standing you may be more learned in Christ's school (who suffered for us aU that we can possibly suffer) than myseK; and I know you can understand me in what I write, however deficient the expression of my feelings may be. It is a great satisfaction to my relatives and myseK, to be per mitted to partake of each other's society; and although it is my experience stUl that tMs is a state of probation, I am thankful to have been employed ^s hath been the case for nearly two years ; and that the time for retreat was so clearly seen, as to admit of no doubt at aU. I could hardly have beheved it, had any body told me it would be so. I have often thought of M. Peisley since coming home, for very many have been the solicitations of kind friends to go and recruit at their habitations, which are larger, and have attached to them more of temporal abundance than our httle home; yet these things are aU nothing to me ; this seems the place for me at present. While it was my lot to travel about from place to place, many (as thou art aware) were the baptisms dispensed; and, at seasons, it was as if my soul was plunged into as deep distress as could be sustained vrith the degree of capacity granted me ; and no example, however bright of itself, afforded lustre to my path ; that not only the sun was in my view darkened, but the stars withdrew theh shining. Oh ! thou knowest it is hard to keep the faith and the pati&ce at such times, but it is a blessed tlung to keep constant, and be a true believer tMough aU ; far more blessed than w^e can describe : is it ^TAT. 26.J OF SARAH GRUBB. 81 not being a true believer, to endeavour to stand stiU in the dark ? for it brings to the acknowledgment, even to the fuU, " Great and marveUous are thy works. Lord God Almighty ; just and true are aU thy ways," &c. Yes, my dear friend, does it not increase our union and commumon vrith Perfection himseK? Now, in humihty of mind it is my language, " Thou knowest, oh my heavenly, merciful Eather, and unerring Guide, how I have followed Thee in my late travels, in the cross to my own will, and in thy fear and dread, into large congregations, into markets, unto the habitations and beds of the sick, and sometimes to the houses of the great, with a message from Thee ; sometimes to indiriduals in the Mghway, at others, into gaols and prison-houses : tMs amongst those who are not professing the truth as we do ; as hkcArise to those who do. Thou hast been pleased to make my feet as hinds' feet, and lifted up my voice hke a trumpet, to show this people theh transgressions — ^the house of Jacob theh sins. Thou hast made me a conKorter to the comfortless and the weak. ' For all I bless thee, most for the severe.' I am now under a sense of being helpless, as the worm in the dust, vrithout Thee ! Oh keep me here continuaUy, and be my aU in aU. Amen." Thus do I also commend thee to the inexhaustible and unmixed Source of sufficiency, and say dearly fareweU, in much love. To ONE OF Sarah Grubb's children. London, Seventh Month 2Uh, 1799. It may perhaps appear long that thou hast looked for a compliance vritli thy request, to let thee have a little of my scribble ; but now, time and inchnation uniting, I am deshous there should not be any further delay. Thou hast often been the subject of my thoughts since seeing thee, and my heart continues at times, both sleeping and waking, to glow vritli affection towards thee, together with thy dear mother, aunt, and sisters. It would be Mghly gratKying, in the disposition of mind I sometimes feel, to see you at Anner MUls ; but as that must be left, I endeavour to picture you in idea : and oh ! my dear, when there is abihty sensibly to deshe for myseK the greatest bles sing of all others, even DiAdne preservation, my soul cannot forget G 82 A SELECTION FROM THE LETTERS [1799. you, my distant friends, yet who are in one sense near : may He who has not faUed to do much for some of you, so be sought unto in all, as to be found as a waU on every hand. I want that we should be encouraged to feel after Him in our different situations and allot ments, so that an increase in Him may be our experience I have continued to assist in keeping school, and taking io a little needlework, since the Yearly Meeting ; so that my hands, with that and attending raeetings together, have been pretty fuU. My mind has often felt sensations of gratitude to my Heavenly Eather, in permitting me tMs httle space of time without travelhng, whereiu I have enjoyed the society of my endeared mother, &c., in then humble dweUing ; but there does not seem a probabUity of much continuation of it, for I was constrained, in our last Monthly Meet ing, to leave vrith Eriends a prospect of visiting famihes belonging to Gracechurch Street Meeting It seems nearly time to say farewell for the present, wMch I do in more tender regard than my pen wiU set forth. Thy friend, S. Lynes. To . London, Ninth Month 23rd, 1799. I am diligent in getting to my own meeting, but it takes a deal of time, and I ara often hurried ; but vrith aU my troubles and bodily exercises at home, I am very frequently told how much better I look than when traveUing ; indeed I find home agrees with me very weU. I left home this mormng to attend our Select Quar^ terly Meeting, and it being a long way, have not got back to dinner. I am ready to conclude, my dear, thou resolved not to endeavour to give much inteUigence of the state of thy own mind, when thou favoured me with the lines I am replying to; but although thou mayest think it of no use to try to convey thy feelings to any mortal, and yet secretly mayest lament thy state, wMch dost thou iiot com pare to a wUderness ? I say, nevertheless. He who gave Hagar to acknowledge, " Thou God seest me," even He regards thy low estate, and will reward according to the purity of the intention; so be consoled in hope, and trust AvhoUy in Him, who gives " beauty for ashes," &c. I love thee much while writing, as at other times, and desire thou mayest be strengthened to stand in thy aUotment. , , jEtat. 26. j of SARAH grubb. 83 I have now returned home, and have eaten my supper Avith mother, who is talking about thee, and asking what sort of a friend thou ai-t : I reply, with my pen in my hand, " She thinks it a fine tlung to be a preacher ; " at which she smUes, and wonders thou art so unhke the generahty of raankind. Friends in London take raore notice of rae than I could expect ; particularly J. G. B. and his wife, and E. C. and his. Thomas Scattergood I understand is in the north ; but I don't know much about such good folks, so cannot inform you ; only I must say my Ann Baker is reaUy likely to go into the land of matri mony before a very long time. I Arish it may prove a blessing to her. You don't say anytMng like any of you setting off for that land : how is it ? Do you tMnk of staying where you are aU your hves ? Thou vrilt think me in a droU humour ; weU, K it is not un seasonable when this reaches you, I think it aUowable ; but if you are in affliction, shaU be sorry I gave way to my natural volubility. I am not unfrequently vritli you in my dreams, and long to have an interview vrith you when awake, but that must be left ; so in com mending you to the aUvrise Disposer of events, with myself, I take my leave at present. To Sarah Grubb. Stepney Causeway, Tenth Month 2nd, 1799. My dear Friend Sarah Grubb, I have long vrished to manifest my continued, undimin ished regard thee-ward, by thus addressing thee; and one pretty fair opemng presented to my mind, va'McIi having been let slip, warned me against a second omission of the same kind ; for thou weU knowest we cannot always feel ability for tlus employ. Thy family are the daUy companions of my affectionate remembrance and sohcitude : I do hope the eternal arm of Omnipotence vriU be your succour, even " although the blast of the terrible ones may be like a storm against the waU." Yesterday, tMough the medium of a letter from my beloved H. G., I received the mournful intelhgence respecting the secret workings of the wicked, in their plots and cruel designs ; how dear Clonmel was by them intended for destruction : this account has awakened emotions of tender sympathy ; please tell her so, AAdtli my dear love G 2 S4 A selection from the letters [1799. to them aU ; and wMle my mind has contemplated the subject, it has adored the wisdom of Infinite love and compassion. Cries are raised in my soul unto Him on your account, and I remember the declaration, "Thou wilt keep Hhn in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Thee, because he trusteth in Thee," and, "They that trust in the Lord shall be as Mount Zion, which cannot be removed; " so that I am consoled in hope that you, who endeavour to love Hun with aU the heart, wiU experience His holy help in aU adversity from without or from within; even should He see meet to vouchsafe this help in such a way that you cannot know He is near, but are ready to conclude ILe stands afar off' from your cry ; " For my ways are not your ways," saith the Lord, " neither are my thoughts yom- thoughts ; for as the heavens are high above the earth, so are my thoughts Mgher than your thoughts." Sometimes I have beheved my spirit has witnessed feUow-feehng with thine in secret travail on various accounts ; and now how does my heart yearn, wMle writing^ towards thee and tMne wdth best desires ; the extent of which I must leave you to conceive, for my pen wUl not reach the description ; but whUe so desirous of not only the present, but etemal good of my beloved friends, let me not forget my own interest, by being too in considerate of my duty. Truly I find it a task daily repugnant to nature, to be engaged fuUy to stand open to holy conviction, watch ing against the many propensities that would frustrate Dirine inten- '¦ tion, were they given way to ; and I am afraid at tMs moment, that since my return home, in a particular manner, the watch has not been sufficiently maintained ; so that my present situation of mind \ is that of looking for judgment "to be laid to the hne, and right eousness to the plumbhne ; " and oh ! for acquiescence vrith the Hand that does all tlungs right. Notvidthstanding tMs acknowledg ment, I may say that my soul has been not unfrequently bowed under conflict and exercise of various kinds, since being permitted to have the company and help of my dear relatives. One day lately, I thought my state might bear some faint resemblance in mimature to dear Job Scott's, when he describes it as making liis flesh sore, or causing Ms body to feel as though he was iU. When the visit to Friends' famUies of Gracechurch Street is to te moved in, I cannot exactly say, but feel it growing rather heavy; my natural disposition flinches in some degree from the arduous engagement, but it is only arduous by comparison ; and I ought to be thankful that it is not to go into the public places, seeing that it MTA't. 26.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 85 seems to be the Divine wiU that an easier track should be foUowed, at least for the present My pen scribbles the language of my heart, in commending thee to Him who can say, " Peace, be stUl," and the storm shall cease ; oh ! may He be to thee and many others among j^ou (to Avliom I feel flowings of love) the source of aU-sufficiency. Amen, saith thine affectionately S. Lynes. Thomas Scattergood to Sarah Lynes. Uxlridge, Eleventh Month Uh, 1799. Dear Sarah, I think thou and I have not exchanged letters since we were in Ireland together. I felt near sympathy and love towards thee then, and I don't know that it has dimimshed. My heart has gone with thee in thy arduous jourmes in the north ; and following thee (in part) in the same hne, the good savour thou hast left be Mnd has been very pleasant. Oh ! mayest thou be always preserved in the same meek and humble condition, a grateful receiver of the many mercies and favours bestowed on thee ; for thou weU knowest it is by being reduced into httleness and notMngness, that such are made instruments in the Dirine hand. Thou hast been, m my ap prehension, a cluld dandled on the knee ; thou hast been favoured vrith clear prospects, and a heart given thee to answer them vritli cheerfuMess. TMs was my situation when younger in the labour ; but now I must be content vrith less sight, and walk by faith. The Master best knows what is best for His servants : perhaps it never may be thy lot thus to be tried ; and however it may be, whether so, or continued in the wonted manner of open vision, be faitMul and do thy work in the day-time. I feel imity vrith thy prospect of the family visit : dweU deep, and thou wilt be favoured to speak the word faithfuUy. Baulk not thy testimony, and then thou wUt receive the reward which the Lord gives to them that know Him. My love to thy mother and sister, and accept the love and sym pathy of thy poor, exercised brother in bonds, T. Scattergood. 86 A selection from the letters [1800. SAiiAH Lynes to London, Second Month l^th, 1800. I beheve my pen had been employed before now, in ac knowledging the receipt of thy last acceptable, reheving, but plain tive lines, had I not thought it very soon to write again, and it seems soon now ; but being at Plough Court tMs afternoon, out of the noise of our httle folks at Stepney Causeway, and withal haring the heart-ache, am vriUing to please myseK by conversing thus with thee. I have perhaps, nevertheless, very httle to say worth thy notice, and do not apprehend it wUl be my lot to admimster any thing hke the rod. Is it not said that is for the fool's back ? and must not I be conrinced of thy being one of that description, before I can think it thy due ? However, my dear friend, I am sure of feeling enough desire for thy real good to be vriUing to speak to thy state, did I know it. K that be at tMs moment Md from me, yet am I aware that thy disposition to be jealous of thy own purity of intention may, and perhaps sometimes does, prompt thee to con clude differently to the true vritness. Hast thou not, at seasons, found thyseK out in tMs ? Thou knowest I mean thou art apt to estimate below the truth, when measuring thyseK; but I have marked the hand of Divine Wisdom thee-ward from year to year; how it ' has renewed thy faith and confldence in everlasting sufficiency, by its gentleness as weU as constancy ; and oh ! saith my soul, may it never leave thee, but succour stiU every vhtue, to the glory of Him who is worthy of glory, and to thy own consolation in Him. 24M. — I was interrupted in this letter by going to a public meet ing, which Thomas CoUey of Sheffield appointed ; he has had several in this city, being here for that end. Thomas Scattergood is also here, and was powerfuUy engaged in a meeting T. C. appointed last evening, for the young people of our fold. T. S. and W. C, Arith tliree others, took tea with us, besides Joseph and Eacliel Smith. Dost not thou think we were Mghly favoured ? WiUiam does not think Eriends of Gracechurch Street need, or should be in a hurry to remove me by recoramendation to another meeting, though I now hve in Eatcliffe quarter. I mostly trudge to town to meeting Krst and fourth days, perhaps two miles and a half, but am rather attached,; to that large mixed meeting, where I lately witnessed the holy oil to flow from house to house. I have more than once, after lifting up ^TAT. 27.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 87 my voice hke a trumpet on Fhst day morning, had an anonymous letter sent me, expressive of some disapprobation Arith the discourse, as they caU it; but these tMngs are not of much account in the balance, for I tMnk they must be cowards and afraid of the hght, who do not choose to let theh- name be added to theh admonitions. But though I keep pretty much to my own meeting, it is not whoUy the case. I sometimes attend Eatcliffe and others : was at West minster on fifth day, at a marriage between Thomas CMisty and Ee becca Hewhngs. I went vrith a burdened mind, not intending to go to the house to dinner ; but haring no opportumty in meeting to get clear, was induced to alter my intention and be one of the company, vrithout a wedding garment. We had a table mcely spread ; but I wanted the best sauce (hunger) as is mostly the case vrith me on such occasions.. After dinner notMng occurred to hberate me, and not tUl after tea, when we gathered into stiUness ; and several bore testimony to that wMch is unchangeably exceUent, and Thomas Scat tergood appeared in supphcation ; but I felt bound in sphit to the very last, when feehng the holy anointing to minister, rehef was obtained. In writing thus freely to my beloved friend, I remember the language, "I am the Lord thy God wMch teacheth thee to profit ; " and oh ! that I raay never move vrithout Him, let the suf fering be what it may. I must bid thee now fareweU ; wMch I do with a heart warmed, even wMle I write, with that wMcli breathes undefiled rest and peace in Hhn who is holy. To Sarah Grubb. Settle, Fourth Month Uh, 1800.. My beloved Friend Sarah Grubb, Very often have I wished to write thee a few hnes, for many months back I do hope not to be forgotten by thee, although so far and so long separated ; on my part I can truly say my mind is often wafted into thy habitation, and visits you indi-- riduaUy in tender affection and solicitude ; desirmg that the blessing of Heaven above and of the earth beneath, may be continued to you in the Dirine wUl; that so His name, who is the great Superin tendent, may be magnified, and your "peace may flow as a river, and your righteousness as the waves of the sea." The three Quarterly Meetings (Leeds, Lancaster, and Kendal) A SELECTION FROM THE LETTERS [1800. were to me seasons of rehef. I had attended tMee for York sue cessively, when out vrith a certificate before; but after each and all of them, my spirit was deeply burdened, not being able to unload: now how different ! And but for being of the same sentiment that I remember thy once expressing, that mimsters were not often com- potent judges of meetings, I would say trath had the dominion; particularly at Leeds ; and tMough great stragghng and wading, at Lancaster and Kendal ; the latter of wMch was, on the whole, more emmently favoured than that at Lancaster. I am glad of tMs em ploy between the two meetings here, for my mind is not in a state for company, and I don't like secluding myseK from friends. On this account I often sit under painful inward conflict, whUe those I am wdth think aU is smooth and weU, or at least some of them. ¦ If thou hast not already heard it, and it be worth teUing, I may add, that since the resignation of my certificate, after last Yearly Meeting, I have been sohcited for marriage by a young man of London. He hath got Ms fimal answer ; my judgment being clear, that I might not encourage Mm. He is of good character, and in good business. Leeds, 1th. — TMs is an odd sort of letter, but hope thou Arilt receive it as the best written testimomal of mine endeared regard, that my shaUow capacity is at present equal to produce. I write so little in general, that I have not enough practice to make much of it worth perusing. We sat vrith Eriends at Settle yesterday morning;; and their meeting-house was fiUed vrith others in the evening, Though for a wMle last mght, in meeting, it seemed hke going under the mountains to feel after the seed in the people's hearts, way was graduaUy opened, and hfe became predominant ; for which my soul, in humble gratitude, praises that great Name, wMch is the place of refuge for the upright in heart. I believe I shall remember you at youi- approacMng Quarterly and Yearly Meetings. May everlasting goodness and mercy be Arith you. Amen, 8. Lynes, To Hannah Grubb. 1800. My dear A. B.'s marriage was attended vrith sweetness. She appeared in testimony previously to their taking each other by the hand, and twice in the day afterwards : as I was to meet my jETAT. 27.] OF SARAH GRUBB, 89 compamon at Birmingham, I had the privUege of seeing her home, and staying at Worcester from seventh day tUl the foUoAring fifth, during wMch time I was mostly indulged with social satisfaction, but had one meeting vrith the people at large, and two vritli Eriends, We made an excursion to Malvern, eight nules distant from Wor cester, where we were dehghted vrith the adrairable display of the beauties of nature, in the country ; but, vrithout atterapting a task I am unequal to, that of describing the scene, I hasten to teU thee that I think we had a mark that tlus innocent gratification was not displeasing to our Heavenly Eather; for, as we had descended a httle below the summit of the Mghest hUl, sitting down to rest on a bank, an uncomrnon degree of Dirine hght and sweetness spread over my mind, under wMch I recoUected a dream I had in the Arinter, and felt the opemng of hfe to teU it to my compamons, and that the reahty was then my experience. I dreamed I was on an eminence, surrounded by my feUow-creatures in theh habitations, and under great exercise for myseK and them, when seremty and sweetness preciously diffused itseK into my soul, and my tongue was loosened to sing " AUelma, AUelma." The relation of it, to gether with cMargement tMough the Gospel hght vouchsafed at the time, broke us aU into contrition. My dear Ann said a httle matter, and supphcation was poured forth, vrith thanksgiring and praise to Him who shuts and none can open, who opens and none can shut. We went home under the consohng persuasion that lie mercKuUy cares for His httle ones. I felt the incomes of love and IKe so strong, wMle thus, as it were, unbent vrith my dear Ann, that we reckoned it might be intended to answer the purpose of the forty days' food. To . Carlisle, Ninth Month 8th, 1800. Somehow thou hast been uncommonly the compamon of my nund for several days past, in a flow of love, and, I tMnk, best feUowsMp; though these feehngs have not been wanting towards thee at many other seasons, when I have not been prompted to dis close it, by sending thee a paper messenger. My consolation re specting thee and some others of my dear friends in Ireland and elsewhere is, that as they keep their ranks in righteousness, their habitations wUl be found invincible, tMough aU their conflicts from 90 A SELECTION FROM THE LETTERS [1800. vritMn and without. It has seemed to my unworthy soul, at times, as K I could behold many near and dear in the covenant of hfe, filling up theh measure in the mUitant Church, under the holy banner of the ever victorious Captain ; and notwithstanding some of these may not be in very conspicuous stations, I have no doubt of the reward being to such, equaUy vrith that of others who appear more in the front of the battle. I want thee to ghd up the loins of thy mind, and be strong m Him who hath Mtherto been with thee, by His invisible power sus- tahung thy exercised spirit, when thou couldst not know it. What ever thy present circumstances may be, my heart craves for thee a holy confidence in the Eternal Eock. " The name of the Lord is a strong tower ; the righteous runneth into it and is safe." I know, K thou couldst beheve thyseK one of tMs number, thy spirit would often have more rest from trouble ; but thy endeavours in the Diviue fear have not been, neither shaU be in vain, in the fulness of suffi ciency : so that, dear creature, however long and painful the struggle, persevere in the resolution, I wiU get me "into the clefts of the rock, into the secret places of the stahs," in deshe to be again and again acquainted vrith that voice wMch is sweet, and that counte nance wMch is comely ; even to enjoy His presence, and receive His renewed instmctions, who is to thee the cMefest of ten thousand. Do I not feel something of a certam eridence of Divine truth, that thus He vriU be still and increasingly to thy soul, "Wonderful, CounseUor, the mighty God, the everlasting Eather, and the Prince of Peace." Whether we meet again in mutabihty or not, I hope we shaU be inseparable in the best sense — seeking an increase of acquaintance with, and in Him who is immutable. You have many visitors lately from tMs land : it wUl be well if you are mutuaUy edified. I wish it irith aU my heart. We met vrith David Sands at Darlington, who was making for Scotland. He had been at York, principaUy to see a great woman who is hkely to join Friends. I think her name is Ehzabeth San derson, but she has the title of Lady. His visit was very satisfactory, she appearing in a disposition of mind vrilhng to " endure the cross, despising the shame," though she suffers much from her connexions. She was about purchasing a stuff gown, and objects to costly clothes, equaUy with gaudy ones, wMch seems to me instructive. Now, to teU thee a little respecting our pilgrimage, I think we have no reason to do otherwise than humbly thank God, and take jETAT. 27. j of SARAH GRUBB. 91 courage ; having Mtherto been helped tMough. Yet, my dear friend, our conflicts have oflen been equal to the capacity granted to endure, so as not to make shipwreck of faith. At Darhngton the bitter cup was drank of gomg into the markets, and declaring the Lord's word to the people : I dare not doubt of its being His word ; for, as vritli consuming fire, I think my own vriUings and runmngs were surely subdued preparatorUy. TMs I frequently find I am caUed to submit to, for how apt to be choosing and refusing is tMs natural mind ! We were unmolested, and there appeared to be openness to receive, in the second place especiaUy, wMch was also the last. I go, as heretofore, visiting my dear feUow-creatures of most descriptions, whether in' hospitals, in prison-houses, or at large in the world. At Appleby we had, besides a public meeting, a solemn season with the poor tMngs confined in the gaol, who were not great in number, and, I beheve, have suffered hard imprisonment, some for years. It was affecting to see some of theh countenances so dejected, in going round to shake hands with them : four or five were laden vrith hons. Lately my sphit hath been pretty much in secret mourmng and lamentation, feehng my own fraUty, and being sensible of the mise rable condition of some Mgh in profession, who, nevertheless, are making beds for themselves, and stretcMng upon couches ; yea, as to the spirit of tMs world, are takmg m large draughts, hke drinking vrine in bowls ; even that wine wMch mystery Babylon presents in her golden cup : but these are not " grieved for the affhctions of Joseph ;" and when the gracious caU is going forth, " Come out of Babylon, my people," 8sc., they are evidently asleep in a spiritual sense. Yet I remember that there are many under our name, whose spirits are very different in the holy sight ; whose tents are goodly ; whose dwelhng-places are beautiful ; whose fortification is the fear of the Lord; whose language is, "Walk about Zion, and go round about her : teU the towers thereof. Mark ye weU her bulwarks, consider her palaces," &c. ; and I have no doubt but tMs Zion of God, tMs true Church, wiU caU a nation that she knew not, and nations that knew not her shaU yet run unto her, because of the Lord her God, and because of the Holy One of Israel in the midst of her ; and I often feel grateful in being a member of tMs Society. My mind is more rerived in writing to thee tlus evemng, than it has been for many days, perhaps weeks back ; though I did get some comfort by weeping a few mghts past, tUl horns after midnight, which did not unfit for next da./s travel and two meetings. Yesterday we were 92 A SELECTION FROM THE LETTERS [1800. at Wigton; had a meeting with Eriends, and another very large one with the people indiscriminately; came mne miles this mormng to meeting at Moorhouse, and from thence here four mUes. I feel pretty weU on the whole, though I have no appetite, and am weak ; but in expectation of some sleep curing me. I don't know what would become of me many a time, were it not for "bahny sleep." To Ann Pumphrey. AUanly, Ninth Month I3th, 1800. My dear a. p.. We have wrought as hard lately, as at any time when thou and I were partners — gone to bed late and risen early, having some times two or tMee rehgious opportunities, and traveUed four or five mUes to a haK-past seven o'clock breakfast. Doesn't my Ann flunk we earned what we partook of? Thy accounts, my dear, seem very pleasant about thy change of scene in hfe ; I long for an interriew vrith thee again, but must have patience. We were under the necessity of going into the market-places at Darhngton, wMch thou knowest to be a very sore exercise, but Dirine help was revealed in the needful time. We were unmolested, and in the corn-market there appeared some considerable openness. Thou mayest recoUect how spoke respecting the engagement of exposing ourselves in the markets, and seemed to tMnk it might be better to visit the viUages instead ; but I assure thee, when I was under the exercise, she being at Darhngton at the time, it brought her to the weeping cross in sympathy. It does me good to see the vrisdom of the creature give way. I should be glad of an epistle from thee, but I wUl not be unrea sonable in my requests, lest I should encroach too much on the time of a vrife and mistress. Thy S. L. caimot plead excuse in these engagements, but every sphere in IKe demands our time and talents, where we are solicitous to move rightly in them. Thy very affectionate S. Lynes. jETAT. 27.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 93 To THE SAME. Kendal, Tenth Month 2Uh, 1800. My dear a. p.. It is with difficulty that I can retire to address thee in tlus way, but not vrithout strong inclination. It is hkely thy dear S. P. is yet on his travels, and I vrish tlus may reach thee while that is the case, as thou mayest often be lonely, however kind thy rela tives are. I feel for you both in the necessary separation, but remember unto whom all tMngs are to work together for good ; and it may be weU that you should hve loose from each other, as from every temporal good or social joy. Did not I mention, when enjoying thy society at Worcester, an apprehension that tins joumey would be extremely exercising to faitii and patience : such was my secret sense at that time, and so it has proved, and is hkely to prove. I have frequently, in recurring to my feelings then, remembered the declaration, "I teU you these things before they come to pass, that, when they come to pass, ye may beheve." Oh that I may but be one of those true behevers, unto whom aU things are possible ; for it seems to me that the dregs of the cup of suffering are yet to be drank of, as it relates to tMs turn-out from home. How didst thou hear of the engagement in the market-place here ? I need not attempt to describe the situation of either soul or body under it to thee ; but may say the engagement is no easier by repe tition. I think I suffer as much as ever about these things ; perhaps more, if possible ; as the fear of riots in the markets presses upon me, and also upon friends ; yet this has not excused me, as they (my fiiends) cannot take the burden. I am called upon to go out to tea. I must send my love in a bundle, and leave thee to unpack and distribute it. Thy affectionate S. Lynes. To Blackburn, Eleventh Month 2Uh, 1800. Since my last we have had many ups and downs, and been so closely engaged as hardly to aUow time to do the needful for the 94 A selection prom THE LETTERS [1800, body. We staid at Lancaster tMee days, had two large reheving public meetings, besides one with Eriends, and several family visits ; and I have to tell of once more enduring the cross of going into the market-place, and speaking to the people. We also visited the castle, where nearly two hundred of our feUow-creatures were imprisoned : the chaplain who attended them was very kind, making the way for our admittance, and choosing to be vrith us himself. He after wards thanked ns for the interest we appeared to have in the wehare of the poor prisoners, and was at both the pubhc meetings. I thought the different engagements at Lancaster proved more truly rehering to my sphit than is often the case ; for w^Mch, and many other bles sings, I desire to bow low in gratitude to Him whose hand is fufl of blessings, and who does not fail to dispense of them to His humble dependent chUdren. I think it is the genuine sentiment of my mind, that it is not right for me to expect to convert sinners, or to do any more in thus labour ing, than to acquit mine own conscience of condemnation; if this may be the happy issue, surely it ought, surely it will satisfy. To Sarah Grubb. Liverpool, Twelfth Month IMi, 1800. My dear Friend Sarah Grubb, I sit down once more to assure thee, from my own hand, that thou and tMne are not forgotten by me, although the fourth year is now revolving, and more than haK gone, since I had a per sonal interview with thee, and but very little epistolary correspon dence has passed between us ; nevertheless, perhaps we have daily visited each other in mind. I am sure, on my part, this has been the case ; and I have sometimes hoped we were near, in some pre cious degree, in that which is unchangeable. Oh ! saith my sod, may this increasingly be our experience, however differently chcum- stanced as to the things of tlus fading scene ; that so, being more and more leavened into the Divine nature, we may be presented faultless at last before the tMone of grace, Mdtli exceeding joy. Since last Yearly Meeting, my engagements in a rehgious hne with my dear friend M. S., have been mostly very close : we have passed through some deep conflicts together ; and at other seasons, through adorable raercy, been enabled to acknowledge the A^'orks of mJAT 27.] OP SARAH GRUBB. 95 the Most High are great and marvellous, and all His ways just and true. TMs has, I hope, endeared us to each other beyond even what natural affection can do. We reached tMs place a week back, and on seventh day, according to what I long expected, it appeared laid on rae to go into the raarkets here ; but Friends thought best to ac quaint the mayor with the prospect, to obtain Ms sanction, which he altogether refused ; saying, that if he had found such a procedure in the markets, he would have put a stop to it as MglUy improper. At tMs none can marvel perhaps, who employ theh understandings in the matter, especiaUy now ; the minds of the populace being so generally discontented vrith the very high price of provision : yet the mayor at Lancaster stood by, while I was engaged in the public market there ; and the one at Kendal readily granted leave. How ever, tMs proMbition was the means of excusing my poor bark the exposure ; an exposure crucKying to my nature beyond description ; and I was soon left vrithout a doubt that my Heavenly Father ac cepted the wUl for the deed. On First day we were vrith Eriends in the forenoon, and had a large meeting with others in the evemng. Friends' meeting-house contains fourteen hundred people : it was a sohd meeting, and Gospel ministry flowed rather freely. These are awful concerns, thou knowest ; and I often think, in the forepart of a meeting, and many other times. Surely it is too much for me ; but when the nund can leave aU to Him, before whom aU nations are but as the drop of a bucket, it finds an anchor in the midst of con ffict. I found at Warrington, that by some means I had taken a, heavy cold, but we went from house to house there, tUl it was time to set off to an appointed pubhc meeting at Prescott. We reached Prescott m time, and a large meeting it was, being held in the town hall. My voice was nearly gone before it, yet the spealring part devolved upon me, wMch was got tMough vrith great difficulty, but hope no harm was done to the cause. We reached this place again on fifth day mornmg, and I have been confined since, but feel better this evemng : after this night I hope not to give these dear kind friends the trouble of nursing me. Thou wUt probably conclude we quarter vrith E. and S. B., who have a large house, and large hearts ; the latter being, I have no doubt, sanctified tMough many probations. My dear regard is to my Clonmel friends, and many others whom it wiU not do to particularize ; but it is a consolation to me to find that friendship, founded on virtuous principles, is not dissolved by 96 A selection PROM THE LETTERS [1801. distance or time, in the separation of the body. FareweU, my dear friend; may the holy Arm of Omnipotence surround thee and thine, in this day of perplexity and treading down, saith Thy affectionate S. Lynes. To Stepney Causeway, First Month llth, ISOl.'* On reading my dear 's letter, how did my heart ache for the situation of some, and feel thankful that others were mercKuUy preserved: how comphcated the emotions of my soul; but I centred here, even in reflections hke these — "Thine armis omnipotent, oh Lord. Thou art also the ommpresent and omniscient God. Thou knowest the depths of Satan. Thou wUt keep those that look to Thee ; Thon wUt save them ; yea. Thou vrilt keep them, both smaU and great, ' as the apple of tlune eye.' Tliou vrilt mag nify thy power, for Thou wUt not give thy glory to another, nor thy praise to the work of men's hands. TMough thy goodness and thy truth, aU tMngs shall work together for good to those that love and fear Thee ; blessed for ever be thy name." It is cause of thankfuMess that dear is so strengthened and favoured in Ms aUotment ; and oh that many more may be raised up, in this day, to the fulfiUing the promise abundantly, I ¦wiH put saviours, or watchmen, upon thy waUs, who shall never hold their peace, day nor night. TMough the varied scenes that are to be vritnessed, they sliaU not be at rest or at ease. The serpent that begiuled Eve is beguiling very many from the simphcity of the truth as it is in Jesus : weU is it for those who keep their habitations in this unchangeable, ever blessed truth ; for no enchantment or diri- nation shaU prevaU against such ; and though others may, for want of watchful dependence upon the source of aU-sufficiency, wander in their imagination, and look for what they may caU a Mgher and more glorious dispensation, they never wiU come a.t it : they may strain their eyes, as it were, even untU they become blind, and so stumble at noon-day, as K it were night, but God hath revealed the last dispensation in the Gospel of His dear Son. Oh may this Gospel, this one etemal poAver unto the salvation of the souls of men, be more and more spread and iUustrated in the world, according • Written about the time that many seceded from " Friends " in Ireland. ^TAT. 28.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 97 to His holy vriU and purpose, saith my soul ; that so as it relates to the general, as the sun that riseth in the east, and sMneth from one part under heaven, even unto the other part under heaven, the conung of the Son of Man may be. His coming may be, at whose name or power, every knee must bow, and every tongue confess, of tMngs in heaven, and things on earth, and tMngs under the earth. I beheve it is so vrith individuals who singly eye the hght in them, that it coraes to sMne more and more, untU the whole man is fuU of hght ; untu aU is brought into holy conformity, and leavened into the Divine nature. Yesterday my dear compamon came vrith me here ; we had reached her habitation the mght before, having been traveUmg about seven months. We have retumed to comfortable homes in our different aUotments in IKe; she to her worthy husband, and I to my dear mother, &c. No time was lost that I know of. I have much to be thankful for, yet am not sensible of a redundancy of heavenly good ; far from it; neither do I vrish for tMs, beheving it is in Divine vrisdom otherwise ordered. Thou art very kind in thy mamfested care respectmg thy S. L., as it relates to setthng in hfe. I look upon changing my condition for a married hfe, as very important ; and tMnk I should not venture to do so, upon any other ground than that it was clearly in Dirine Arisdom for me : vrith tins clearness, I apprehend we are not hkely to mistake the person or place, but rather to be assured fuUy in these points. To . Stepney Causeway, Third Month 1st, 1 8 01. TMs afternoon meeting has been, to my exercised mind, a season of renewed consolation. I had not long taken my seat, before the precious vhtue of the heavenly hfe fUled my soul, which continued most of the time ; so that my heart thanked God, and took courage, in a resolution to tmst in Him, and endeavour to do His wUl To S. AND A. Pumphrey. Stepney Causeway, Sixth Month Uh, 1801. Oh! my much loved friends, my heart aches with the thought that we are now separated ; so that there is no way for me to be at the interment of our precious little H. She was indeed, a H 98 A SELECTION PROM THE LETTERS [1801. sweet pattem of meekness and resignation; my mind yearned toward seeing her again in mutabihty, but there was sometMng that pre vented — that forbid. I do not know clearly what this sometMng was, but I do know that it was my earnest wish to be at Divine dis posal; and perhaps, when we endeavour thus to steer aright, we should also endeavour to leave the event, hoping that we shall be mercifuUy preserved from erring greatly. Thus I seek to console myseK in the present instance, and be assured my spirit is vrith you, and wiU be so. To HER Mother. Bristol, Ninth Month I8th, 1801. My BELOVED Parent, I wrote thee such a hasty scrawl the other day, I wish now to endeavour to send thee a few hnes that may a httle make up for it. Our dear John HuU came yesterday afternoon vrith John WUkinson. I met vrith bini just as I was going into a pnbho meeting in this city, and was much pleased to see Mm. The meeting was large, and I think, higUy favoured ; dear George DiUwyn was much engaged therein, both on his feet and knees : it is cause of encouragement to my mind, to see Mm so hvely in Ms appearances of tMs kind; through a dependence, no doubt, upon the never- faUing arm of Divine strength ; for where people tMnk they can do vrithout so much of tMs, after being many years engaged in the mimstry, I observe they dvrindle into dryness; and though their words may be very good, they are often lut words. 1 think the Quarterly Meethig here, has been a time of refreshment to the souls of many : a remarkable solenmity was sometimes over us. I wish you may be favoured in the same way, K consistent with best vrisdom, in yours that is approacMng I believe my friends vrill not aUow me to say much more to thee, my dear mother, at present ; they are continuaUy coming in. Although I have written as fast as I could, I have met with many interruptions. TMs is not much better than the last. I am Thy truly affectionate daughter, 8. Lynes. ^TAT. 28.] OP SARAH GRUBB. 99 To . Congerslu-ry, Ninth Month 2lst, 1801, Smce my last letter, I have been traveUing on pretty much in the old way, with tMs exception, that aU my engagements have been in doors ; for this, and many other favours, I have abundant cause of humble thankfulness. We made but httle stay at Bristol, but think it hkely our lot may be cast that way again. I went to see at Ms lodging at the WeUs. Jolm Waring took me in his chaise, and neither of us were sorry we went. A few minutes' solemn sUence came over us before we separated, and I had to break this with a few sentences for Ms encouragement ; beheving the great and necessary work was being carried on, and would be accomplished to Ms everlasting joy, as he looked to the power which he had been made acquainted with. Oh! my dear friend, how my heart was contrited under a sense of Divine mercy in this visit — a man that once seemed to have little or no trust in God, now wooed to Him by His everlasting love ; and tMough a yielding thereunto, is ahnost in the state of David, when he said, " Surely I have behaved and qmeted myseK as a chUd that is weaned of Ms mother : my soul is even as a weaned cluld." To Ann Pumphrey. FlmLOuth, Tenth Month llth, 1801. [After aUuding to the death of a friend.] — These are awful mementoes, yet, untU they are felt upon ourselves or our famihes, we do not, in a general sense, make the right use of them, nor always when tMs is the case ; but where individuals are concerned to receive them as messages from heaven to invite us there, no doubt they will have the blessed tendency to loosen from all risible things ; giving to the nund a holy indifferency, that it may more perfectly be devoted to the best of Masters. Oh ! I am ready to say, when wiU tMs be my attainment ? for even now, for a few months I seem as if I was afraid to leave all to the Lord, respecting my dear connexions at home. I know nature is allowed to feel its attachments in pure subjection, but I am afraid I feel them without tlus ; very, very often apparently forgetting, that with aU my care, they must and AriU be conflicted, as well as myseK ; and that, if their sufferings are H 2 100 A SELECTION FROM THE LETTERS [1801. in the wUl of Heaven, and they look to Hhn, without whose notice " not a sparrow faUeth to the ground," He will keep them in all, and deliver them out of aU. To Perran Walk, Tenth Month 31st, 1801. Now I may say a little of our travels. We left Plymouth on fourth day, and got that evenmg to Landrake, having been Arith Friends in the forenoon, which was a fareweU season. We had a public meeting the evening before, that fimshed such, and glad enough we were to find a hberation. I thought, after we had left the town of Plymouth, I felt as clear in my spirit as it was to be, but no rejoicing either, on account of any ext, manifestation of Dirine power through me; for, on taking some retrospective view, I was ready to tMnk that had not been the case; but I find that a quiet mind is indeed a great treasure. I may say that we proceeded, having meetings on the way, at Saltash, Land rake, Germain's, Ashingford, and Looe : aU these wdth other people, and one vrith Eriends at Germain's ; so that in steering for Liskeard by Eirst day, we took six meetings in tMee days, traveUing mostly on very bad roads ; but I don't know that ever my animal sphits were better to persevere through difficulty, or my mind much more cahn under simUar circumstances. Thus are we helped along from time to time; but there are seasons, my dear friend, wherein my mind and body seem nearly to have exhausted aU theh strength; notwithstanding my friends ofteniMnk I get along easier than many, because my confficts are not very apparent. On fourth day we got six miles to a meeting of Friends at Mivagissy, and had a pubhc one in the evening : this, as weU as some other opportunities of the kiad, was ahnost like a meeting vrith our own Society for stUlness ; the people in this county being remarkably serious, and obserring a de corum that excites surprise, when one looks up, and sees them ex ceedingly incommoded for want of room ; but there wants a ceasing from theh own works in their religious exercises, the sense of which amongst them, is often oppressive to the IKe. On fifth day we reached this place, and have had a pubhc meeting, cMefly with the dependents of the friend at whose house we are (viz., George Pox) and who owns, or has a considerable share in copper mines here. I suppose about one hundred and fifty people coUected on the occa sion. They seem to be much of the description I have Mnted at. JSTAT. 28.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 101 To Ann Pumphrey. Falmouth, Eleventh Mouth I3th, 1801. My dear a. p., It is pleasant to reflect on the hkehhood of thy getting a httle into church serrice abroad. I wish goodness and mercy may be vrith your band. Perhaps you are now in the engage ment; K so, no doubt there are low seasons appointed and per- nutted ; for I am of the mind that the seed lies low in some parts where you may risit ; yea, very low : but there is notMng for the Lord's servants to fear, vrith any slavery, who are simple-hearted and faithful ; whose confidence is in Him, the fiUness of strength. But although I thus scribble to my dear Ann, I am weak, and very weak : have lately thought that there is great need for me now to beware that I get not into too easy a condition of mind; for I have not quite such close exercise as when we were feUow-traveUers, as it does seem to me that the dispensation of visiting market-places is ful fiUed ; I have not been once engaged in tMs way on this journey : what a favour ! yet thou vrilt conclude that all is nof smooth. No, my dear, there are stUl som-ces of unspeakable conffict ; but nothmg ever was hke what I have just now aUuded to, and of wMch thou wast often a partaker vrith thy S. L. ; except, to be sure, the affair relative to that great place in London, Paul's, which was even worse than markets. We have lately been holding pubhc meetings along the country as heretofore, but with tMs difference, that I have passed through several places, and felt notMng to cause us to stop ; whereas it was once uncommon to miss one place ; and somehow we have met vrith very few hospitals and prisons, as in time past, so that my way has been more plam ; but in some meetings, cMefly made up of Metho dists, particularly in tMs country, I can scarcely hve : the seed im mortal is deeply oppressed vrith, as I conceive, theh hfeless perform ances, in wluch they evidently place so much confidence. My heart salutes thee in much love and religious feUowship. Thy truly affectionate S. Lynes. 102 A SELECTION FROM THE LETTERS [1801. To . Falmouth, Eleventh Month 2lst, 1801. For several days past thou hast been my companion in meetings and out of meetings ; yea, a sweet sense of the cleanness of thy sphit has covered mine, so that I thought it no harm to tell thee so, with a salutation of heavenly love in that IKe wMch tri umphs over death, wluch is precious, being begotten of Him who was, and is, and is to come ; the never-faUing source of sufficiency to the waiting soul ; such I believe tMne is, therefore trust thou in the Lord thy God for ever. No doubt thy trials are many; the faithful among you must often be plunged as into the deeps ; but there is a power wMch is "mightier than the noise of many waters ;" this can enable to stand, as with the ark of the testimony upon your shoulders, in the bottom of Jordan, the appointed tune, and to bring up stones of memorial from thence : tMs has, no doubt, from time to time, produced the acknowledgment, "Hitherto the Lord hath helped us :" but why should I thus write to thee, who am very weak ? From Perran we came here ; sat theh Fhst day meetings in sUence on my part ; were housed on second day ; turned out westward on tlihd day, taking two meetings at Eedruth on fourth, one of whieh Avas with the people of the town. In attempting to set forth the dangerous state I beheved some to be in, my spirit obtained no rehef; for, if I am not mistaken, the word was not mixed vrith faith in many that heard. This is the place where dear Catharine Phiflips hved and died, but it is not always in such spots that the true seed flourishes the most; we may be in this, as in all tMngs, instructed; but I am not saying respecting this place, " There is none righteous; no, not one," although my mind was oppressed; perhaps we did not see the cream of the people. Enough, however, of Eedruth; and now let me proceed to say, that the foUowing day at Marazion, we had a very open meeting ; it was also very large. In that day's favour, the language of my soul was, " My spirit rejoiceth in God my Saviour, for He hath regarded the low estate of His hand maiden." On sixth day a meeting with the people at Penzance; laborious, but powerful and weighty in the end : a pubhc meeting at the Land's End on First day ; hard to get tMough, but it ended well ; blessed be the Lord ! He measinably softened the stony JETAT. 28.] OF SARAH GRUBB'. 103 hearts. I walked after meeting to see a dying young man: my feehngs were awful, yet, in deep retirement, I beheved aU would be weU. "Cry unto her that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned," &c., comforted my mind respecting Mm. He died next morning. He was not one of our name — had been led away fi-om the path of vhtue by bad company, but Ms sufferings had been great and avaUing. I thought I never was more sensible of the powers of the world to come, than as I sat by Ms bedside. The reflection was and is pleasant, that we are on our way home, having been to the end of the earth this way. We have had four pubhc meetings in this town, aU large ; and one in particular, very rehering. I thought it was a httle like old times irith our worthy predecessors, as was also a large meeting at Penrhyn, when the pressure was such to get in, that it caused a little disturbance. I was on my feet, but took my seat in consequence, after saying that it nught be better for some one to go and inform tbose who were vrithout, that there was no room ; but I soon rose again, teUing the people that no mind need be unsettled, for I felt the power of God over the meeting; and aU ended weU, even in thanksgiving and glory to Him who is only worthy. I went to this meeting under peculiar discouragement, but had not WeU taken my seat, before my mind was sensible of the everlastmg truth being in domimon. Oh ! may my soul lie low before the Lord. I could not have commanded this display of His exceUency. No ; J am notMng, but He can arise as the sun in its strength, and comfort and animate His true seed, that all may redound to His own honour. I feel the same openness to thee as ever ; deshing the hring breathings of thy spirit for my preservation — a poor cluld. From hence we tMnk of pro ceeding to Wadebridge, taking meetings among other people in our way, and so to the north of Devon, where there are few or no Friends, bad roads, &c. ; but K the great " I Am " is with us, no doubt difficulties wUl be surmounted. No rest for me yet, but I am, at this moment, sensible of that wMch, in some degree, can say, "Not my wUl but TMne, oh Eather, be done." I have every reason to resolve — "My life (if Thou preserv'st my life) Thy sacrifioe shall be," for He hath caused " Jordan to be driven back, and the mountains to skip," when I was without might, and when things were permitted to weigh down my life : when I was almost crushed under the heavy 104 A SELECTION FROM THE LETTERS [1801, burden, then He kept me from removing my shoulder from it; and in His own time He removed it, showing HimseK to be onmiscient, and ommpresent, and onmipotent. EternaUy adored be His great name, saith my soul. Let us pray for each other, that we may so abide under the baptizing influence of truth, as more and more to be of the babes in Christ, deshing to be "fed vrith the sincere nulk" of the holy word, that we may grow thereby. That in tMs day, God may have those among you and us, who are piUars in His house, is what my mind craves. We are here vrith Eriends who are very hospitable, and I think, grovring in the root of hving virtue. At present they are under very great affliction. But wMlst we see that affluence and poverty are ahke open to spiritual adversity, yea, to sickness also, and to the varied famUy and private cross occurrences of hfe ; whUst this all teUs us that our rest is not here, what a consolatory reflection, that, in rightly yielding to tribulation, it is the means of strengthening the union vrith uncreated Purity ; of preparing to join the heavenly host, where peace reigns triumphant, eternaUy triumphant, when these few moments terminate ! Joseph Gurney Bevan to Sarah Lynes. Newington, Twelfth Month Uh, 1801. Dear Sarah, I beheve thou mayest rest assured that I do not forget thee, and that thou art near to what I caU my best feehngs ; but they are not always — ^far from always — uppermost. I rather think traveUers, as they want more supply, have more ; but they must not expect we, poor stationary folks, can always pay them in theh own coin There are one or two tMngs, respecting wMch I am not disposed to say much ; but rather, as we read Mary did, to ponder them in my heart. One is, thy respite from some trying exercises ; the other, thy future prospects. As for me, I thinlc I can judge best of the past, or, however, better than of the fiiture ; and therefore, am dis posed to say, that the httle personal share I had vrith thee therein, (wMch was only actuaUy at Croydon, though, may be, mentally at Dunstable, t'other day) has endeared thee to me as much as most things. I don't tliinli I have told thee how I fared after we parted there. I began to think, before I had got far from the inn gate, that MiAr. 29.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 105 I loved thee too much ; but then there arose a pretty lively appeal to Him whom we sometimes deshe to call our Master, that I loved thee for His sake : so I jogged on in some tenderness of mind, and had also a very pleasant ride next mormng towards Hertford, from the same cause. WMle I am writing to thee, and tMnking of the satisfaction it must be to thee to be thus excused (as above) there came into my head a few hnes I once put on paper, in inritation of a thought expressed by a Heathen poet, to tMs effect, " Snatch joyful the present pleasure, and leave the future trouble." Methought, why may not the Christian say the same ? so I went a little on, somewhat thus — The cross endured, the Christian blest With incomes of returning rest. May seize the peaceful calm, and praise The Guardian of his stormy days. And while his memory brings to view The troubles he has travelled through, He finds his gratitude increase, For past protection — present peace. And e'en if future troubles rise In prospect to his watchful eyes, With humble confidence imprest, (Tried armour of the faithful breast) The threatening future fails of force T'avert him from his steady course. If thou canst pick anytMng out of these hnes thou art welcome. Well, fare thee weU at present. Thy affectionate friend, J. G. Bevan. Sarah Lynes to Ann Pumphrey. Melksham, First Month 2Qth, 1802. My dear a. p.. My love toward thee is undinumshed, though the corres pondence between us is not so frequent as before thou wast married. I have often had thee very present with me in spirit, weU aware, that although the dispensation we are individuaUy under is, in some sort, different, we can umte in the acknowledgment that this is a world of trials, a fight of affhctions ; and oh ! my dear, K we are but working our way to the fairer inheritance, it is worth all the present suffering ; so that I wish we may let patience have its perfect work, 106 A SELECTION FROM THE LETTERS [1802, while it is our cMef concern that obedience keeps pace vrith know. ledge. My heart is enlarged in best affection towards thee, dear creature. We have indeed used aU diligence of late ; holding meetings very quickly in succession, and traveUing hard : but one of those trying exercises we had together, is more wearing to the frame than a great deal in the usual way ; and I may acknowledge that one of these overtook my poor tribulated soul at Bath, a few days since; for after having five meetings there, it was requhed to go into the Pump Eoom, amongst the giddy and the gay (a great number of whom were there) and stand as a sign for a while, vrithout saying a word ; and then to declare, as the Lord by His Spirit gave utter ance, for about twenty minutes ; beginmng vrith these words — "I deem no further apology necessary for this conduct, which may ap pear so strange to some of you, than that I am here in pm-e obedi ence to my God." Oh ! my dear Ann, the confiicts tMs sacrifice cost me were thorougMy equal to any capacity given me to endure. I have been almost worn out; my animal sphits much exhausted; but a day or two mostly recruits me. We are to hold a pubhc meeting here tMs forenoon, one at Devizes tMs evening, &c. &c. Thy truly affectionate 8. Lynes. To THE SAME. Stepney Causeway, Fourth Month 2QtA, 1802. My dear a. p., I find it impracticable to visit all my beloved absent fiiends by letter, to whose dweUings my spirit is often wafted in feehngs of sincere love, but I let it suffice to do my best, and leave the rest; beheving, that whUe mercifuUy preserved on the right foundation, neither distance nor time, sea nor land, shall be able to separate us from the love, begotten and cherished in the fear of the Lord. Thou weU knowest, my dear Ann, that my time has not been mme own for years past, nor do I feel it so yet, notwithstanding the famUy visit closed yesterday. I have had, since coming home, three hundred and tMrty-seven sittings of tMs kind. I hope, that in fetching water for others, thou and thy feUoATS have been watered at times. I tMnk, AA'cre it not for the brook by *TAT. 29.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 107 the way, in my late engagement of a simUar kind, I had many a time fainted. We are mercifuUy dealt with. I am thy truly affectionate S. Lynes. To THE SAME. Stepney Causeway, Seventh Month Uth, 1802. My dear a. p., TMnk not that thy S. L. is less mindful of thee than here tofore, because of the delay in writing. In being informed of the bodUy suffering thou hast experienced, I assure thee, my dear, my heart ached ; but I summed it up thus : it vriU weigh amongst those tilings that help to sanctify the better part; and is, therefore, instead of being unnoticed by the Most High, precious in His holy sight. Ah ! my dear Ann, it seems to me a favour to beheve that it is the prerogative of the King im mortal, to recogmze the common occurrences of hfe, to take account of aU our httle affahs : surely, if we sanctKy Him, the Lord of hosts, alone, and K He is our fear, our dread, we sliaU be taught by Him to esteem tlus a great blessing; and have to acknowledge, that although, at times, we seem almost crushed under our exercises, yet He "weigheth the mountains" to us "in scales, and the MUs in a balance." Thus may we learn to tmst His proridence, and rely on His infimte wisdom. My heart very tenderly salutes thee, and com mends thee to so good and gracious a Creator, in whom I know thou hast, in some precious measure, leamed to confide, and whom thou hast been taught to love. I deshe, that wherever we are, we may be enabled to remember each other for good. I ahnost hoped, at one time, to have seen thy face ere I embarked for Ireland, but now it does not look likely. My mind has been, and is much humbled in the prospect before me ; and it was not without many tears that I laid it before my friends in the MontMy and Quarterly Meetings. They have furnished me with expressions of theh concurrence, and my credentials breathe forth desires for my safety. EareweU. Thy S. Lynes. 108 A SELECTION FROM THE LETTERS [1802. To Youghal, Eleventh Month 21th, 1802. We have got tMough a large pubhc meeting here, whieh I think thou wouldst very weU have hked to have been at, had it happened in thy way ; for we were mercifuUy overshadowed by the wing of Almighty kindness, which would have aU to be gathered. My heart was so full of matter that I could scarcely keep my seat whUe the meeting coUected. I had to speak, vrith no want of utter ance, for nearly an hour and a haK : the meeting ended in solemn supplication. We have, I tMnk, been helped with a httle help from time to time : it would be ungrateful to distrust, or cherish unprofit able discouragement respecting the future, but reaUy these prospects of public exposure are tMngs that weigh down the mind very con siderably. Thou hast tMne exercises in another way, and I doubt not of their being as great as mine : we are differently dealt with; we differ in our dispositions and complexion of mind, yet we have one common Father and Protector, to whom, with the simphcity of cMldren, we may individuaUy look for aU we want. TMs appears to me to be an unspeakable privUege. Let us, my dear friend, strive to lay our secret cogitations, our cares, fears, doubts, and sorrows, in His holy bosom. J. G. Bevan to Sarah Lynes. Stoke Newington, Twelfth Month Uh, 1802. Dear Sarah, Though I beheve I love thee as much as usual, I don't seem to have much to say to thee ; and yet I begin to think it long since I said sometMng ; and I have also apprehended thou wouldst not be so weU pleased that I had let thine he by so long. But con sider the evenness of staying at home furmshes less inteUigence to an absent friend than the variety of traveUing. This variety, how^ ever, is, I hope, on thy part, accompamed with an experience of the same gracious help wMch is ahke wanted, and wluch comes ahke to the devoted, confficting mind, unaffected by the succession of scenes; even the mercy which is ancient, and ever new. So be it to thee, my dear chUd, saith my soul most cordiaUy — very cordiaUy, however, for it is difficult to say what is " most," and therefore I am often afraid of deahng in superlatives. JETAT. 29.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 109 I think to send off tMs to-mght, and am rather less vacant in mind from other things than I hke to be, when writing to thee, my dear friend ; but I am clear, that among the mass of things with wMch my mind is furnished, there are always, I trust, at bottom, genuine good desires, for thee; and now, that thou mayest be preserved during the remaimng part of thy journey, in fear, in humUity, and in confidence in the power that has hitherto supported. I feel some thing of the importance of endeavouring to meddle vrith thee. Ee- ceive none of my words further than they answer to truth, and when thou hast leisure and freedom, let me know where thou art, and how it fares vrith thee. I am sure (as far as we can weU in absence, without special reve lation, be sure) that thou dost continue to beheve me Thy very affectionate friend, J. G. Bevan. Sarah Lynes to Ann Pumphrey. Clonmel, Twelfth Month lUh, 1802. My dear Ann, The cheermg account of thy family wluch thy last paper messenger brought, was salutary to thy S. L., who often, very often risits Worcester in idea, and breathes for the " blessing of the ever lasting MUs, and of the deep that heth under," for some of you in an especial manner, tMough your continued and increasing love to the cause of truth, wMch I know, vrith its gi-eat Author, has been made dear to thee and thy S. P. ; yea, the prosperity of the Lord's work has often been more deshable in your view, than the increase of eartMy substance to yourselves. Let us be encouraged to go on, seeMng first the kingdom of God and its righteousness, trusting in the prondses. Thou knowest how I used to be led along, when it was our lot to be together; when we partook together of the "wormwood and gaU," in some most trying exercises. I have, with humble gratitude, to acknowledge that my way now seems less rugged; the dispensation of so much pubhc exposure being, I trust, tMough the holy efficacy of the Sphit, fuhUled, and, in Christ Jesus our Lord, fimshed. Thou canst better conceive than I can describe, the release my poor mind experiences in being ex cused going into the streets and markets, the prison-houses, and the 110 A SELECTION FROM THE LETTERS [1803. asylums for the sick ; yet my soul hath sympathy in secret vrith the woes of my dear feUow-creatures, and from tMs I feel no deshe to be exempt. Since coming to Ireland, I have not been without sea sons of probation, but may teU thee, my dear friend, that it never was my lot to witness more glorious hberty in the saered office of the mimstry, than at some meetings vrith Friends hereaway; and then we are not yet out of Munster Province, so that I know not what is to be met vrith in the other two. If, in adorable mercy, preservation is vouchsafed on the right hand and on the left, all Avill be weU, come what wdU come ; and I tMnk tMs mercy is aU my soul dare ask. FareweU, my dear, farewell. It does me good to feel so much attached to thee. Thy dear S. wdU take a part. I am thy affectionate friend in gospel bonds, S. Lynes. To HER Mother. Dublin, First Month 2nd, 1803. My beloved Mother, I left Clonmel last sixth day week, in company vrith my beloved H. G. and her brother Joseph : we traveUed in a post-chaise to the Leinster Quarterly Meeting. Joseph is a very sensible young man, so that, what vrith Ms inteUigent conversation, and the reading of Cowper's Poems, which John Grubb presented me vrith, we had an entertaining ride; We needed sometMng of tMs kind to take up our attention in a close carriage, for there is very httle in the country we traveUed tMough, especiaUy at this season of the year, to occupy one's mind ; yet a part of the County Carlow is very fertUe, and the scene beautifuUy diversified. The Quarterly Meeting for elders and ministers began on seventh day, and the whole was concluded on tlurd day forenoon, vrith a meeting for worsMp : it was thought to be a time of renewjd of strength to many, wherein the purity of the testimonies given us to bear, was held up to view, and Eriends encouraged to attend simply to the holy principle, which led, and stUl leads to the support of these precious testimomes. Several of the seceders attended, and the caU was reached fortii to them to embrace the unchangeable truth, which perhaps some of theh poor bcArildered minds have never yet done, although they once held it in profession. It pleased my heavenly Father to baptize my spirit, MIAT. 30.] OF SARAH GRUBB. Ill and prepare me for enlargement of heart and tongue, in the Gospel of CMist, in these meetings ; blessed be His Name ! He chooses the " tMngs that are not, to bring to nought things that are." His is the power and glory for ever. We had a pubhc meetmg for the people at large on thhd day evening, in wMch strength was given to iUustrate the doctrines of CMistianity. I was concerned to ac quaint the people that, as an associated body, we held these truths as they are recorded m the New Testament ; and that we beheved in both the New and Old, wMch are hke one continued chain, held together by hnks. I understand this testimony was a satisfaction to some not of our Society, who were acquainted vrith the departure of indiriduals from what they, at one time, professed to beheve in. Both the meetings here tMs day have, in the end, been seasons of relief, in being enabled to mimster of the word of hfe. I deshe a grateful heart for the many mercies bestowed; and oh! may you also contmue to witness the mercies of Proridence to be new every mormng. We may stay here a week longer ; I tMnk I see two pubhc meet ings for me to hold in tMs city, and some families to visit, beside the meetmgs in course. Oh ! may Dirine Goodness be near to help. Without Him we are notMng, and can do notMng. I have written my beloved mother a long letter, and may now close it with bidding thee and thine most dearly fareweU, and am Thy truly affectionate daughter, Sarah. John Grubb to Hannah Pace (formerly Hannah Lynes.) aonmel, Ffth Month 28th, 1803. My dear Friend, It is, I trust, vrith a mind bowed with awe and fear, under a sense of the importance of the subject, that I venture to address thee on a matter wMch, perhaps, from thy knowledge of the precious friendsMp and unity of spirit that has long subsisted between thy beloved daughter Sarah and myseK, may not be much of a surprise to thee, viz., to avow my near and tender attachment for her, and the desire of my heart to obtain her as a companion in the closest and most endearing connexion in this hfe. It is now nearly six years since I acquainted my beloved parents vrith this prospect, and obtained their consent to move in it at a suitable time, which my 112 A selection from the letters [1803. late honourable father thought was not then, on account of my en deared friend's rehgious engagements. In Ms sentiment I acqui esced, and have been sohcitous to wait for a right opening to take another step. I have lately apprehended, that on dear S.'s release from her late gospel bonds in tMs land, it might be seasonable to lay the matter before thee for thy consideration; and I hope the time is not far distant, when I may be pernutted to converse with thee more fuUy than can be effected tMough tMs medium; andhave an opportumty of informing thee of any particulars respecting my circumstances and situation in hfe, that may be desirable to thee. In the mean time, K thou feel no objection, may I request thee to hand the enclosed few lines to my precious friend ? and now I shall, with the salutation of affectionate regard, bid thee dearly farewell; deshing that the same good Hand that has, I trust, laid the foun dation of a closer connexion and more intimate acquaintance, may continue near for our help and preservation, in and tMough every situation in hfe ; and finaUy give us an inheritance amongst those that are sanctified. I am Thy affectionate friend, John Grubb, Sarah Lynes to John Grubb. London, Sixth Month 2Ul, 1803. It is a comfort to beheve that we, and the matter that engages our deep attention, are under the notice of an aUwise and mercKul Creator: tMs I am abundantly persuaded of, amidst aU the various cogitations that fill my mind. told me, among other tMngs, that thou wast " gooder" than myself. WeU, I deshe to foUow after tMne attainments. I have the comfort of hoping that thou vrilt help me ; and K we are but making ad vances in the right way, I beheve we shall look vrith a holy indif ference at what man, as man, shaU think of us. I think that some of those seasons we have lately enjoyed in each other's society, when we felt the sweet influence of our heavenly Eather, like a sanction to our attachment, may, from time to time, be recurred-to for our mutual and united strengthemng iETAT, 30.] OF SARAH GRUBB. ll.'l To THE SAME. Isleworth, Seventh Month Wi, 1803. Sometimes I think it would be a want of right confidence in me, were I to doubt tMs matter going forAvard and being accomphshed, because it seems to me to have been, and still to be in the ordering of that vrisdom wluch is profitable to direct, both vritli respect to time, and the circumstance itseK. I write my thoughts simply, having only in view to assure thee, that notvrith standing the prospect of separating from my near relations and friends in my native land is trying, I am disposed to mind a right opening. I spent two mghts agreeably at J. G. Bevan's : he and I took some very pleasant walks alone : he desired I would make as good a vrife as . I thought I would do my best in fiUing up the important station, but felt, as I often do, a fear of falhng short. . . . To THE SAME. Isleworth, Seventh Month lUh, 1803. I seem now ahnost as K aheady in Clonmel, my mind is so much in the prospect of the settlement intended for me. I often riew myseK a member of your meeting, and wish for holy preserva tion ; yea, that K I do go, our habitation may be like his where the ark was, wMch, it is said, was blessed. I weU know that i^is is thy desire also, even so to conduct, as to come in for the blessing wMch makes truly rich. I trast, at times, I feel thee near in that wMch is of a more exalted nature than what is felt in the affectionate part, and wMch is more binding than any outward ties : thus I thought my spirit longed to impart to my dear friend something of the favour granted in being lately, in unmerited mercy, permitted to draw near to Him whose holy bosom is the repository for the cares, the sorrows, and conflicts of His own chUdren, who are born, not indeed of the vriU of man, but of HimseK. Oh ! how have I longed to partake more largely of tMs pure nature; yea, tUl the whole lump is leavened: but though it has, after low seasons, pleased Divine Goodness in tMs manner a little to replenish my soul, and fiU it with holy desires, yet I did not intend to be quite so copious in the acknowledgment of it 114 A SELECTION PROM THE LETTERS [1803. To THE SAMB. Uxbridge, Seventh Month 2Uh, 1803. Ah! my endeared friend, our attachment is not indeed. "the sudden impulse of a moment," but (as thou says) hath its foundation in the deeps, and hath been proved by many storms. Oh ! may He who hath already blessed it in measure to thee and me, continue to bless it as a thing of His own (dare I say) preparing. Many of my dear friend's expressions are the fruit of a religion pur chased alone by resignation to the DiAdne vriU — the religion of Jesus CMist. Alas ! what would, what could a umon hke that wMch we now hope for, be to either of us without snch a possession ? . . . . John Grubb to his Sister Elizabeth Grubb. Isleworth, Ninth Month Uh, 1803. The meethig yesterday was crowded. Many friends from London and neighbouring meetings attended. We sat under the gaUery ; Joseph Bevan by me, actmg the part of father. I thought much of you at home. Mary Bevan and Mary Savory appeared in testimony, before we moved to enter into the solemn covenant. After tMs a considerable silence foUowed : the meeting then seemed about to break up, when I found my dear S. was under considerable exercise. She stepped up into the gaUery, and was, I think I may say, favoured in a remarkable manner, to preach the Gospel to the people. She said it was " unexpected, and a cross to her, to have to move in that hne that day; but it was her cMef joy to be found faithful in doing the wiU of her Heavenly Father ; and the solemn covenant being now entered into, she felt her mind drawn in Gospel love to the people," to whom she spoke a con siderable time, so that it seemed hke one of her appointed pubhc meetings. She sat down a short thne in the gallery, and then returned to her seat ly her husband. Mary Bevan moved afterwards in supphcation, and then my dear S. in the same line ; we rethed soon after. The meeting was very qmet and sohd, though it was very warm, and much crowded m some parts. Upwards of one hundred signed the certificate, ex clusive of ourselves. The bride was again engaged in the exercise of her gift after dinner. The day was tMoughout, I think, marked with that quiet and peace wMch is so comfortable to my mind, and iETAT. 31.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 115 I hope satisfies it, without seeking for much beyond. We have no other intention than to go by way of Holyhead ; and for the sake of the precious charge committed to my care, I beheve I shall not be wiUing to go to sea vrith a contrary wind. My dear love to each of you, and I am Thy truly affectionate brother, John Grubb. Sarah Grubb to her Husband. Clonmel, First Month Uh, 1804. My ffist letter tlus year is to thee, my dear. Nothing could exceed in my heart the tender emotions wMch it has felt smce thou left me; but I give thee up to God, whose thou art, and whom thou serves. He hath, I trust, instructed us, mdi- viduaUy and umtedly, that He ought to have our affections primarUy, and that He is a rich rewarder. Surely His goodness and mercy wUl foUow thee, and repay thy simple dedication To Elizabeth Grubb. Myrtle HiU, Second Month 2Uh, 180-1.. I tMnk it would have done thee good to have been vrith us m our late peregrination among the Western hUls, although I beheve thou wouldst have got many a fright. We often talked of thee when on very bad roads : I tMnk that from Skibbereen to Bantry exceeded aU ; there were not only many rocky hiUs, but some deep places that, had we been on horseback, I tMnk we shoiUd have concluded were impassable in a carriage ; but no accident happened, wMch we esteemed a great favour. We had a very large crowded meeting in a store, to satisfaction; some of the soldiers were par ticularly sohd. At Dunmanaway the meeting was held in a Metho dist meetmg-house, ahd we thought it a very good one : that at Inniskean was attended vrith some extraordinary power in minis tering to the people : it was held in a miU. That, and the meeting at Passage, cost me a great deal of previous suffering ; but I have as much satisfaction now in reflecting on them as any others, I think. I 2 116 A SELECTION FROM THB LETTERS [1805. To Candia Burlingham. London, Sixth Month 1st, 1804. It afforded me considerable satisfaction to see thee at Worcester, although the time was so short. I sometimes tMnk we do not want a great deal of time to find out whether we can salute each other, as those who are advancing in the path cast up for the redeemed. In tMs Mgh and holy way I trust thou, my dear, hast experienced thy feet imtiated ; and if sensible that there has been in anywise a shpping, as it were, a httle aside, to gratKy the unsubdued wiU and affections, I would not have thee be too much discouraged ; for, as my mind hath been turned toward thee, I have beheved that thy Heavenly Eather is near to help : therefore look to Him, my dear, and seek to give thyself whoUy into His keeping; then AviJl thy strength be increased to stand against everytMng, however small in itself, that oppresses the pure hfe in thee : thus wUt thou come to the experience of the pronuse, "I wUl be as the dew unto Israel (saith the Lord) : he sliaU grow as the hly, and cast forth Ms roots as Lebanon." Oh ! it is a precious tMng to know the Divme presence to be as dew, and to increase thereby in sphitual strength and beauty. I know thou beheves it to be so, therefore mayest thou foUow after it, saith my soul ! I beheve tlus has been thought, by some sohd Eriends, to be a favoured meeting, wherein the young people were not forgotten. EareweU, my dear. I am, in much sincere regard. Thy friend, Sarah Grubb. To Youghal, Ninth Month mh, 1805. I have thought, what do any of us want more than rest — ^perfect rest ? TMs is what our immortal spirits asphe after, wMle we find that it is not to be obtained by any eartMy good. If this peaceful state is ours at last, surely it seems to me to be worth suffering for, even by the privation of anytMng not eternal in duration ; yes, health itseK. So let us be encouraged in thankful ness of heart to press forward toward the place of our rest MTAT. 33.] OP SARAH GRUBB. 117 To Ann Pumphrey. aonmel. Twelfth Month 2nd, 1805. My beloved A. P., It is vrith pecuhar satisfaction that I observe, from time to time, the undinumshed regard vrith which thou conthiuest to think of thy S. G. Were it not so, my feehngs would be poignant ; for it is trying to love vrithout a return of the same hvely sensation. Per haps my mind is almost daUy wdth thee ; I know it is often many times in the day, for thou art as a dear sister to me. Sometimes I tMnk what an unspeakable satisfaction I should esteem it, to have it in my power frequently to visit thee personally, but even then I could scarcely name my feehngs sympathy, because our chcum stances are not similar. I know not what it is to be a mother, much less to be sensible of what, from time to time, tMs station (however honourable) must have introduced thee into, of anxiety, of hope and fear alternately ; and oh ! when the hand of death took from thy bosom a darhng infant son, what must not thy S. have felt likevrise ! WeU, but I was going to remark that your conduct under these ricissitudes, as erinced in thy letters to me, hath afforded me instruction, as weU as, on your account, conf ort; and mayl not say, thankfulness ? It is a fine tMng, a great dignity conferred, to be not only umted in the solemn covenant of marriage, with one whom Heaven does not disapprove, but also to bring into the world beings designed for usefulness, and the glory of God here, and etemal happmess here after. My mother G. grows more and more feeble, as must be expected now, for she is of a pretty great age ; she has hved an honourable hfe, and brought up many worthy cMldren. EareweU my dear, dear creature. c p John Grubb to Stanley Pumphrey, Third Month ^h, 1806. Dear Eriend Stanley Pumphrey, My dear Sarah has proposed my occupying a part of tMs sheet in writing a few lines to thee, wMch I wiUingly comply vrith ; and acknnwledge thy kindness in transmitting us such a particular 118 A selection from thb letters [1807. and interesting account of the last iUness and final close of our beloved friend.* It tendered our spirits, wlulst we could, I trust, measurably rejoice and give thanks, in knovring that this humble, diffident servant of her dear Lord and Master, was so animated and strengthened by His ahnighty power, during the last awful conffict, as to triumph, even gloriously, over death and the grave. How does this reflection tend to blunt the edge of nature's sorrow ! Thou must, I tMnk, my dear friend, have felt it as a bahn to thy afflicted soul, even the unshaken evidence that the dear de parted spirit is centred in those mansions, where, as she so hvehly expressed it, "the wicked cease from troubhng, and the weary are at rest." May her pious, innocent example, be a means of leading us who had the privUege of her company, either in a greater or less degree, to greater attachment to that principle, and acquaintance with that power, that did so much for her ; that so we may experi ence sometMng of what the Apostle did, that in aU tMngs and everywhere, we are instructed. FareweU saith thy friend, J. Grubb. J. G. Bevan to Sarah Grubb, then travelling in Scotland. Stoke Newington, Third Month 12th, 1807. Dear Sarah, It is time for me to notice thy welcome letter, and pro bably no topic of it is more interesting to thee than thy child. Often, I dare say, thy mind turns to tMs httle darhng; and the tender emotions of a young mother are often felt. Nor would I have thee check them unduly, any more than indulge them unduly; for whilst thou canst believe that thou stUl prefers thy Eedeemer to thy offspring, I consider thy maternal feelings in a manner sanctified; and I view thee, and in degree rejoice in thee, as an object of Dirine compassion and approbation. Oh ! Sarah, I tMnk I feel now the preciousness of being the Lord's loving servant or handmaid, who thinks notlung so delightfiU as to be helped by Him in His own business ; and I desire for thee that thou mayest, from thne to time, as He sees meet, have such renewals of attraction to Him, as may bind thee closer and closer in His covenant of love and hfe. So be it for you both; for, in going along with my pen, I wish thy * Ann Pumphrey. .«:tat. 34.] of sarah grubb. 119 husband to partake of any encouragement to perseverance, K any I can give. With love to you both, I remain Your affectionate friend, J. G. Bevan. Sarah Grubb to Anne Grubb. Arbroath, Fourth Month Is;!, 1807, I have no doubt but thou feels for us m tMs our separa tion from you, and in our awfuUy trying engagements. I thought in meeting last evemng, of what the Apostle said of fighting with beasts at Ephesus, for indeed there seems sometMng of the same nature now to combat vrith. Although the Gospel day has so long smce davraed, the people, in too general a way, cherish dispositions opposed to the purity and simphcity of tMs dispensation ; but I must acknowledge, tMough Divme mercy, we are enabled to speak in the authority of truth. The meeting at Dundee was held in the Metho dist meeting-house, as no other commodious place could be procured. We understood that the Methodist preacher prayed in theh meeting for a blessing on what had preceded. We are to hold a meeting here tMs evemng; indeed we scarcely can get tMough any town vrithout one, but I hope we are given up to it vrithout murmuring ; nay, are rather thankful to have the knowledge of the Divine wUl concermng us, and I beheve that none of you ever felt nearer or dearer to us than now. Our httle darling is, thou mayest be sure, the very frequent subject of our thoughts. No mother could feel more exquisitely than I do, but I endeavour to turn my own atten tion and that of my dear J. G. from the subject, or it would tend to disqualKy for rehgious service. On the whole, I think there is notMng that could make this journey tolerable, but being at times favoured to come to the resignation of all into the Divine hand. Oh ! my dear sister, I do not wonder that S. G. should caU tMs state a " harbour," for how tossed and tried we are vrithout it To . Alerdeen, Fowrth Month lUh, 1807. John told my brother Joseph, of our setting about the little famUy visit at Kinmuck ; it was accomphshed on seventh day. 120 A selection from the letters [I8O7. I beheve, to mutual satisfaction; and on Fhst day we had rather a long meeting with Eriends, wMch I thought was, in the end, favoured : perhaps one cause of its length might be, that both visitors and visited went to meeting wdth rather large expectations that we might be refreshed together, and so had to wait in poverty tiU near the close. They seera in general, I think, a nice, simple- hearted people, and some of them very tender. We parted in much love. We were quite hurried to get to Inverary, to a meeting appointed to be held at four o'clock : vve did get there pretty near the time, but, on riding up to the inn, I perceived that the meeting was gathered, which affected my sphits a good deal. The people seemed rather raw and ignorant, but we had to acknowledge to the suf ficiency of that Divine Power which ever stands by its ovra cause, and returned with grateful hearts to Amos Wigham's, vrith him and his kind vrife, who accompanied us on horseback. We gave up to have a meeting in a large assembly room here, and to confine the notice to people of the Mgher class : it was attended by many of tMs description, and proved a season of much enlarge ment of heart in Divine love, wherein I hurably hope truth was ex alted. Now think, ray dear, how it was with me, when, after all tMs, a cloud seemed stUl over our prospects of moving forward ; so we fixed to stay and have another meeting that evening m the same place, and one at the old town to-day, a mUe and a haK off, and to attend the Monthly Meeting here to-morrow : thus we see how httle we can depend upon our own exertions to get forward. The meeting was large, and the doctrines of truth opened with great clearness, and much Gospel authority. Perhaps none of us ever saw so large a meeting, composed principaUy of gay, fasMonable people, male and female : several of tMs description went from here to our meeting to-day at Old Aberdeen, which was appointed at twelve o'clock, and wherein new matter was given, in the holy freshness and heavenly hfe ; and, as in the other two instances, much sohdity was ohserved on the part of those who attended. The meeting this day ended with a very solemn covering, after my husband had hfted up the voice in supplication. In the first meeiting we understand there were seven or eight of the clergy present. Our dear little babe engages our affectionate sohcitude very strongly. I often think how hard it must have been to Abraham, when he was called to surrender Ms oMy son. My heart is often MTAI. 38.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 121 more deeply affected in our present chcumstances, than I choose, or tMnk would be right to suffer to appear. To Martha Brewster, when on a Eeligious Yisit in Ireland. Youghal, Ninth Month 1st, 1811. Beloved Friend, Poor and weak as I am every way, I cannot help coveting thou shouldst know that very often thou art the companion of my mind, I wUl not say in feUow feehng, because it is not hkely I can be fuUy aware of thy tried state ; but I have felt, and do feel much for thee, yet have no doubt but the Shepherd of Israel con tinues graciously to watch over thee and care for thee : " Many,'^ it is said, " are the affiictions of the righteous, but the Lord dehvereth Mm out of them aU." I have remembered that Job is spoken of as being deeply sensible of the sufferings of Ms own body, so that many other things were comparatively light ; but, in this sore temp tation also, he served the Lord ; and that Hand wMch is inrisible supported him, and brought tiirough all. So, my dear friend, though thou mayest be ready to say, vrith another of the Lord's cMldren, " Thou hast hedged me about that I cannot get out ; Thou hast made my chain heavy," yet wUl the same Divine Hand bring forth, in His own time, and prove His covenant to be perpetual, never to be forgotten; for He wUl be HimseK "the glorious Lord, a place of broad rivers and streams," in thy blessed experience. But do I forget myseK? I write to one of the experienced handmaids of Jesus, and I am, when proved, apt to sink too low : this hath been the case of late, for mind and body have seemed more exhausted than I almost ever remember to have felt : to be sure the depression of sphits that has accompamed me might be attributed to physical causes, and then, in these sinking times, the unwearied enemy does not faU to wMsper discouragement. Sometimes, however, in think ing of thee, and other of my friends, whom I much prefer to myseK, I have felt such a sweetness, and so much love, that I have almost termed it feUowship : and then I recoUect that " to him that is joined to all the hring there is hope ; for a hring dog is better than a dead hon." My John's dear love is to thee ; he and I sometimes recur to the 122 A selection from the letters [1812. precious httle season of retirement we had when thou wast about leaving us, and think we have traced in thy commumcation the marks of a true prophetess. To HER Husband. Dublin, Fifth Month 1st, 1812. I continue to look towards London, although tMs prospect is with much dread of sea-sickness, and very great re luctance to stay from home ; but K we wiU not move in the hght whUe we have the hght, it may be vrithdrawn, and leave us in dark ness and sorrow. I vrish thou couldst know how greatly my mind is exercised in this city, and in tMnking of London ; indeed it seems to me that the right-minded, and especiaUy the active members among us, have great need to go down into the deeps, and wait the Lord's time ; depending singly on His holy arm, to bring them where they can erect their Ebenezer before the people. I have remarked, since conung here, that Friends' tables are very consistent ; and that coming out of meetings, and other times, they seem glad to speak to each other in love To THE SAME. Bangor Ferry, Fifth Month m, 1812. TMs mormng I wrote a few hnes, informing thee of our safe arrival at Holyhead, after a passage of upwards of tMrty hours. Part of the time was particularly distressing to me. I thought of thee and our dear cMldren, and that I could fly to you ; but on endeavouring to look beyond these feehngs, to Him whom I thought I was obeying by attempting such an undertaking, I found, after a hard struggle, sometMng of the calming influence of His Spirit, tMough wMch the soul can be resigned to suff'er ; so that after this, tMngs were made much easier to me, and I became reconcUed to my situation. We came thus far agreeably, so far as anytMng can be agreeable, in my present state of being an exUe frora thee, my love, and the chUdren ; but I have no consolation to look to, save the inrincible Eock, which no doubt wUl stiU prove a place of refuge, if my poor mind does but flee to it jBTAT. 39.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 123 To THE SAME. Birmingham, Fifth Month 12th, 1812. It feels a httle trying to sit down agam to address thee, without receiring one hne from thy dear hand since we parted; however, I must teU thee a httle more of my journey ; and indeed there is no way I can be employed just now, so deshable to myseK as that of talking to thee, m the only way vritMn reach at present. Oh ! I feel tMs coming over to be just such a sacrffice as it was in anticipation — ^hard to the natural mind ; but herein is my stay — I have to place the whole account to rehgious duty; and however I have been tossed and tried smce our hands separated one from the other, I now assuredly beheve it is no delusion, no fancy, or imagi nary dream ; therefore I trust m the Lord, and stay myseK upon my God and thy God, whose sweet presence I was favoured to know, when in the chamber vrith our dear httle ones, as they lay asleep the mormng I left them. The journey tMough North Wales is not so pleasing to me as tMough South Wales, but the loftiness of the rugged mountams strikes the mmd with sometMng of solemn grandeur : there are also other bold riews to be seen, passing along — cataracts, deep rocky valhes, torrents rushing along the bottom, amazingly rapid; and much that might be dwelt upon by the pen of a traveUer more capable of painting scenery than thy poor S. G. On Ehst day mormng we had our httle sUent meetmg together at Capel Curig : thus we were hteraUy the "two or tMee," and I thought how precious were a few moments of true quiet. To THE SAME. Eatcliffe, Fifth Month lUh, 1812. Thy feehng so calm on going home is, I tMnk, a conih- mation of the rectitude of our umted conclusion, that it was best for me to come, and for thee to stay. It is not anytMng short of Dirine power that could make these hard tMngs tolerable to us ; let us then be encouraged to trust and beheve in Him who is faitMul. I esteem it a great favour that thou canst give me so good an account of thyseK and the precious cMldren. My dear mother is come, and we have had an interriew up-stairs. 124 A SELECTION FROM THE LETTERS [1812. She seems, I tMnk, very mcely ; and thou mayest be sure, rejoiced at our meeting. Her faculties seem very bright and clear. 18th. — ^Yesterday I was at Eatchffe Meeting in the moming, wMch was very smaU, yet not sUent, for four of us women Eriends had something to communicate — Mary Capper and Mary Lewis of the number. I went to dinner at J. Capper's, where I met my dear friend J. G. B. I thought Mm less altered than I expected, and less dim too. He said he was glad to see me, as far as he could be glad in anytMng. He spoke of thee with much affection, and of thy gKt in the mimstry vrith much umty. I want to teU thee of our meeting vrith Henry HuU, first in the meeting-house, then at Mildred Court. He said he never risited any place he could reflect on with greater satisfaction, than his visit to Ireland. He saluted me as though I had been a near relation. TMs dear man has received no account from home since twelfth month. To THE SAME. Fifth Month, 1812. Thy letter comforted my heart, and reaUy humbled me under a sense of the unmerited kindness of our mercKul Care-taker. Yesterday and the day before were rather fatigmng to me. On fifth day mormng I closed my letter to thee, and went to the women's meeting, where I felt much that seemed likely to be coramunicated, but oMy made a few observations in a concise way, now and then. We dined in a large company, at T. C's ; and short as the time was, had a religious sitting, the vocal engagement of wMch feU on me; but what was very much more forraidable, I expected, that on going to raeeting again, I should have to ask hberty to visit the men's meeting; wMch came indeed on rae in a powerful and weighty manner, so that I mentioned it immediately when the meeting had opened by the reading of the Eirst Minute, and M. D. dhectly offered to accompany me. When we sat down in the men's meetmg, I thought the word of the Lord was hke a fire vritMn me ; and when I spoke, it seemed to myseK as K it not only made its way through every obstruction, but that the pouring forth of it caused the earth to tremble. M. D. spoke for a short time, after these effusions had flowed from my fuU heart ; and then I kneeled, and came away mider the feeling of what is said on this wdse, " Serve the Lord with iETAT. 39.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 125 fear, and rejoice vrith trembhng." I was, however, favoured with qmet ; and again, in the women's meeting, had to make a few re marks in the gift bestowed ; but notMng like setting my nund at hberty, fuU liberty. This famUy (where I now write) are very kind ; the father and mother improving characters : indeed many of my old friends are so, wMch is a great satisfaction to my mind ; and here are many, very many mce young people to be seen at tMs assembly. To THE SAME. Eatcliffe, Fifth Month 28th, 1812. I have had many painful cogitations since I left horae, but then I know that I ara here in the obedience of my wiU to the Dirine vriU, or else I am ignorant indeed respecting everytMng good. When the epistle for Ireland was read in meeting yesterday, Martha Brewster spoke very mcely, and addressed us who had made the sacrifice in coming over. I think the conclusion of last night's sitting was favoured vrith a sense of good in a remarkable manner : aU the meetmg-houses were open m the morning. I went to Devonshire House. M. P. was much helped to speak, at wMch I rejoiced, for I love to see the aged crowned with hfe m the ministry. I am very anxious to lose no time, but I must also try not to make any cause of regret to myseK, as I hope this visit to England vriU serve me for many years : we are, to be sure, short-sighted though, after aU. P. S. (Afternoon.) — I kept tMs open tUl after post time, and now, my dear and ever-valued husband, I have received tMne of seventh day last : it is as a cordial to my heart : I was ready to prostrate myseK before the Lord for this renewed raercy to my poor mind. The meeting tMs morning was a time of favour on the whole. Fifth Month 3Uh, 1812. — I fixed to write tMs morning, but have scarcely been able to coUect my thoughts, in syrapathy vrith our dearly beloved Hemy HuU, who has a most affecting account from home. He has lost some of his nearest connexions by a mahgnant fever : the tender tie of husband and wKe is dissolved ; one of his sons is no more ; Ms raother is also gone, and some others not so immediately of Ms famUy. I have not seen Mm since the mournful '_ tidings reached Ms hands, but I understand it is the younger of the 126 A SELECTION FROM THE LETTERS [1812. two sons : it is, however, difficult to learn all the particulars, as the famUy where he lodges have taken Mm into the country. I spent most of the time out of meeting yesterday wdth htm, and tried to comfort hhn about not hearing from home. Alas ! how short-sighted we are ! but probably the mind of tMs dear friend might be in some degree prepared for trouble, as he seemed very anxious about home. The men's meeting is now over : we concluded last mght. We came to WiUiam Allen's to dinner. WUham Grover said that they had a very precious, baptizing time this moming. The singular trial of dear Henry HuU was spoken of, wMch had a moring effect upon the meeting. The unerring vrisdom of that Providence who had inflicted tMs dispensation was aUuded to ; so that W. G. said, under the influence felt, the mind could become reconcUed to almost any thing. The conclusive Minute of the meeting is such as Eriends could formerly write. It speaks of the goodness of the Ahnighty, and ends in giring praise and glory to His Name. Ah ! my love, what an unspeakable, unmerited favour is such condescension ! The women's meeting has been, I think, much owned too; and many hnportant truths declared " in the demonstration of the Spirit, and of power." To THE SAME. Bromley, Sixth Month 1st, 1812. At the last sitting of the meeting of mimsters and elders, dear Henry Hull's case caused many tears of sympathy to flow. His certiflcate was produced, and some alterations and additions made, in consequence of Ms affhcted and singularly trying state. We came down to Eatchffe to lodge, and were at meeting there yesterday mormng, when I was much opened into different states. In the after noon Henry Knight took me to Plashet, to visit dear H. H. : he'was on the bed ; seemed unable to speak to me, but wept and groaned. I sat by Mm a wMle, and tried to comfort bim by putting him in mind how different tMs sorrow was from that of our relations de parting from what is good. He showed me the letters conveying the sad tidings : they were most movingly expressed. EverytMng seeins to have combined to make the affliction the most moving to the sensibihty of the human nund. The dear young man Ms son, had a prospect of marriage with a young woman who loved him entirely. He charged Ms relations to look upon her as a sister. Dear Henry ^TAT. 39.] OP SARAH GRUBB. 127 showed me a letter he had managed to write to Ms eldest son yester day forenoon, wMch I mean to get a copy of to show thee. I staid vrith him instead of going to meeting in the afternoon, which I be lieve was acceptable to Ms poor tried mmd. TMne of last tMrd day is just arrived : what a mercy that thou hast such comfortable inteUigence for thy poor wKe, who so dearly loves thee and our httle ones. Surely it ought to encourage me not to make too much haste home, wMch I can hardly help. Tottenham, Sixth Month Uh, 1812. — A friend who has spent some time, vritMn a few days, wdth Henry HuU, says he is qmet. TMs dear man appears to bear Ms singular trial vrith holy acquiescence, wMle Ms nature feels it as much as can be conceived. Joseph Bevan is gone up to the Meeting for Sufferings. We took a fareweU of each other, and had a sweet httle opportunity preriously. To THE SAME. Gloucester, Sixth Month 2th, 1812. Thy cordial salutation, how sweet and pleasant to thy own wKe, so long separated from thee ; and that thou canst say you are weU, I esteem a great mercy to my too anxious heart, wMch is generaUy in a pant when I am about to break the seal of thy letter. To have such a compamon for IKe, who can feel for me every way, oh how humble and good it ought to make me. I have gone tMough a great deal vrith the many sohcitations of friends to stay a few days longer ; the one haK I can't teU thee, but being, according to Eebecca Bevan's pMase, "very stoical," I was not easUy dissuaded from my purpose ; and did not suffer the warm solicitations of friendsMp to prevent me from making all the good speed in my power to return to thee, and the precious charge mutu aUy ours. When we got to H. K.'s, we had not anything whatever in readi ness for our journey (seventh day mormng, about ten o'clock) but about one o'clock we were prepared vrithout any unpleasant hurry : spent some agreeable hours vrith these dear friends, taking dinner and tea vrith them, and parted under a solemn, sweet covering of Dirine love. Ehst day at Uxbridge was not spent in idleness ; for besides the two meetings, wMch were remarkably favoured, we had four private opportumties ; and separated under a truly desirable. 128 A SELECTION FROM THE LETTERS [1812. heart-tendering feehng. We had a rehgious sitting vrith divers friends at Wycombe, who caUed in after breakfast — ^left Wycombe about nine o'clock, and got in here late. I mean to step into all the Friends' houses here, wMch are but four in number. They want me to let them go to meeting to-morrow instead of next day, but I do not choose to give them any such precedent. Poor dear Henry Huh is to be at Uxbridge to-day. He has re ceived divers letters from home, since the very mournful account more than a week back : the latter inteUigence is of the soothing kind, the disorder having pretty much disappeared. AU the remain ing faraily he left were in usual health, only Ms youngest son had met vrith an accident, the wheel of a waggon haring gone over him, but from this he was recovering. To THE SAME. Milford, Sixth Month Uth, 1812. I have just received thy letter, and as I have a few mo ments before the packet saUs this evening, I wish to say that we are waiting here for a fair vrind ; as it seems nearly contrary, we are at present loth to go. Nancy and I are weU — ^were at Haverford West Meeting tMs morning. We staid theh meeting at Gloucester on fifth day; came on to Newport afterwards, having concluded to come by Neath, which would put us in a way for caUing on friends. We breakfasted at Cardiff, at the house of Thomas Eedwood, who attended Yearly Meeting. He is come from among the Methodists. He, his wKe, and eldest daughter, are in membership with Eriends. We had a religious opportunity with them, and another in the even ing at Peter Price's, where we took tea. With tMs latter risit divers of the family were much affected. The depression of my mind after parting with my mother and sister, has been very great ; perhaps partly owing to my affectionate sympathy with them. They, as weU as many others, seemed to think my stay very hmited, after an absence of flve years : indeed, my dear, what I have gone tMough vrith the earnest entreaties of my friends on this side the water, hath tried me a good deal ; but I always kept &m, and did not, I think, stay one day, or half a day that I could avoid vrith propriety, when I might proceed toward our dweUing, to meet thee, and to return to the duties of our dear fanuly. Wliat to do now about learing this place I cannot tell. jETAT. 40.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 129 but, after all our haste, to be kept here is duU. My dear sister feels it as weU as I, I think, vrith respect to myseK, my baptisms have been many and deep in tMs journey; but then I do not know that ever I was favoured vrith more Gospel authority in the exercise of the mims- terial gift; never was I more sensible that it is the Sphit of Christ wMch speaketh tMough His anomted ; that they are but the -channel wMch conveys the hring water, I had put tMs in my pocket, intending to go tlus evening, but there has come on a storm, and the vrind has changed more against us, so that we must try to have patience. To THE SAME. Milfird Haven, Sixth Month 16th, 1812. WeU, my love, we must endeavour after resignation. Here we are stiU, the wind being quite contrary, and sometimes very Mgh. I wrote a few hnes to thee on Ehst day, and added to them yester day forenoon ; after wMch we concluded to go, but a storm coining on, not only altered our minds, but that of the captain, who is stiU detained here. We are kindly cared for (at Darnel Starbuck's) and do not know that we could have done better in any respect, relatmg to our move ments ; so that, as our being here is notMng of our own, we must endeavour to be qmet. I write tMs, to run the chance of its meet ing thee before I get to thee. I shaU try to look to the Lord, whose name is a strong tower, and hope thou and the rest of our dear relatives, vriU do the same. TMs detention certaihly proves particularly trying, but let us re member that aU tMngs can be known to work together for good. To THE SAME, Waterford, Second Month Uh, I8I3, I have not forgotten my pronuse that yon should receive some inteUigence from me by this post, and may teU thee sister Hannah has been able to get out to-day, and we have taken four famUies. My dear sister has spoken beautKuUy in each of the sit tings. The first risit was to E. Ussher's. I hope it may please the 130 A SELECTION FROM THE LETTERS [1813. Almighty to strengthen our dear H. ; indeed I tMnk there was some abUity to pray for.it to-day. I beheve she is not sorry she made the sacrffice in coming. I am trying to cheer her what I can, and I recollect that it is frequently the case that one gets a deep plunge in the onset of an engagement of this kind. Third Day. — We have sat in four famihes to-day. H. has been more enlarged in her gKt tMs day, than I recoUect to have been witness to liefore. She so evidently raises the life in famihes, that her company is very deshable. To THE SAME. Waterford, First Dmj. H. is evidently separated by the Master for this work, re ceiving the fresh anointing in ahnost every opportunity. She sup phcated in meetmg tMs day. Second Day. — The meeting last evemng was but smaU, I beheve partly owing to the inclemency of the weather : it proved rather a laborious thne, although the people were very quiet, and many Gospel truths were declared. John Wigham followed me in testi mony; there was no offering in supphcation. I wMspered to bim at the close, to give notice for to-morrow evening, which he did Arith great sweetness and propriety. The visit to Friends' famUies here, so far as it is gone tMough, has tended much to the casting off a load, vrith respect to me; for I have been made wilhng to say anytMng wMch was clearly opened, and I tMnk, in " treading as upon Mgh places," have known what it was to " dip the foot in oU," so as that notMng has been crushed or hurt that was truly alive, and even so as not to offend those who may have been opposed to the plainness of the Gospel of truth. Waterford, Second Month lUh, 1813. — We have paid sixty-five visits, but I find we have about tMrty, at least, yet to pay ; which, along vrith the meetings, wUl be hkely to take up this week fuHy, and may be next Fhst day may fimsh or wind up. I found, before meeting yesterday, that my mind was in a way hkely to produce sometMng weighty and powerful ; and indeed the second gathering of the people was much to my relief in the end. The meeting was large and solid : I tMnk it was what Job Scott would have caUed " blessed and glorious." Waterford, Second Month I8th, 1813. — As Hannah intends writ- jETAT. 40.1 OF SARAH GRUBB. 131 ing herseK, I need not say much about her ; but I often thought, since conung here, you would have been surprised K you had heard her in the gKt, it was so beautiful. I often conclude, that when we are at home, and not so sensible to the incomes of hght and hfe, we may be as acceptably filhng up, in our measure, "that wMch is beMnd of the sufferings of CMist," for the body's sake, as when occupied in the way thou and I lately were together. Waterford, Second Month 2Uh, 1813. — I tMnk of thee and our dear httle chUdren a great deal, and very tenderly, but I hope soon to have the conKort of seeing you and enjoying your company, though I fear not on second day, as my mmd dwells a good deal on a pubhc meetmg for the higher classes, wMch would not, I beheve, answer, except in the nuddle of the day. As for to-morrow, I reaUy tMnk it is likely to prove enough for my strength, without seeing those not in profession vrith us, for I feel the awfuMess of going to meeting in the mormng aheady. I want to teU thee a httle about the meetings yesterday ; indeed I think we may say that truth rose into dominion in both : that with heads of famihes was very searching, and yet baptizing. John Wigham said a httle in that opportumty, in unison with what I had been engaged to declare, but no one spoke to the youth beside me : it was an open time, and helped to remove the load from ray poor heart. And now, only for to-morrow and the next day, I should be pretty hght ; but I must have patience, and try to be simple-hearted and faithful, trusting in the Lord alone, who knows that I desire notMng in these engagements, but the advancement of His glorious cause, in me and tMough me. To Clonmel, Twelfth Month 16th, I8I3. Thou mayest be sure, dear friend, that my nund is often led to visit some of you in idea, and to sympatMze in measure vrith you in your sorrow, wMch I doubt not is still very deeply felt, and wUl continue to assaU the heart, at seasons especiaUy, to the awak ening every tender emotion ; but wMle tMs is the case, and that the assistance wMch our late beloved brother* afforded in the affahs of • "William Wright of Cork. K 2 132 A SELECTION PROM THB LETTERS [1 814. Society, is much missed among you, I trust the unmixed and inex haustible Source of wisdom and strength wUl prove His aU-sufficiency again and again. When we consider, that although it pleases Him to make use of instruments, with Him is the power to work with or vrithout these, does it not strengthen us to leave all to Him, and trust in Him, the Lord Jehovah, in whom is everlasting strength ? To Clonmel, First Month l^fh, 1814. I am loth to let my J. G. go to Cork, vrithout saluting thee in this way, K it is only to say how mnch I deshe to be present in spirit, vrith Eriends, at the approacMng solemmty in your city; for although absent in body, I am not vrithout feehng much travail of soul, that the unchangeable truth may be exalted among you. Oh that those who prefer the Lord's blessed cause to theh cMef joy, may get doivn deep in theh sphits, and feel after the pure, meek life of Jesus, that they may move therein, and in it dweU. It is thus that the foUowers of the Lamb have ever become victorious vrith Him ; and mayest thou be encouraged in the remembrance, that to those who thus wait, the fiiU assurance of Dirine aid is granted; as in the language, "Fear not; lo, / command thee; go forth; be humbly bold." These words, by dear Job Scott, have often proved strengthening to me, when I have been hesitating and reasoning, because I was a chUd. I am glad that there is a memorial of our beloved W. W., think ing that such a hfe ought to be recorded, to the magmfying that Power which is all-preserring, aU-sanctifying ; and in the hope that hereby others may be induced to enrol theh names among the disci ples of a crucified Lord. To HER Husband. Clonmel, First Month 16th, 1814. My mind is much vrith thee, and at the Quarterly Meet ing, though no doubt it wUl be smaU ; several have, however, risked much difficulty to get to it, tMough tMs inclement weather; and I trust the Ancient of days vrill be graciously pleased to give His httle ones to become as David, and the house of David as the Angel of His presence, for His great and adorable Name's sake, and for ^TAT. 41.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 133 the encouragement of these in His right way, even the way everlast ing. Thou feels the weight of things, and art weU acquainted with making sacrifices for the sake of that cause wMch is above and over aU worldly considerations ; and I do beheve thy reward is sure ; that the promises of the Most High vridl be sealed in tMne experience, with an everlasting seal. Thou knowest that it is said, "ye have need of patience, that, Imving done the wiU of God, ye may inherit the promises." To THE SAME. Clonmel, First Month 2lst, 1814. If you are detained in Cork till after Fhst day. I trust it wUl turn to the glory of the Great Name ; and oh ! saith my soul, may the end of tMs memorable Quarterly Meeting be eminently crovmed vritli IKe — that IKe that by its purity, its meek ness, its vrisdom and patience, wearies aU its opposers, and even tuaUy triumphs over the combined powers of darkness; showmg itseK to be inrincible. I tMnk it is no loss to thee to be a good deal at thy lodging, and I had such a sample of the cMistian-like hospitahty there, that I beheve thou mayest be easy. To . 1814. Oh ! my dear ^, look with a single eye to the Holy Leader; steadUy foUow Hirn tMough aU: ever wait for the glory that goes before the Lord's redeemed, anointed ones ; but wait not for man, nor tarry for the sons of men ; so shaU the same glory be thy rereward. Thus wUl the hght be about thy path, and about thy bed ; even thy rest being that prepared on high, it shaU assuredly prove itself to be a glorious rest, when thy mind has been bowed down ; yea, when thou hast lain under heavy pressure, and hast reproached thyseK as the cause, I have beheved that even these painful feehngs would have a tendency to deepen thee in the root of the Divine hfe. In our infancy in the mimstry we are sometiraes dealt vrith as by stripes, whUst yet Divine compassion is such, that as a father pitieth Ms chUd, so doth the Lord pity us. He eridences that He knows our frames, and remembers that we are dust ; thus, in the gentle chastiseraents of His dear cMldren, doth He give them increasing capacity to caU Him Eather, and so feel that they love Him. 134 A SELECTION FROM THE LETTERS [I8I4. To HER Husband. Dullin, Fifth Month 3rd, 1814. I wrote a few hnes yesterday ; thou wouldst see that it was not likely for us to saU last evemng, the wind being contrary, and I fear it is very much so stiU. I am very deshous of getting away, on several accounts. After thou wast gone, I felt very solitary to be sure ; I rethed to my chamber, and turned my heart to Him whose vrisdom, I beheve, hath separated us. I was made sensible of some precious ability to supphcate His great Name, that He would be with thee, my beloved partner, conKorting thee by His love, and upholding thee by His power ; yea, and I had renewedly to hope, in His mercies, that we might yet be blessed and consoled in each other. The dear chUdren were also brought into remembrance, vrith sweetness. To THE SAME. Fifth Month Uth, 1814. We are likely to sail this day. I feel much better satisfied to make the attempt to-day than I have done yet. My sweet httle chUdren, as weU as thyseK, are much the companions of my mind ; sleeping 'and waking, my love flows to you. Shiffnal, Fifth Month Uth, 1814. — I have not before addressed thee since I was favoured to arrive on tMs side the water. At Holy head brother Samuel wrote, wMch I thought would inform thee as much as I was then able to do, for I was, as usual, exhausted vrith sea sickness. I consider it among the many mercies of a gracious Providence, that I was enabled to give up to cross the water when I did, for I do not beheve that there was a day since the Yearly Meeting, when we should have had only sixteen hours passage. We have got on very weU; indeed I am much better than I could expect, but am desirous of getting as fast as I can to London. To THE SAME. London, Fifth Month I6th, 1814. I feel far away from thee and my cluldren — ^perhaps the further on account of the length of time it is probable I may be de tained on this side the channel ; but I trust we are both enabled to jETAT. 41.] OP SARAH GRUBB. 135 look to Him who can sweeten every bitter cup, and make hard tilings easy; indeed, when I consider the glory and exceUency of that cause, on which account we are parted, I do not wonder even at the constancy of, the martyrs. My feUow traveUers were very agreeable, and I am now among those who are as attentive as possible, and seem as glad to see me as though I was theh own; but I feel a secret sadness underneath aU, m being separated from you. The meeting I was at tMs evening was, I thought, very extraordinary; and that tlus forenoon held more than four hours, yet it did not appear very tedious : there was sometMng felt, I think, of the overshadovring of the heavenly wing. What a mercy it is that, in a coUective sense, we contmue to expe rience the chculation of the Divine hfe ! I went to see J. G. B. before meeting ; he appears to me to be many years older than when I saw him last. London, Fifth Month I2th, 1814. — I have ventured to kneel once in the Women's Meeting, and, yesterday afternoon, spoke in testi mony to some rehef; but it is a dreadful tMng, speakmg in these great mixed meetings ; for, although we are aU members of the same Society, many and various are our conditions. E. C. is very careful not to take up a great deal of thne, yet she has sweetly and hvingly appeared in two sittings. TMs day I came to Eatchffe Meeting : it was smaU; it was searcMng labour, and yet comforting and en- couragmg to the few honest hearted. My dear mother is vrith me ; she looks wonderfuUy weU and handsome. J. G. B. said I was to give his love very sincerely to thee, and added, " I love Mm above other men in your land." 2ist. — Now I may tell thee that, after I had written to thee, and said that I found it a dreadful tMng to speak in these meetings, I had indeed to venture agam, and that after Friends had sat long and were weary; but I rose vrith saying, that I knew Eriends were fatigued, yet that if it pleased the Lord to cause His power to arise into glorious domimon, we might almost forget the inconvemence of the poor body ; so my Ahnighty Helper made the way for me to proclaim His word with awfulness. 136 A SELECTION PROM THE LBTfERS [1814. To THE SAME. London, Fifth Month 2Uh, 1814. When closing my last to thee on seventh day moming, the twenty-ffist, I had it on my nund to visit men Friends, and so it con tinued tMough Fhst day ; and yesterday I proposed going to the opening of the meeting in the afternoon. A message was accord ingly sent in writing, and a vraitten answer returned — ^that it was not a suitable time. WeU, a second proposal was made tMs moming, . and agreed to : — it was a time of much invitation and warmng, yet were the Lord's servants encouraged by the revival of His promises; in short, I was strengthened to get tMough, to my humble admha tion. It was a sacriflce indeed to give up to go and risit my bretMen in so large an assembly. On Eirst day I was in a fuU meetmg, at Gracechurch-street, iu the mormng, and likevrise at DevonsMre Honse in the evemng : at the latter I do beheve were one thousand seven hundred people. I could not but yield, in both these instances, to ^epowerful infl-uence of Gospel love, and was enlarged ; indeed my tongue hath been, as it were, much loosened to speak of the Lord's goodness, and of His wonderful works, at tMs Yearly Meeting; neither hath my soul been vrithout its baptisms ; for aU I deshe to bless and praise the Holy Name. Now I want to teU thee that A. Jacob, who has been a most attentive and affectionate feUow traveUer up to tMs city, seems con strained to offer herseK to go further ; it is not my seeMng, but it feels very comfortable to me, and therefore I hope it is right. Dear G. S. is here ; he kneeled to-day, in Southwark Meetmg, in very hvely and solemn prayer, wMch brought me likevrise to prostrate myseK, with these words, " Amen and Amen, Lord God Ahnighty, holy and tme, who art worthy of aU honour, glory, dominion and power, for evermore." London, Fifth Month 28th, 1814. — I do not think I ever was at such a Yearly Meeting, for the covering of solemnity, and proceeding in the business with so much hfe and harmony ; the meeting-house was more crowded, too, than ever I remember to have seen it before; there was scarcely a gathering that many were not obhged to stand. I told Friends last evemng that I thought we could now rejoice in those tribulations, wMch had been the means of bringhig some of us to tMs Yearly Meeting ; inasmuch as we felt the heart-contriting iETAT. 41.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 137 influence of the love and power of our Holy Head ; — that K we were ready to say, (as I had penned to my beloved compamon in hfe) that we wondered not at the constancy even of the martyrs, nught we endeavour, when separated, to feel, often to feel, after the same precious sense of good wMch we had partaken of together, &c. E. CoggeshaU had spoken before in testimony, and, immediately after I sat down, she kneeled in a hvely prayer, wMch was the last vocal offering; and the pause wbich ensued after the reading of the Conclusive Minute was very solemn and sweet. Thy quickness of understanding in these things must make up for the deflciency of my pen, for I caimot give a just description of the meeting ; many, however, were in tears. First day, 29th. — I have been to DevonsMre House Meeting tMs mormng ; it was largely attended by Eriends and others, and thy S, G. was largely engaged among them, to advocate the cause of righteousness. Blessed be the Lord, who maketh His strength per fection in our weakness ! G. S. seems to be a brave advocate in the ministry of the doctrines of Christiamty. To London, Sixth Month 2nd, 1 8 14. How often have I recurred to the few minutes we sat together in the car, when I felt as K I was gomg to make a sacriflce of every temporal conKort, and when lut little of the best stay was discoverable to my poor mind : then there was, nevertheless, a httle that I could just lay hold of, which I felt before leaving my pUlow in the mormng; and then thy tender heart, my dear friend, was touched vrith my sorrow, and thou tried to comfort me. Now I can, tMough adorable mercy, aheady acknowledge, that what I have seen of the goodness of the Almighty towards His people, was worth some bodUy suffering, and some deprivations too. TMs Yearly Meeting has been favoured vrith more of the overshadowing of Divine love and ancient power, than was ever before witnessed by me m a coUective sense ; for it was the case from sitting to sitting. And now I must ask thee to salute for me : I feel affection ately deshous of her growth and estabhshment in that wMch is im mutable ; may she be humbly bold to foUow the leadings of Israel's Shepherd, so wUl she never be forsaken of Him, but have to rejoice 138 A SELECTION PROM THB LETTERS [1814. in His mercy, and be glad in His salvation. Can we ever be too much dedicated to the Lord, who hath granted us so much of His grace ; who hath richly endowed us with noble faculties, and designs that we should be ever vrith HimseK ? To HER Husband. Colchester, Sixth Month 1th, 1814. Eirst day at Chelmsford was a laborious day to rae ; what I had to do was trying, yet I felt as though I had discharged myself faithfuUy. We then went immediately to the prison, to risit four of our young men, who were there on some mUitary account. They were aU under the age of twenty, except one about twenty-two. We had a meeting vrith them, but I thought they were not aU ahke ; one of them, however, seemed to me to be a very deshable youth. I hope they may each be deepened by tMs occurrence. Thou vrilt not be surprised to hear that we had a pubhc meeting in the evening ; theh large new meeting-house was greatly crowded, and a very solemn time it proved ; yea, it may be said that the power was in glorious domimon ; blessed be the Lord ! On coming here last evening, dear John Kendal sent for me to his room : he sits np but httle now, but Ms mental faculties are un- impahed : he knew me directly — we parted in love. I had not been , long from the Select Meeting untU he again sent for me, and said, " My dear friend, it is with reluctance I can part with thee; what ' love I feel — I never loved my friends as I do now," &c. The Select Meeting here was, I beheve, as large as our Yearly Meeting of the same description. I had to speak in testiraony and supplication,' rather tending to deshe more fervency of sphit. The Quarterly Meeting is now over ; there was a meeting for worsMp first, of nearly two hours and a half. I sat rather long in sUence, and indeed I thought it requhed deep indweUing to be clear in the Shepherd's voice, wMch at length put forth in rather a searcMng testimony :>1 there was much to wade tMough, but eventuaUy truth was above .; all, and a blessed invitation went forth to the youth. Dear Isaac Stephenson and Ms wife are here; also a woman Friend, who is bhnd, from Norfolk, naraed Sarah Bleckley. She and I visited the Men's Meeting : the Women's Meeting was hkevrise favoured Arith lively counsel. jETAT. 41.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 139 To THE SAME. Coggeshall, Sixth Month 9th, 1814. I may, tMough mercy, say that my health is as good, or better than when we parted, though my head has not been quite weU, these two or three days, ovring, I beheve, to the great exercise of my mind ; for I need not teU thee, that to visit meetings, greater or smaller, requhes deep- digging. When the hfe is, however, found, and rises into dominion at last, it is enough. We were at their Week-day Meeting yesterday at Colchester, and had a great pubhc meetmg in the evemng. They were both extraordinary seasons indeed, for the word of the Lord went forth Arith great power ; but vrith respect to the evemng meeting, I never knew more openness, nor the deep mysteries of the kingdom more clearly unfolded to my riew, than wMle speaking to the people. Oh ! how glad they seemed to hear the real truth declared; and never was my poor sphit brought nearer to the tMone of grace in solemn, fervent prayer, in wMcli it felt as though the many hundreds coUected jomed with one accord. AU glory be given to Him vrithout whom we are notlung; may His own works praise Him more and more, saith my soul ! And oh ! how pleasant it is that my beloved husband is endued with capacity to travaU for the prosperity of the one same blessed and glorious cause ! May the unfaUing Source of help be thy sufficiency. I have, I tMnk, in the opemng of IKe, had some times to teU the people m pubhc, that I have left a tenderly beloved husband and sorae precious chUdren, in obedience to the vriU of my God, which hath affected many minds. We went to take leave of dear John Kendal in Ms bed, and I have sat by Mm different times, much to ray edification and com fort ; indeed he seems in such a very precious state of mind, that to be with him is like having a foretaste of heaven. Anne Jacob saw him tvrice, and was wonderfuUy struck wdth Ms heavenly-roinded- ness. He is now m Ms eighty-mnth year ; Ms faculties quite bright, and Ms heart overflovring, as he himseK said, like an overflowing stream, with love. On my taking leave he said, " FareweU in our gracious Eedeemer." He seemed loth to part, but said it must be, though he did not think we should ever meet again here on earth. llth. — Since writing the foregoing, I have got tMough what seemed to open as rehgious duty in tMs place. Yesterday we sat 140 A SELECTION FROM THE LETTERS [1814. with Friends m the mormng, and, as it respects my exercise, the meeting was a time of deep wading ; and yet, as I said, I thought I heard the panting of the babes in Christ, and I was mercifully favoured to visit the different conditions to my rehef. Eriends are not numerous here. We had a meeting vrith the inhabitants more at large last evemng ; it was gathering aU the thne, wMch tried my feelmgs much, but I do not expect aU smooth. It seemed a good deal like puUing down old buUdings, and, as I think somebody says, "I was sometimes afraid that what little Ufe I felt, would be smothered in the rubbish." To Ipswich, Sixth Month, 1814. I tMnk dear John Woolman says, when he was pecuharly plunged into suffering, " I remembered that I had cafled Thee Father, and I felt that I loved Thee." I have been led to consider that those whom Dirine Goodness designs to digmfy, and enable to speak to others of His ways, must have theh sore exercises, that they may speak that they know, and testify that they have seen, and theh hands have handled of the gooi word of IKe To HER Husband. Ipswich, Sixth Month lUh, 1814. Thou says what a pleasant account E. F. gave of me; thou knowest, my dear, that I consider a cheerful demeanour due to society, as far as it can be maintained; therefore I often have a smile on my countenance in the nudst of sadness ; yet I cannot say but sometimes the weight of sadness is removed ; but oh ! when the afflictions of the Gospel, and the full sense of my absence from you, both press upon my heart at once, I am ahnost incapable of assum ing an air of pleasantness. I sent thee a letter from Coggeshall, since which we have been at Kelvedon ; lodged at Mary Proud's — ^we could not, I tMnk, have more real attention paid us in any place. There is a Eriend of that meeting named Joseph Docwra, who had one cMld, a son of about eighteen years old ; he was at tMs place, and taken Ul, on which account he was removed home, and, after tMee weeks' indisposition. M,T;AT. 41.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 141 it has pleased Dirine Wisdom to remove Mm from Ms mournful parents — he now lies a corpse. Thou wouldst be astonished at see ing a letter I have perused from Ms father : it is written in a dispo sition that erinces so much resignation and true composure. They are very mce Eriends, and this youth was of exemplary hfe. At Kelvedon we had two hvely meetmgs, one vrith Friends in the mormng: at that in the evening, great was the enlargement in Gospel love, even as a Uving stream. To THE SAME. Woodbridge, Sixth Month I6th, I8I4. We arrived at Ipswich about two hours before the sitting of the Select Meetmg, at wMch I was sUent. The sittings of the Quarterly Meeting were trying, yet I ventured to speak in that for worsMp, and close, searcMng labour it was, wherein the faU of Babylon was set forth, and the lamentation of her great men, and the merchant-men, &c. ; yea, and I was enabled to offer up hving prayer to God, yet my spirit remained burdened, but in the evemng I visited the Men's Meeting, &c., and tMough plain deahng, wherein I thought it was " dippmg the foot m oil wMle treading on Mgh places," I became in a great degree reheved; for though we are required to " show the people theh transgressions, and the house of Jacob theh sins," how can we reach the heart except we take along with us tMs holy softemng influence, wMch is hke precious oU? The Women's Meeting was visited by Isaac Stephenson, and I was engaged to foUow his testimony, wMch also tended to unburden my mind. Yesterday I was at theh Week-day Meeting, and again engaged in a warning testhnony and fervent supphcation, the pro duce of much deep wading of spirit. We hkewise appointed a pubhc meeting for six o'clock in the evemng, as I could not believe it right for me to stay from the Week-day Meeting here, eight nules from Ipsvrich. The evemng was unusuaUy close and warm, and the meetmg very large, so that not only I, but hundreds besides, were overdone vrith heat ; but oh ! tMs was as notMng, for the Lord was graciously pleased to overshadow the assembly vrith a wonderful sense of His Divine power, whUe I was as a channel tMough which the glad tidings of the Gospel were conveyed to many souls, and wMch proved to them as hving water to the thhsty. Thus was it a blessed, heavenly meeting, ending in prayer and thanksgiving. 14)2 A SELECTION FROM THE LETTERS [1814. We are here at a simple dweUing, belonging to a nice, plam look ing Friend, named Martha Jesup. The meeting tMs morning was smaU, yet not vrithout laborious exercise. One is appointed for the inhabitants at six o'clock tMs evening. To THE SAME. Norwich, Sixth Month 20i!4 1814. I assure thee that were I to give way to what I sometimes feel, of the sense of my separation from thee and our precious httle ones, I should almost weaken the powers of my mind tMough this means ; but then I remember that good soldiers of Jesus CMist en dure hardness for His cause sake, and so I try to get above these feehngs, and so I would have my very dear husband endeavour to do, and quit thyseK hke a man. I shaU write again and again, as way contmues to open for my procedure in the arduous path in wMch I now renewedly tread. I find it is the same way I took many years ago, wherein it pleases the Lord to try my faith in His power, and to place my dependence on Him alone; and often, very often, doth He fulfil what dear predicted in our parlour, for " His Name is magnified as in former years." WeU, I tMnk my narrative left off at Woodbridge, where we had a public meeting ; the people were coUecting all the time, but truth triumphed at last, and the meeting ended wdth solemn prayer. Next day we went, as proposed, to Lowestoff, caUing at a Friend's house, the only one on the way ; but were excused having any pubhc meet ing, which I esteemed a favour, as I wanted rest of both mind and body. We were now nine mUes from Yarmouth ; word had been sent to Eriends there, that we should be with them seventh day afternoon, and they were requested to find some more commodious place than the meeting-house for a pubhc meeting. When we arrived, we found they had accepted of the theatre, and distributed seven hundred printed notices, so there was notiiing for it but to be quiet ; yet thou mayest be sure the exercise was increased by the kind of place we were to meet in ; and, on the people's rusMng into the theatre in the evening, aU was terrible noise and confusion; however the house was soon flUed, and then they shut the doors, and as many were thought to go away as the house contained. I was certaiMy much stayed on the Lord tMoughout, and when JETA^. 4I.J OF SARAH GRUBB. 143 I began to speak to the people, they were soon quiet, and there was no more confusion or bustle, though many were sadly pressed. The sight of such a large number, so close together, was awful ; but my blessed Master gave me to speak "in the demonstration of the Spirit, and of power," and aU was weU ; glory to His Name ! To . Norwich, Sixth Month 22nd, 1814. Many are my conflicts, and deep the wading of my sphit, as I pass along in these parts, yet I have great reason to be thankful for the assistance wMch is renewed from time to time, so that, in the present solemn engagement, I can say, " when I am weak, then am I strong." We have had many favoured meetings vrith those who do not profess as we do ; indeed the power has been over all in most of these assembhes. With Friends sometimes I am put in mind of that part of " PUgrim's Progress," where he tried, I tMnk, to awake some who had taken up a rest by the way ; but alas ! the efforts used were in vain To HER Husband. London, Sixth Month 21th, 1814. When I closed my last at Norvrich, I had not time to teU thee mucb about the Quarterly Meeting. My exercise in it was great, but the power in expressing my feehngs rose Mgh. I risited the Men's Meeting too, and requested the members of the Select Meeting to meet me at the close of the first sitting of the Quarterly Meeting, when I cleared my nund of a great weight I had felt toward them. We had a meeting with Eriends of Norvrich, and in it I was enabled to invite them to a close attention to the principle by wMch that meeting, wMch had not been the most consistent, might witness the language verified, " The last shaU be first." The pubhc meeting was rather more laborious than perhaps would have been the case, K the notice had been more freely chculated, for the people were very long in coming. We arrived at Bury next evening, and found Martha Brewster very poorly ; she has, however, a certificate for Scotland : she is a true CMistian, I tMnk. We had a meeting next day for the people at large, and stopped Friends at the close, wMch seemed to answer .144 A SELECTION FROM THE LETTERS [1814. very weU, only I knew there had not been enough notice given, which is no uncommon tMng as we pass along. After being at Maldon yesterday morning, we came on here, and I attended Select Meeting tMs forenoon. To THE SAME. London, Sixth Month 29th, 1 814, Ah ! I have indeed ofi«n thought it was weU for sister Hannah to be centred in her eternal habitation of repose, yea, I trust more than repose ; for surely her conflicts are succeeded by everlast ing glory. Hers was no common mind : perhaps there does not a day pass vrithout my haring tMs, my beloved friend and sister, much in my remembrance. May I not say she is the compamon of my mmd, and hath been so, ever since her purifled sphit took its flight. Last night I went to see my long knovm and beloved friend, J. G. Bevan. He appears to be rapidly decUning ; Ms legs sweU, and his debihty is great, but Ms mind appears to be in a very desh able state, and his temper so pleasant, that Ms company is quite dehghtful, although I am sure he is a great sufferer. And now I may just teU thee, that the large Quarterly Meeting yesterday was, in the first sittmg, extraordinary to me. Eor a whfle I sat as much a blank vrith respect to any Divine opening, as it was possible to be, but, suddenly and powerfuUy, I was sensible of the sacred impulse to speak, beginning wdth, "There is a river, the streams whereof make glad the whole city of God," and was led on to describe the purity and clearness of tMs river (as in the Eevela- tions) and those who were of the city of God; also, in a searcMng testimony to the eartMy-minded and negligent, and to show how the Almighty would work vrith respect to the state that is caUed, as it were, Ji/rst, to show forth His praise ; that these, in continuing to rebel and refuse, wUl be rejected, and the stones of the street raised up ; for that the Lord wiU exalt His truth in the earth, and be glorified, &c. The risited cluldren that were disposed to yield thereunto were addressed. To THE SAME. London, Seventh Month 6th, 1814. Last sixth day I closed a long letter to thee, since wMch time we just took a ride of tMrty miles to attend the Quarterly iETAT. 41.J OP SARAH GRUBB. 145 Meeting at Guildford, and returned tMs day, so that I only now received thy sweet and valuable hnes. Oh ! how thy account of the Preparative Meeting warmed my heart. I do hope that our young people, favoured vrith so many mercKul caUs, may be induced to yield to that power wMch offers to form and sanctKy thera for the most glorious purposes. My heart yearns toward many of tMs class m our land. On Eirst day I was at two meetings at Gracechurch Street ; that in the morning was very much crowded. Such a meet ing as tMs was, I think occurs but seldom : I had no painful reflec tions on my own account respecting it. I told them I was thankful I had not been among them in exceUency of speech, but in the plainness of the Gospel. The meeting in the evemng was for other people, and proved reheving in the end : blessed be the Lord, truth had the glorious ascendancy and reigned triumphant. After meeting, a foreigner asked many questions about me, &c. Being acquainted vrith the motive that induced us to separate, he seemed very earnest indeed to know more about Eriends, and asked, "What books do you study to enable you to preach?" and upon being informed that we preached not from study, but depended on that wMch can give the immediate capacity or abUity, he wanted to know where he could obtam any of our writings, whereby he might learn more of us ; so he was dhected to a Friend's house for some, and I have not heard of him since. Dear John Hull is thought to be mending. I saw him on Eirst day : he was very tender in Ms sphit, which, thou knows, is nothing new vrith Mm. Great is my portion of suffering in tMs city, where the Divine economy is so grievously broken in upon, that the works of the risible creation are abused, and great is the bondage and oppression under wMch both man and beast groan. TMs is the place where many enrich themselves at the expense of much health, and what is worse, of vhtue too, and are absorbed in the tMngs that perish. Here hkevrise, how hardly do many eam a poor pittance for themselves and theh wretched offspring. Hundreds of these seem regardless of aU else but trymg to get a bit of bread anyhow (not hke our poor Msh, who wUl gain a httle knowledge of the world they hve in, because they wiU stop to enquire). But what do I say ? Is not a great, great deal doing to enhghten the poor, and better their condition ? and are not very many engaged in advo cating even the cause of theh bretMen in distant nations ? Ought L 146 A SELECTION FROM THE LETTERS [1814. not aU tMs, together with other considerations of the pleasing kmd, make glad ? yet I cannot be glad in London, but am ready to say, Oh ! the mischief of vast and populous cities ; for stUl depravity, and its consequent misery, stalk before me daily. To London, Seventh Month 8th, 1 814, When I first went to Ireland, it was under very unfavourable circumstances as to much outward consolation, but it pleased the Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to grant me patience, and, in the end, to bless me with spiritual and temporal blessings ; so that I could long since say, " My soul doth magnKy the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour ; for He hath regarded the low estate of His handmaiden ;" and indeed I feel myseK unworthy of aU His mercies and of His truth. To HER Husband. London, Seventh Month 12th, 1814. I have taken leave of my dearly beloved friend, J. G. Bevan ; it was a solemn and affecting parting. Yesterday mormng was the time when we imaUy said fareweU. He wept and /wept. I had previously spoken to Mm in the line of mimstry, when he seemed greatly tendered indeed. I told Mm that thou vrished, K it was suitable, I should give thy love to Mm, to wMch he repUed, " Oh always suitable, and always acceptable." Ah ! my dear, he is ahnost gone, I tMnk. His mind is in a most deshable state, I thought my feelings respecting him delighlful. On Ehst day I was at DevonsMre House both mormng and even ing. Many of us wUl, I beheve, long remember the meeting irith Friends in the morning; for the word was declared vrith great power, as much so as I ever recoUect, I tMnk, and divers were much broken. In the evening there were not less, I fully beheve, than eighteen hundred people, and many went away for want of room. Uxlridge. — Many have been my conflicts in that vast and populous city (London) ; now I have left it, and my poor mind and body want rest. I heard on second day that Thomas Scattergood was no more. He was only four days Ul : Ms disorder was a fever. He was mostly sensible. JETAT. 4I.j OF SARAH GRUBB. 147 To J. G. Bevan. Uxlridge, Seventh Month lUh, 1814. My dearly beloved Friend J. G. B., When we parted, I did not expect so soon to address thee, but on saying sometMng to dear John HuU of thy havmg written to Mm, he appeared surprised, for he has not received thy letter ; and as Ms disappointment is great, he requests me to teU thee so, and likevrise to say that he thinks of thee much ; that tMs day, as he lay tMnking of thee, and remembered the humility of thy heart, he recoUected vrith sweetness the passage of Scripture, " Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart." This dear friend has been very Ul for two days past, but is better tMs evemng. He seems to be in a very deshable state of mind, and told me that he was not sorry for tMs trying dispensation, behering it to be in mercy. And now, my endeared fiiend, suffer me just to say, that I believe I shall long remember our last interriew; for although the very tender emotions of my heart found theh way in some sort of expres sion, I have scarcely ceased, I tMnk, to have thee before my riew, vrith some blessed assurance, as I apprehend, that the Lord thy God is wdth thee, and vriU be vrith thee, so that aU thy painful feelings wUl be, in His time, turned into everlasting joy and consolation. Why then, should I yield, as I do, to that tender sorrow wMch some felt in taking theh leave of another apostle of Jesus, so that it drew from hhn a language hke tMs, "What mean ye to weep and to break my heart?" but thou wUt, thou must forgive me, my long preciously beloved friend, and bear vrith my weakness. I long much to hear of thee ; I might have a few hnes at High Wycombe, addressed to Thomas Edmonds. My dear Eebecca wUl surely spare a few minutes, when her attention is not reqmsite for thee, just to reheve my anxiety. I have been very much indisposed smce learing London, owing, I beheve, more to mental than bodUy exertion, although I had much of both. We attended MontMy Meethig here on fourth day; were at Amersham Meeting yesterday, and are gomg to a pubhc gathering here tMs evening. The time approaches, and the tMng is awful. I must take my leave, being, in more affection than I can convey through tMs medium, tMne, S. Grubb. L 2 148 A SELECTION FROM THE LETTERS [1814. To . 1814. Thou asks, am I acquainted vrith feehngs of fear, &c., on waking, with respect to a subject that was agreeably concluded on over mght ? I can teU thee that I am not wholly ignorant hereof but then I do not mind these mormng clouds, for K I did, and make very minute observations, as of the wind, I fear I should neither sow nor reap ; so I would not have thee take too much notice of these feelings, only, when a thing is comfortably concluded on, leave it so ; this wiR save thee a deal of unprofltable thought. To HER Husband. High Wycombe, Seventh Month 16th, 1814, We arrived here last evemng, having taken a solemn leave of dear John HuU. Oh ! my dear, it is very affecting to see Mm so disabled, for thou mayest remember that he was very active, and to be among Eriends and others there, and feel tbe loss Ms Ulness is to community, is reaUy cause of sorrow ; but he is in a sweet, resigned ^ate of mind, and Ms beloved compamon in hfe much supported. And now let me say, as is often the case, I reaUy feel myseK a poor creature, and sometimes am ready to sink into discouragement, in these awful engagements of holding meetings, &c. ; but knovring that notMng can be gained hereby, I rather try to commit myseK into the Dirine Hand, and hope in the Lord Jehovah, that He vriU keep me from being greatly moved, and renew my strength of mind, yea, and of body too. Thy recurring to the language uttered in supplication on my account, is particularly seasonable. May it please the Most High to hear thy prayer, and grant me preservation, even for His own blessed cause' sake. To THE SAME. Buckingham, Seventh Month 21st, 1814. Thinking of Burford is a great lesson to me, for had I not been in too great a hurry, when there two years ago, my mind had now been more at ease respecting it. Since writing the foregoing, we have been at meeting here. Oh ! what an awakening opportumty it was. The meeting was appointed JETAT. 41.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 149 for Friends only, and they are but few in number, but I was engaged to speak tvrice on my feet, and then in solemn, fervent prayer. A nice httle man sat next me, a mimster ; he and Ms vrife have but £20 per annum to live upon, I understand. My last to thee was closed a short time before the pubhc meetmg at Wycombe : the meeting-house was fuU ; many went away for want of room : it was very warra indeed, but I did not mmd the inconvemence of the poor frame. Many, I beheve, were thankful in being there. On second day we partly rested, but two or tMee private opportunities occurred ; for wMch, however, K I had not beheved that trath requhed it, and opened the way, I should have thought myseK very unfit. We went to meetmg at Tring yesterday, six mUes on the way here ; where, though I felt very poorly, I was engaged both in tes timony and supphcation in an encouragmg stram, but I did not know that things were as Mgh as sometiraes ; yet, when I hfted up my eyes, oh ! the tears of tendemess that were strevring aU about me ; and when we carae out of meeting, almost aU the young people were wonderfully broken ; some of them took my hand, and could hardly speak for weeping. It was truly dehghtful and consohng, to see that the power of the Lord had reached them, and that they were so near the truth. I need not teU my endeared compamon in hfe, that notMng belongs to the creature of glory or praise, but to the Lord alone. I feel trembhng of heart now, in looking toward the meeting tMs evening, because it is a great and awful thing to caU the people together, and to attempt to speak in the name of the King immortal ; besides I am but weakly, yet I know that K the Lord reqmre this of me. He can strengthen mind and body — to Him I deshe to look. To THE SAME. Worcester, Seventh Month 26th, 1814. The pubhc meeting at Buckingham was not so large as was expected, yet there was a good degree of hfe attending, for wMch my poor mind felt thankful. I beheve many were hnpressed vrith the truths of the Gospel. Fhst day was spent at Birmingham vrith our Society, the two meetings being both such as interested my feehngs much. I was largely engaged in the mimstry among them, and after supper we had a precious season in the famUy where we- lodged. After feeling what I did in that opportumty, I found. 150 A SELECTION FROM THE LETTERS [1814. myseK quite at hberty to leave Birmingham, so we moved toward Worcester on second day. After we had got near Brorasgrove, the men Eriends proposed that they should be at the trouble of di-iving,, by dividing us ; the change had not been made many minutes, tfll the horse wMch I was beMnd stumbled and feU, jerking us out. None of us were, however, materiaUy hurt, that we know of ; I am bruised much more than the others, and feel more shaken vrith the faU, but am able to get on without much difficulty. Anne, dear creature, behaved vrith great fortitude and affection ou the occasion. Tt was a very awful tMng to happen, and I consider it a great mercy that none of us were kUled on the spot, or more hurt than we are. On our getting to Worcester I went to bed, but got up in the even ing, and appointed a meeting for yesterday at ten o'clock ; it was attended by Eriends and some others, and was a solemn, heart- tendering season. To THE SAME. Gloucester, Seventh Month 29th, 1814. We had the meeting at Tewkesbury as proposed ; a few attended who were not Eriends, and it was favoured, in some precious degree, vrith hfe, especiaUy in solemn supphcation. After supper several friends came in, and a religious opportumty occurred ; divers young people being there, for whom I felt rauch Gospel sohcitude. I seem clear of tMs place, for the present, however ; haring been- enabled to use plainness vrith Eriends yesterday morning, and had a pretty fuU and hvmg meeting in the evening vrith others, although it thundered and hghtened at times, during the whole of the time we were assembled. Probably tMs may be nearly or quite the last thne I address thee,, tUl seeing thee once more. To A Niece who had the care of her children in her absence PROM HOME. Swansea, Eighth Month 2nd, 1814. It is matter of great consolation to my mind that you are preserved in usual health, and causes my poor heart to flow vrith gratitude to Him who graciously takes cognizance of us, and that continually. Ah ! my dear. He knows what it hath cost me to leave all, and to continue thus long absent ; but, blessed be His Name ! MTAT. 41,] OF SARAH GRUBB. 151 He stUl grants the resigned state to me ; even now, that I am so near you, I beheve my hne is to turn my back upon MUford, when favoured to meet thy uncle there, and move toward Bristol, taking some meetings by the way. My love is to my precious chUdren ; I hope they are vriUing to resign theh dear father to come over the great deep, to be engaged in the serrice of theh Heavenly Eather, and to help theh poor mother, who likevrise deshes to be given up to serve the Lord. To THE SAME. Gislorough, Ninth Month Uth, I8I4. I often feel deshous that thou thyseK mayest be com forted, both temporaUy and sphitually, wMch I trust wUl be the case, as thou endeavours to hve up to what thou knowest of the Dirine wUl, and art earnestly desirous of growing in that which is unchangeably good. I wrote to sister Nancy the other day ; my health had then been poorly for many weeks, so that I got along vrith more difficulty than any can imagine, but those who know how to sympatMze vrith the low and afflicted. Now, tMough Dirine mercy, I am considerably reheved. Oh ! what a blessing is health I I am a poor, tribulated, absent sister, separated from my dear cMldren and family, in, what at least I believe to be, the bonds of the Gospel. To A, E, AND A, Grubb. Prolally 1814. My dear Sisters, It is depressing to my feehngs that we should be so sepa rated. The occasion of our being deprived of each other's society renders it additionally trying. The dispositions of Divine Providence are, however, unerring; let us try to acquiesce in His deahngs vrith us. He takes judicial notice of us at all times, and vriU not faU to reward our humble resignation a hundred fold. When brought low, may we wait in faith for brighter days ; so vriU the Sun of righteousness arise, in His own due time, and dissipate aU the clouds of dismay; yea. He vriU eome " vrith healing in His vrings." Your affectionate sister, S. Grubb. 152 A selection from the letters [1815. To HER Husband. Cork, First Month, 1815. We have got on remarkably weU, and accomplished the joumey by tMee o'clock. T. and M. W. appear glad to see us. I have not been in good spirits to-day, but I studied my httle Erench book a good deal of the way, and ahnost had the conceit to antici pate the reading of Fenelon and Guion some day in theh own tongue. These pious indiAdduals had surely learnt to possess theh souls in patience, wMch I greatly fear I am deflcient in ; bnt K I fast from sphitual as weU as teraporal dehght, let me fast in secret; I wUl try, as it were, to " anoint my head and wash my face." So, my dear, if thou hears that I am very cheerful, remember tMs reso lution. First Month lUh, 1815. — ^M. H. is here : she supphcated at the close of the meeting yesterday, that it would please the Almighty to be vrith us during tMs Quarterly Meeting ; and, vrith respect to tMs mormng, it has seemed to be the case, for there was considerable hfe felt in the offerings that were made. I had thought that may be I might be sUent in the assembly ; and that, K I knew anytMng of what was good, tMngs were going on very weU, for wMch my mind felt grateful ; but I soon after began to fear, that K I held my peace, some confusion would cover me, for interrupting the current of hfe, in the stream of mimstry, wMch I thought I saw flovring sweetly, proceeding from the Source of aU good ; so I ventured on my feet. To THE SAME. Cork, First Month llth, 1815. I got tMough my httle say, respecting my late journey, to the satisfaction of my mind ; it was comprised in a very few words. M. H. went vrith me into the Men's Meeting, where I was enabled to aUude to thy joimng me on the other side the Channel, and it seemed with clearness. The Select Meeting was a remarkable time. The state of Youghal Select Meeting came first ; then a concern spread about Eriends in the numstry, that they should avoid sounds, tones, &c., and several spoke. At length cousin Margaret Grubb expressed sometMng, so exactly answering to what thou vrrote about the ministry (mixed .a)TAT. 43.] OF SARAH GEUBB. 153 Arith caution) and even mentioned those words, " The time of the smging of bhds is come," that my poor heart beat violently, and the impressions were such as to induce me to teU Friends of thy exer cise, and to ask leave to read part of thy letter, which was readUy joined in vrith, and seemed to bring vrith it great solemnity. I came m here dhectly on our breaking up, and wrote tMs, my hand and heart stUl trembling with what I have felt tMs day. To Dullin, Third Month 6th, 1815. I tMnk I can hardly do less than acknowledge to the kindness and mercy of the Great Shepherd, who caused me intehi gibly to hear His voice to come to tMs city ; for He is makmg good His promise to be near to help. My health is better than I had any reason to expect, and above aU, He is affordmg His hght, the aid of His Holy Spirit from one visit to another : sometimes His blessed power rises into glorious domimon, to the melting and tendering such as have been too neghgent in time past. I often think of the encouragement handed me by some of my friends before I left home, and find they were right in theh behef that the Lord would be with us, although we have indeed to be bap tized, and rebaptized for ourselves and the visited. Think not, my dear , in what I say, that I rejoice as one that putteth off the harness ; no, I find it stUl fast about me ; but I extol and adore the wisdom and power of Truth in its leadings; desirmg to be fuUy subject thereunto — surely notMng else can keep us in the way m wMch we should go. Oh ! how awful a tMng it is to move in the manner wMch we profess to be. caUed to. To Dublin, Second Month 21th, 1816. My dear mother's hope is simUar to our own, that we may get weU through here, and return to you in peace ; but there seems a great deal to be done and suffered, previously to our meetmg you again. We are stUl prosecuting the visit, and vrith humble grati tude I may say, we are helped vrith a httle help. Oh ! it is an awKiil tMng to visit famihes : no one knows what 1 pass tMough, nor how 154 A SELECTION FROM THE LETTERS [1816. languid I feel; yet, at seasons, I trust I shaU be brought to ael^now- ledge, with respect to tMs engagement, " It is the Lord's doing, and marveUous in mine eyes." To . Dullin, Third Month llth, 1816. Yesterday was pretty fidly occupied, for we had a pubhc meetmg at Meath Street, besides the two meetings in course at Sycamore AUey, and we visited an indiridual at the rise of the first. I was mercifully helped to get tMough, vrithout more fatigue than when less engaged. These rehgious opportunities were all attended vrith Dirine hfe and power. The meeting at Meath Street was very large, and many cMldren getting in, they became very noisy after I sat down, and the meetmg was near a close, upon wMch I rose, and remonstrated vrith them; they hstened quietly, wMle I told them how the Almighty destroyed some vricked cluldren formerly, who mocked at what was good, &c. I then fonnd my way open to supphcate the Great Name, all which time a good degree of sUence was observed, but they began again to laugh, &c., wMch renewedly brought me on my feet to speak to them for their conduct, and the meetmg became solemn on separating. On the whole, we have great cause to be thankful. They went away in an orderly maimer. It was a very large meeting, and in a part of tMs great place where the people are least civilized. To Abigail Grubb. Dullin, Third Month 16th, 1816. My dear Sister, Often, since coming here, I have thought of writing to thee, but was discouraged, lest I should not be able to do it in such a way as to interest thy feelmgs ; and I have very often told thee and our other dear sisters, that you are in my affectionate remem brance ; indeed I tMnk much of you, amidst my own struggles to get tMough the mass of rehgious concern wMch was before me on leaving home. Thou, my dear sister, art, I trust, fiUing np thy day's work another way ; and K tMs be the case, I believe eventuaUy it vriU matter httle by what means we are brought to receive the sen tence of, "WeU done, good and faitMul servant; thou hast been faitMul over a few things, I vriU make thee ruler over many tMngs : iETAT. 43.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 165 enter thou into the joy of thy Lord." Many, I beheve, are thy secret cogitations, and perhaps thy fears at times, respecting thy own spiritual state ; but my mind is often comforted in looking toward thee, hoping that thou hast obtained a precious degree of hfe, even as tMough death ; though tMs hfe may be " Md " (from thy riew at times it is) "vrith Christ in God;" so that my dear sister, thou hast reason to say, " Though I walk tMough the vaUey of the shadow of death, I wdU fear no eril, for Thou art vrith me ; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me." Surely He whose name is Almighty, wUl be thme aU-sufficiency, as thou looks to Hhn; for "the needy shall not always be forgotten, nor the expectation of the poor perish for ever." We are by degrees hghtening the load, or breaking tMough the mass I mentioned vrith respect to tMs place. It may seem rather a large expression, but realty, my dear sister, it felt no less to me, nor did I ever more clearly see the impossibihty of accomphshing what was before me, but as the Divine Arm was extended marveUously for mine help. I have often been much discouraged, from my feelings of body, but when I have in every sense found I was weak, then was I strong ; for the Lord hath made His strength perfect in weakness. Oh ! blessed and praised be His ever adorable Name ! It matters not how we are reduced if He is exalted, and His truth reigns over all, m us and tMough us. I sometimes hope it may ultimately be so here, as mdeed it often is m famUies ; but, though some hring testimomes have been bome m meetings, and some solemn supphca tion vocaUy offered up to the Eather of mercies, it stUl seems to me that we have only been, as it were, gomg round the walls yet ; that the time has not yet arrived to proclaim, "The sword of the Lord and of Gideon." Whether we may be thus permitted to rejoice, in everytMng yieldmg to the Divme word or not, I deshe to leave ; the vriU of the Lord be done. We held another very large meeting at Meath Street, last fourth day evemng, wMch was very solemn, and the traths of the Gospel were largely opened : there being thhsty souls present, it seemed to me that they heard the word vrith joy. It does not feel as though tbat meetmg had closed these pubhc and awful engagements. It appears that we have paid one hundred and forty visits in famUies,. and yet there remain above forty. I was tMnking that may be to-- morrow week would clear us out. Thy sympathizing and affectionate sister, S. Grubb.^ 156 A selection FROM THE LETTERS [I8I6. To A NiECB. DulUn, Fourth Month 29th, 1816. Please give my dear love to brother and sister Daris ; I know they vriU tMnk of us who are assembled here, and some of us poor things especiaUy. My dear brother's tender sympathy has proved a cordial to my nund, when almost ready to conclude myseK fainting — ^teU Mm so, and he vriU understand it. Oh! K we are members of the one mystical body, we shaU feel vrith and for each other, in seasons of sore trial. To Belfast, Ninth Month 16th, 1816. Yesterday we had as large a public meetmg as I ever re member to have seen, except once ; and it was, I tlunk, a time of renewed help, even wonderfuUy so : among more than a thousand persons there was not the least noise, and a very remarkable solem nity m sUence before we separated. I was almost surprised to find a continued weight on my sphit after aU, but the issue is that another raeeting is appointed to be held tMs evenmg, at the Acade mical Institution, qmte at the opposite end of tMs large and populous town. It is a very fine, strong buUding, and every way calculated for the purpose. I have now again to look deeply to the inexhaustible Source of help and strength. It is a marveUous thmg in my eyes, that any one so insigmficant, yea, I often tMnk, even despicable, should apprehend herseK called to these awful engagements ; but God " chooseth the weak thmgs of tMs world to confound the vrise, and the foohsh tMngs of the world to bring to nought the understanding of the prudent," and it is not for me, a worm, to say, " What doest Tbou?" but be tMs as it may, my dear , I tMnk no one ever felt more humiliation and awful fear than I do. The baptisms of my spirit are, at times, such as may be termed agony. Oh ! may Divine mercy and goodness strengthen to endure hardness, as one who would vrilhngly be a good soldier of Jesus Christ. Ninth Month llth. — ^The meetmg yesterday evening was very much crowded, and proved another season of Dirine favour. I was comforted in hearing the voice of my dear compamon, and to find that Ms testimony had the effect of gathering the assembly into JETAT. 43.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 157 solenon silence. I thought, in the meeting, and afterwards, that the pure, simple doctrines of the Gospel were gladly received, even as itis said, "Doctrine shall drop hke rain, and speech distU as the dew;" and reaUy I was ready to conclude it was worth aU I suffered, to be sensible that thus the Almighty is graciously pleased to make way for His truth in the souls of men ; but I soon get down agam, as was the case tMs mormng before I rose from my pUlow ; yet I do endeavour to be stUl, and wait as a servant, disposed to receive fresh commands. We have now taken solenon leave of tMs fanuly. There are two chUdren, a son and daughter, nearly grown up : they were affected to many tears in the opportumty. We had also the company of a very sohd man, an officer, whom A. W. brought to breakfast : most of us shed tears of contrition, in wMch he joined, and took a most tender leave of us. He appeared to feel my J.'s supphcation, for he asked that aU present might be enabled to bear the cross, and strengthened to pursue the hne of holy dhection ; aUuding to the text wMch speaks of being strengthened out of Zion, To Dullin, Ninth Month 30th, 1816. TMne wMch conveyed to me the movmg particulars of dear 's last hours, met me here on fifth day evemng, I had previously received the affecting tidings of her removal, by a letter from home : it overtook me at Drogheda, a large town twenty-four mUes north of tMs city ; we were just then preparing for a meetmg vrith the people, and had procured a place that would hold two thousand persons ; tMnk then, my dear, what my feehngs must be, when under such an exercise, to receive the mteUigence that was no more. I staid pretty much m my room at the inn until meetmg time came ; the house was about half fiUed, and I was mer cifuUy assisted to get tMough that great exercise, to my humble admhation. We were, to be sure, comforted in reflectmg that thy dear had given those around her reason to beheve she was going to be released from aU trouble, but thou knowest my tender feehngs would be greatly touched. I obtained rehef in tears, for though I also beheved she was gone well, how could I but feel sor rowful emotions? WeU, my dear, she is gone; and I deshe to 158 A SELECTION FROM THE LETTERS [1817. prostrate myseK, in grateful acknowledgment, to that Proridence who hath, I trust, in wisdom and mercy, taken her to everlasting rest. Oh ! what should I do but for tMs consolatory hope ? To Momtmelick, Third Month 26th, 1817. It has pleased the Most High to give us great hberty of spirit in a very solenm meeting. Oh! how the stream of Gospd mimstry flowed in its purity and in its plainness, and how did it pass aU obstruction, and break tMough, until it became, in the blessed power, as a river that could not be passed over. The meeting ended in solemn, fervent prayer ; and in thanksgivmg and praises to Him to whom alone belongs aU the glory. My dear compamon was considerably enlarged, and endued vrith living authority, to the rejoicing of my spirit ; bnt, my dear , we were not to dwell here ; we were filled to be emptied, and empty we are tUl agam fiUed. May we wait on the unmixed and inex haustible Fountain. To . Moate, Fourth Month Uh, 1817. I cannot teU thee how constantiy I am thinking of thee, nor how much we converse about thee, amidst our great exercise of mind in tMs joumey. Now it always seems to me that thou wouldst find most rehef, in endeavouring to look from thyseK, and thy deeply depressing feehngs, to Hhn who " carried our sorrows and bore our griefs." Do try to commit thyseK enthely to Him, thy "blessed Saviour, who is ever ready to receive us, as we seek resignation, and to grant us tMs great gift. Oh ! I have often experienced, that when I sought vrilhngness to suffer as long and as much as the Lord pleased, my distress was mitigated, and those painful feehngs, wMch proceed from sorae derangement of the system or frame, were more easUy borne, because He can make hard things easy, and, vrith the balm of His Dirine love, sweeten the bitterest cup; therefore "we glory in tribulation also," &c, I know, my dear, thou hadst better not aUow thy mind to dweU so much on the way in wMch thou art affected. I forget who says, "Art thou in trouble [or darkness] heed it not (or to this effect) ; for if thou dost, it wiU but increase .^TAT. 45.J OP SARAH GRUBB, 159 upon thee;" and then recommends looking up to Hhn who is above aU : now I can write thus to thee from a degree of sympathy, for I know what it is to be tried in the very same way ; and to look from one's seK to the Lord, who can gather us up to Him, out of, and away from aU darkness and sorrow, is that in wMch we receive capacity nobly to endure, and say amen to all His dispensations. So, my dear, fareweU in Hhn, who is, I beheve, permitting thee to be sorely tried, that He may brmg thee to a fitness to walk vrith HimseK in wMte raiment. I am thy truly affectionate Sarah Grubb. To aonmel, Sixth Month 19th, 1817. However we may be drawn by our natural feelings, to account for sorrow from causes that are secondary, it is surely much our hiterest to look beyond aU these, to Him who can give us to be of the number to whom aU tMngs work for good. Does dear feel after the dew wMch can cause a grovriih and increased fruitful ness, to the praise of Him who hath caUed her vrith a Mgh and holy caUing ? There is no one tMng relative to the rehgious state of our Society in tMs land, more discouraging to me than the want of ten demess and trae humihty so seldom seen amongst our youth. Much of this precious sense of the Divine influence is not, I think, to be met vrith m very many places where it has been my lot to visit vritMn the last year and a haK; but K an mdividual here and there, mercifuUy and pecuharly met vrith, would fuUy submit to the power, I beheve these would have many foUowers. To Blenheim, -near Waterford, Third Month, 1818. WeU, he is gone ! (Dr. Atkms) a truly valuable member of the commumty ; happy, however, for bim to be taken from the evdl to come, to be admitted into the realms of etemal hght and hfe, vrith the redeemed of aU generations. How can we, vrith these subhme riews of Ms change, continue to moum and lament Ms loss ? ShaU we not rather give thanks ? and oh ! shaU we not earnestly desire 160 A SELECTION FROM THE LETTERS [1818. that we likevrise may so run as to obtain ; looking steadfastly to the same power, even the Lord Jesus, the Author and Eimsher of our faith. To Cork, Third Month 16th, 1818. It would be unnecessary for me to attempt a full detaU of my distress in the way to tMs city, and, should I even make the attempt, description would faU me ; suffice it to say, that wMlst my beloved corapamon umted vrith me in awful sUence, at the httle inn on tMs side Eathcormack, I thought I distinctly heard the Dirine voice, saying, " Thou hast resigned thy all to me, I vrill care for those who are left." I need hardly add that tMs was enough; the way to proceed on our journey was clearly opened, and I did not dare any longer to look back : were it not for the solemn remem brance that tMs voice wMch I aUude to, is a " stUl smaU voice," I had not passed on from EehiU, nor even have proceeded as far as that place; but the Lord is "not in the earthquake," nor "in the whirl - vrind," nor "in the fhe." WeU, my dear friend, it is not for us,, poor, short-sighted beings, to query why we are thus conflicted, but to seek after patience, and repah to that Name wMch is " a strong tower." Yesterday was, I tMnk, a day of some good tidings to Eriends here, for we had to beheve that it is the good vriU of the Most High to bring about a blessed revival in tMs meeting. We took a solemn leave in the afternoon, putting Eriends in mind that tMs is more than " the thhd time " that we have come to them, and have not spared ; the meeting closed after fervent prayer, and com mitting aU to the Lord. My poor frame was and is sensible of much debihty, bnt I vriU not talk much of that now. It looks as if Youghal lay in our way to a quiet return home, so that, although it is trying to tMnk of going there, especiaUy after our summer risit in that place, yet it is no doubt better to check the disposition to reason against the simple openings of truth, lest we should darken Dirine counsel. Now, whUe I seem to write as one who had confidence, it is under a sense of as great weakness as was ever my experience; neither did my poor mind ever dweU more on my own notMngness and insignificance every way, than in tMs httle turn-out from home. Surely it is no wonder that I should be greatly afraid of missing my way, or letting go my hold of that wherein only there is safety. jETAT. 45.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 161 To . Dullin, Third Month 28th, 1818. In the evemng of yesterday a meeting was held for those not in membersMp with us, at Sycamore Alley ; the meeting-house was pretty fuU, and it proved to be a time of renewed favour. I was very much exercised previously to it, and greatly exhausted after it, but it was so weU got tMough, I have only to be thankful. I think we have had one hundred and sixty fanuly risits, and last mght's meetmg was the fifth, so that one Avould tlunk we were near a close ; but I look towards Ehst day vrith considerable weight on my nund, and have only to do as I have often been mstructed, commit my aU to the Lord, whom I have ever found worthy to be trusted in ; but oh ! how great is the reduction of the creature wMch these tMngs requhe, and the wUl must be crucffied again and agam. How often, smce commg here, have I thought of Paul's gomg up to Jerusalem, and vrished to imitate Ms example. On Fhst day mormng we had a very large meetmg, wherein great solenmity prevaUed, and the members of our Society were addressed m Dirine authority, much to the rehef of my raind. In the evemng we had a crowded house, and I thought aU my preparatory sufferings hght, compared to the dehghtful sense of the dominion of that etemal Power, wMch was gloriously manifest from ffist to last. The meethig closed in great stiUness, after solemn supphcation, wherem many secretly umted, and one or more uttered. Amen, Amen. Thus my deai-, we have indeed reason to bow low before the great and mighty Jehovah, in whom is everlasting strength. He is indeed worthy to be praised and trusted m. Everlastmg Mgh praises to His adorable Name, saith my soul. To Dublin, Fourth Month 26th, 1818. Oh ! that my dear chUdren may love and fear God. Oh ! that their nunds may be tender and contrite. It is the ffist blessing their father and mother ask for them. I miss my beloved brother (Daris) wherever I go ; no marvel that I should do so here. Ah! we could converse together in great christian freedom, for He was a disciple of Him who exMbited pure M 162 A SELECTION PROM THE LETTERS [1818. meekness and true lowhness ; and who, for poor sinful man, became of no reputation. Yery few of these disciples appear to be left to come up to this general assembly, but there may be Mdden ones, who, in the fuMess of time, may be prepared by the same Divine Power to confess CMist before men. To aonmel, Fifth Month Uh, I8I8, The hnportant business I communicated to thee, as we walked together, almost absorbs my roind and that of my dear husband. We hope to sit down again vrith our friends here in a few days, that they may have an opportimity of waiting on the great Leader of His people vrith us. I much deshe they may be favoured to see and feel where we are, on what ground we stand, and to whom our eye is tm-ned indiriduaUy ; indeed I seem as though I could not endure to act vrithout the unity of my dear friends. My mouth has been closed, as to the mimstry, ever since Yearly Meetmg, wMch has likevrise been the case vrith my J. G., except in a short petition the ffist meeting day after we came home. The prospect before us is truly awful, both as it relates to ourselves and the present stripped state of the Society here; yet how shaU we dare to say, "What doest Thou?" or how can any of us choose or refuse? Is it not our interest to leave aU to the Lord, shnply pursuing that path on wMch the light sMnes with clearness ; for in a httle whUe tMs vrifl prove of the greatest consequence to us aU ? I endeavour to keep in view, that to the obedient foUowers of the crucffied Immanuel, tribulations wiU cease and difficulties come to an end, being suc ceeded by that consummate fehcity wMch shaU never end. May we therefore press after tMs pure and perfect obedience unto hfe. Oh ! may not only we who are seniors be so engaged, but the dear cMldren, Moses-hke, choose rather to "suffer affliction vrith the people of God," than to enjoy "the pleasures of sin" for a moment; having an eye to the glorious recompense of reward. Martha Ussher to John and Sahah Grubb. Waterford, Eighth Month 29th, 1818. My dear and valued friends John and Sarah Grubb 'w^, I hope, excuse the hberty I take, in addressing a few hnes to them jETAT. 45.] OP SARAH GRUBB. 163 before theh learing tMs land, of wMch sad news I did not hear tiU yesterday. Though I tMnk I may say it has troubled me much, even hke unto partmg vrith my ovm flesh, yet I have been kept from murmur ing, by tMs language passing tMough my nund, " Caimot the Lord of the rineyard do as He pleases vrith His labourers ? Knows He not best where they are most wanted ?" If the part they have been so long digging and watering, brmgeth not forth fruit, the labourers vriU be taken away from them ; yet, considering myseK as one of the most undeservmg and unprofitable, I cannot but mourn. My dear husband, too, retumed from Clonmel last Quarterly Meetmg, so tendered and comforted by both your numstry, of wMch he has often smce spoken, that, on Ms account too, the prospect of such a loss is truly discouragmg. I know I am not worthy to take up any of your valuable time, engaged as it must now be, yet I could not resist the deshe I had to be revived m your reraerabrance, and to crave that you would, my dear, dear friends, intercede for me, a poor worm, and for my dear husband, when favoured vrith access to the mercy-seat. With dear love to S. E., to your daughter, and Jonathan, I remam, my dear friends, in affection that mutes beyond the narrow bounds of tMs hfe, and that distance cannot lessen. Your friend,Martha Ussher. I purpose returning to Cappagh on fourth day. Had time per mitted, what a favour my dear husband would have esteemed it, to have seen you both. Sajrah Grubb to her Sister-in-law, Mary Davis. Swansea, Ninth Month lUh, 1818. I assure thee, that vrith respect to thyseK and some others in dear Clonmel, the proverb of " Out of sight, out of mind," is far from applymg to me ; indeed, thy prediction relative to our journey has Mtherto been so fuUy verified, as to raake some of us reraeraber thee vrith more than common interest ; but, had this not been the case, I beheve I should have continued to feel thee near, in that under wMch we were mercKuUy aUowed to separate. Oh ! my dear sister, could we ask for more than was granted in taking leave ? M 2 1-64! A SELECTION FROM THE LETTERS [1818. The ommpotent Lord raamfested the sweetness of His love, wMch cahned the natural feehngs of the mind; this was, I think, the case tMoughout, in parting with our friends ; otherwise our poor rainds could scarcely have sustained the trial. I have frequently thought of S. E. G.'s poem, " How can my pen pourtray the deep distress. How paint the anguish of a heart that bled ? " &c. Even in getting to my dear friends and old acquaintances here, I stUl feel hke a stranger in a strange land vrith my famUy ; but I have beheved that the Lord graciously designs to sanctify it aU, and by and by, as we are faitMul, to give us bretMen and sisters on this side the Channel too ; so that we ought rather to thank Him, and endeavour to take courage, than to look at the gloomy side of things;; indeed ray dear John is marveUously supported, and enabled to trust for the fature ; for aU which I vrish to be grateful. We do esteem it a favour to have the sympathy of our friends in this time of pecuhar trial of faith. WeU, ray dear sister, I hope thou and some others wUl be enabled to pray for us, that, in aU, the Great Name may be exalted. To . Bury, Tenth Month 3rd, 1818. It must be some departure in ourselves from the aU-pre- serving influence of truth, wMch can take away the love of Christ Jesus our Lord. Oh ! how is my heart at times fiUed vrith a sense of tMs love to many of ray friends, whora faithfulness to our heavenly Leader hath prorapted me to leave, and come over here hke a pUgrim ; and how has my loved companion__been raade vrilhng) frora the sarae cause, to umte vrith me in tins great and awful move ment, not finding any true peace another way. WeU, my dear friend, we have surely been led out by the same Divine Hand wHch was with Abraham, and, in our measure, known Abraham's Friend to be ours. What a mercy ! I do feel sweet peace, while endeavour- ' ing to procure a dweUing here : if tMs calmness be a httle length ened out to us, I tlunk we may do weU enough in a humble dweUing ; indeed I never did desire great tMngs. How do I desire that truth may prosper in dear Ireland. NotMng could support me in the tender regret I feel in tMs separation, but a consciousness ¦ that it is in pursuit of duty, and in order that the day's work may keep pace with the day. JITAT. 45.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 165 To Mary Davis. Bury, Eleventh Month 28th, 1818. My beloved sister wUl perhaps think rae. long sUent, especiaUy considering the raournful event* which has taken place since the receipt of her sweetly acceptable letter to me, but reaUy the feehngs of my raind have surpassed the power of expression. Oh ! my dear sister, I not only deeply sympatliize vritli the partner of my hfe, and vrith Ms bereaved relatives, in tMs sudden stroke, but I feel myseK also an object of pity, as bemg hkewise bereaved and plunged into a state of astomshment, which requhes to stand stUl, to cease from reasoning, and rethe to the Lord : in endeavour ing to do so, and in notMng else, have I found qmet ; yea, I think the stiU smaU voice hath been heard, saymg, TMs also is in vrisdom, and m mercy too. I am mostly under a load of depression from day to day, but when I go and sit down in our httle meeting here, it is wonderful to me how the Lord breaks in upon ray sphit ; and it is almost invariably ray lot to raimster of the thmgs of His kingdom, and our httle corapany are measurably contrited together. Our late dear sister Nancy used to love to hear of the spreadmg of truth, though in ever so smaU a degree : she dehghted most in the things of God, and made them her primary concern. Oh ! the many ways in wMch she sought to promote the coraing of Christ's kingdom, as weU as the temporal good of community ; and yet how has it pleased unerrmg Proridence to deprive us aU, for ever, of such a friend. Oh ! how inscrutable it is. Our minds derive some solace, however, m learmng that the same Proridence has Mtherto wonderfully sup ported yom- minds in so great a trial. My dear John appears to bear this affliction too, as becomes a truly cMistian nund; for although nature deeply and poignantly feels this final separation,. that it is even as " worrawood and gaU," yet he is enabled to have reference to the Lord as dispensing it, and I have reason to beheve that it is in some degree sweetened by the infusion of Dirine love. Oh ! tMs is as heahng bahn ; may it continue to be vouchsafed to you, our loved relatives on another shore. Surely, without it, we are as a broken vessel ; at least I know, in the absence of tMs heaveffiy rirtue, I am ready to, style myseK such. Oh! the inexpressible tenderness wMch, I think I raay truly say, I feel towards you aU, * The death of Anne Gruhb. 166 A SELECTION FROM THE LETTERS [1818. Very often I place myseK in mind among my friends, vrith vvhom I was most intimate in dear Clonmel, and seem to want to nungle my tears wdth thehs, not only in affectionate sympathy, in tender sorrow, but in mourmng for want of those who are vahant in the Lamb's army. Dear E. speaks movingly of the stripping time being come. The Lord hath truly done strange things. It is a loud caU to those who remain, to give unto Him " glory and strength, to give unto Him the glory due to His name." Who can say but that then He wiU do more for His heritage than any of us can ask or tMnk ? but, if His aU-powerful, chastising hand, be not seen in these tMngs ; if bhndness that has happened stUl remams, we may fear that yet further deprivations wdU be permitted, and a day of desolation overtake, so that it may be said, " How doth the city sit sohtary that was fuE of people !" My dear sister knows that my soul hath long travaUed that the former might be the case. And now suffer me to repeat my humble hope, yea, sometimes I tMnk sure confidence, that the God who hath been vrith thee aU thy IKe long, the Angel of whose presence hath conducted thee so far, stUl graciously designs to be with thee, to lead thee safely tMough aU, to the " fountain of hring waters, and to wdpe away aU tears from the eyes." Oh ! when we can look into the regions beyond this vale of tears, how do our souls seem to receive fresh vigour to run the race set before ns, however difficult it may at times be to us ; for we are gathered up to Jesus CMist, who trod the path before us ; and we receive of His heavenly virtue. His Divine nature. This hring substance, tMs flesh and blood, wMch giveth IKe, is worth waiting for. My dear sister, fareweU in Hhn, who only can com raumcate it ; and may you aU fareweU in Him. To . Haverhill. Our minds have been revived tMs evemng, in a feehng of that wMch is separate from defflement. Oh ! how truth has reigned, in one fanuly in particular : blessed be the Lord, who changeth not, and whose truth is the same that ever it was, and leads into the same obedience unto hfe. We saw a dear chUd about eight years old, in tears tMs afternoon, wMle Gospel mimstry flowed to her and the rest of the famUy, as a flovring stream. .KTAT. 46.] OP SARAH GRUBB. 1C7 To . WelUngham, near Lewes, 1818. Never admit a thought that it wiU do for thee to pass along as others do, in a hne of mediocrity, and so get to rest and peace at last, without the exposure wMch is the lot of some for the truth's sake; rather say in thy heart, "Lord, what wouldst thou have me to do ?" so vriU the dispensations of a gracious Creator be abundantly blessed to thee, and thou vrilt escape that state of clou diness and insensibUity, wMch, sooner or later, overtakes the soul wMch is not given up to the serrice of our great Master. Clearness of rision is mercifuUy granted to aU those vrith whora, in early hfe, obedience keeps pace vrith knowledge ; and the joys of the heavenly kmgdom are the certain portion of aU those who do not cast up a way for theraselves, nor lirait the Holy One of Israel ; but who, in simphcity of heart, foUow a crucffied Sariour. It is thus that we come to experience the rough places to be made smooth, and the crooked paths straight ; yea, that we are taught to sit down in the kingdom of God, havhig feUowsMp vrith aU the faitlKul seed, even as with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob : m tMs kingdom is found joy, gladness, thanksgivmg, and the voice of melody ; and thus we see that aU our sufferings are more than compensated, because this is the joy wMch no man, nor any number of men, nor devUs, can pos sibly take from us. TMs is the sense of that everlasting kindness vrith which Divine Goodness hath mercy upon His chosen, for He saith, " Eor a smaU moraent have I bid my face frora thee, but vrith everlastmg kindness vriU I have mercy on thee." I speak of the good tMngs of the kingdom, as revealed and granted in this hfe, but I speak not as being myseK fuU and abounding at present, yet as being content m the vriU of my Heaveffiy Eather, who best knows when and how to dispense the riches of His grace. Oh! that mine eye may be ever turned to Him, and my dependence only on His arm of salvation. To . Bury, Second Month 1st, 1819. Eemember that the promises of God are not yea and nay, but they are yea and amen for ever. Therefore is it said, " Why sayest thou, oh Jacob, and speakest, oh Israel, My way is hid from 168 A SELECTION FROM THB LETTERS [1819. the Lord, and my judgment is passed over from my God," &c., &c. ; and then, " He giveth power to the faint, and to them that have no might He increaseth strength. Even the youths shaU faint and be weary, and the young men shaU utterly fall, but they that wait upon the Lord shaU renew theh strength; they shaU mount up with wings as eagles, they shall run and not be weary, and they shaU walk and not faint." Thus, as we wrestle wdth Him, and asphe after Him, the fulness of strength. He surely is knovm to give us to rise superior (I was going to say) to aU that torments us. Oh! there is nothing like endeavouring to wait upon God. AU the ad vice of earthly physicians vrill be unavaUing to thee, but the Phy sician of value VAdU come vrith heahng vhtue, at an unexpected moment, as thou looks from thyself up to Him. What can I say more ? This is my &m persuasion. I know the effect of thy complaint may be counteracted, by ffist of aU recoUecting how unworthy self is to take up so rauch atten tion ; and waiting upon the Lord would give a very hvely and in structive recollection hereof; and then there would be capacity to exert thyseK in the cause of rehgion, and for the good of civU com munity. Ah ! my dear, have not many in tlus glorious cause suffered cruel tortures of body? and what K thou, by the permission of Providence, sufferest perpetuaUy what, to thy apprehension, is even worse than the greatest actual pain : is it not for thee to endure afl in reference to Him, whose capacity for suffering was greater than that of any of the chUdi-en of men ? so that there is notMng we can feel, but He has felt for us, in a body of flesb, and to a greater ex tent. Ah ! thou must try to come near Him in thy sphit, that He may give thee to wait His time, as did the woman we read of, who stiU importuned Hira, and was His hurable supphant, untU her faith had the testimony of Dirine approbation as a seal : the moment of rehef arrived, and she rejoiced in the Eock of her salvation. Thou sayest thou knowest thy suffering is not from want of resig nation to the awful stroke pernutted, in the removal for ever of thy loved sister. I beheve thee ; but there is no doubt vrith me, that the poor frame is stUl more susceptible of those pecuharly distressing feehngs, to wMch we can give no name sufficiently appropriate, nor can any coraprehend thera, save by the experience of theh trying effects ; hence the need there is to repair _/»%, and vrith aU possible speed, where description is not requisite, in order to receive a sure ^TAT. 46.] OP SARAH GRUBB. 169 To Mary Davis. Southgate Green, Second Month llth, 1819. Many, very many have been my sore confficts of mind, since we took leave of thee, my dear sister, and many, no doubt, have been thine ; but K, in aU these things, we become " more than conquerors tMough Hira who hath loved us, and given HiraseK for us," tribulation vriU but raore intiraately umte us vrith HiraseK; giving US to discover, with increased clearness, that state wduch is altogether the workraansMp of God, even the holy city, the new Jerusalem wMch cometh down frora Hira out of heaven, and wMch is prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. Some near and dear to thee and to me, have, tMough suffering, become aheady prepared, and entered into the joy of their Lord ; when we can scarcely hope for the same consummate fehcity, when our poor souls are left in darkness and distress, let us wait on Him who Mdetli His face, whose glory is veiled as in an impenetrable cloud ; let us importune Hira vrith unutterable sighs. Oh ! surely we shaU hardly be cast off for ever ! Is not He, to whom we have been accustomed to look, a Eriend to the needy m theh distress ? Ah ! my dear sister, none, whose experience has not been alike painful, can form any just idea of the sufferings of ray poor raind, even now ; but to whora shaU we go in our trouble, save unto Him who hath the words of etemal hfe ? These feehngs, so repugnant to our nature, may be a necessary ordeal, to prepare the vessel, as a channel tMough which the holy oil flows. Oh ! my soul, have patience. I would not, however, have thee suppose that thy poor friend has not known other and more joyous moments in tMs place ; yes, my sister, I have felt the power in dommion in my soul ; I have witnessed tbe reigmng of the im mortal seed, when waiting upon God. At one thne in particular, in solemn sUence, I could say, my Beloved " cometh leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the liUls;" He made haste to help me; there was no . obstruction suffered to prevaU — I was mercifuUy favoured to see Hira, the Lord my God, sitting upon His throne : I knew that the Lord Jesus CMist had taken unto Him His kingdom, and my heart sang HaUeluia. Oh ! do thou ask for me, that I may be as vrilhng to suffer as to rejoice, when such is the mind of my Heavenly Eather, that His own works may yet praise Him, in, by, and tMough me. 170 A SELECTION FROM THE LETTERS [1819, To Stoke Newington, Third Month 19th, 1819, Many times, since leaving your loved shore, I have hoped that the step we took would not appear a hasty one to thee, as it truly was not to us ; but then we wished to accommodate our move ments, so far as was at all consistent vrith our peace, to the views of our dear friends ; sorae of whom were hard of behef, with respect to the necessity of our conung over before spring ; so for a wMle, we said httle about it, tUl at length it felt as though the anger of the Lord would be kindled agamst us, for disobedience and inattention to His fit time : thus we were at length made vriUing to risk aU tMngs, in giving up simply and freely, unto the raanKested wffi of our sure Leader and heavenly Guide ; and I raay confess to thee, my dear friend, that I have not since repented tMs fuU surrender, nor has my loved compamon in hfe. Oh ! how fuUy did he acknow ledge to the sense wMch was on Ms spirit, sorae tirae before he left Clonmel, that, in refusing to yield imphcitly to our duty in this tMng, we were in danger of bemg plunged into stUl greater trouble, and real perplexity : and I may tell thee that he has repeatedly tes- tffied to the goodness of the Lord, in enabling us to yield obediently to His sacred coraraand, such as was uttered to Abraham, in the language of, " Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred," &c. Yes, my dear friend, if we are not able to distinguish tMs same eternal, unchangeable voice, how then can we be of Abraham's seed ? To . London, Fifth Month 2lst, 1819. Fourth Day. — The meetings were laborious and duU to me, my mind being under considerable exercise and weight, and, as it were, shut up, not seeing any way to raove ; but I heard some friends say there was a solemmty, especiaUy on our meeting together, I found, as I have ever done, that it is safe to be quiet in one's spirit under suffering, and as in a cloud ; and I was resolved not to "stir up, or awake" the soul's "Beloved, untU He pleased;" so yesterday mormng my bonds were broken, in solemn prayer, in the Women's Meeting, and I had a draft to sit in that of the Men's. Oh ! it was an awful time indeed : the Lord gave me to feel it so, in unlading among the bretMen, .aSTAT, 46.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 171 To : . London, Fifth Month 2Uh, 1819. If ever we meet again in mutabihty, may it be vrith an increase of the heavenly image and holy hkeness ! The mscrutable deahngs of a gracious God bring to tMs, as we humble ourselves under His mighty hand ; and so we may come fuUy away from our faUen and undone condition, and be made meet for umon and com- •mumon vrith the Author of our salvation. My heart is very sensible of much affectionate and rehgious sohci tude in the weKare of my dear friends among you ; the Lord vriU, mdeed, work for the honour of His name in Ireland, whether the privUeged merabers of our Society vriU be faitMul or not; but the people can never corae to anytMng Mgher, or raore safe than that vrith wMch we profess to be acquainted. May the dear young Friends be induced to rethe frora the delusive, fluctuatmg spirit of the world, and turn theh views to the city of the great King, even Zion, beau tiful for situation, when beheld in the true hght. She indeed is on the sides of the North, but her foundation being sure, no storm, no trial, shaU ever prove too mighty for her. Oh ! then, raay we not, vrith holy propriety, say to our beloved youth, "Walk about Zion : mark ye weU her bulwarks : count ye her towers. God is knovm in her palaces for a refuge," &c. This Yearly Meeting has so far not been left without best help, and what bows my heart most of aU in gratitude is, that solemn sUence covers us at times. In tMs is the power and the hfe, wMch were before words, and remain when words shaU cease ; but I con sider that we are condescended to in unmerited mercy, for we are too generaUy of the revolters and backshders, and I find that the people love eloquent orations better than to yield to the anointing, wMch is truth, and no he. SometMng I hear, wMch induces me to say. Truth is truth, though all men forsake it. To London, Fifth Month 26th, 1819. I trust some of us at least, are as epistles written in each others' hearts, not with pen and hUc, but by that influence which remains to be aU-preserving, aU-sanctKying. How have I deshed 172 A SELECTION PROM THE LETTERS [1819, that this unchangeable power may be more and more known to thee, my dear, after tMs manner, that so thou mayest grow up in Christ Jesus our Lord, unto the glory of God, for such I beheve thou knows is thy caUing ; and what if thy spirit is often plunged into con ffict, and that thou shouldst, at times, be ready ahnost to conclude there is no such tMng as being estabhshed on the Eock of ages, I have often been simUarly tried, and I believe aU who wish to serve the Lord are at seasons thus proved; yet K, in such tempta tions, we endeavour to cease from our own cogitations and argu ments, tMs everlasting foundation is again and again revealed to us, and we are mercifully enabled to build thereon, so that no storm overtMows our dependence. Be encouraged therefore, to " tmst in the Lord with aU thy heart, and lean not to thy own understand ing;" so shalt thou know assuredly for thyseK, that in Him, "the Lord Jehovah, is everlasting strength." Wlien dear young people give up aU to the Lord, it makes way for unclouded prospects in rehgion, and they escape raany perplex ities ; and if Divine Goodness sees meet to prove them in any sin gular manner, it is only that they raay be raore ricMy quahfied to show forth His praise. We cannot find our interest in anytMng short of giving aU up to best direction, and soraetimes I think, should it please the Lord to lay us on a sick bed, we should then be thankful that He had enabled us to be dedicated to Him in health. To Mary Davis. London, Fifth Month 3Wi, 1819. Ah ! loved Clonmel, shaU we not caU loudly upon the dear young Eriends, to turn with aU their hearts to that Power wMch is undiminished, and which never did change, being in itseK immu table ? Oh ! shaU we not entreat those who are in the prirae of hfe, to cleave closely to the Eock of ages, which is a foundation that never can be shaken ; that so aU tMngs of a painful and sorely dis tressing nature, raay but tend to their establishment, instead of theh being greatly moved; that the Lord, in the riches of His goodness, may yet raise many up to evince that "truth is truth, though all men forsake it." I have a travaU and care on my spirit, that the truth may prosper in the minds of many, and that the stUl tlireaten- ing time of more withering and dryness, may be averted (as it were) MTAT. 46.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 173 by visited souls fully giring way to that redeeming influence wMch foUows them It was a favour that I became relieved of a very heavy burden offiy a few hours before being quite laid by ; for I had it on my mind for days, to speak the word faitlKuUy in the Women's Meet mg, as I had been enabled to do in the Men's, in an awful strain, relative to the state of our rehgious Society ; and so now I have not that to weigh me down ; indeed I never recoUect attending a Yearly Meeting where my share of the burthen felt more fuUy equal to any capacity of mind and body to sustain ; but I have been pretty qmet and easy on tMs bed, for I thought I felt notMng hke condenma tion, baring endeavoured to do the Lord's work in His time and way, so far as I was favoured vrith the knowledge of His holy vriU ; but then my movements are not so much m the smooth way as some, and I get Mnts to try to be a httle more hke others, lest what I say should not be weU received; and yet agam I ara the same tMng, for when the Lord raises me up in His power I fear no man, having humble confidence in His Name : but I believe none know the depth of my sufferings, nor how rauch I am permitted to have the sentence of deatii in myseK. May He, who offiy is able, keep rae frora falhng, lest, after having preached to others, I become a cast away. We take a deal of suffering to bring us to a holy and blessed estabhshment in the immutable truth, but it is mmgled vrith conso lation. I hear that Friends had a few rainutes in the last sitting of the Yearly Women's Meetmg, of solemn sUence, wluch, as it far surpasses aU words, is cause of hurable thankfuMess and hring praise. To . Spalding, Eighth Month llth, 1819. We have been very dUigent hitherto, having had twelve meetings, divers of thera vrith the people at large ; and many visits to famUies have fallen to our lot, although not in the regular way of famUy visiting ; and I raay acknowledge that so far, I have thought aU previous suffering more than compensated by the gracious help vouchsafed, from tirae to time, in giring a clear sight and sense of tMngs where we have been engaged, and also abUity to speak there to, "in demonstration of the Spirit and of power;" yet it is often tMough inexpressible wading of soul, that the seed immortal is risited where it hes, and strength obtained to lift up the voice, to 174 A selection prom thb letters [1819. lift it up, and not to fear; yea, and then the mind is introduced again into a sense of great ..wretchedness (may I not say?) in seemg its own unwortMness and incapacity for anytMng truly good. With out an endeavour to be stUl, I tMnk I should surely be incapable of cherisMng the gram of faith to beheve that a poor creature dare make any further attempt to proceed in so awful an embassy? To Eoss, Eighth Month 31st, 1819. We have long talked of being at G , but have been hitherto withheld ; indeed, our path has been one pecuharly exer cising to our faith, havmg seen but httle before us ; so that some times, I beheve, our friends have rather marveUed at our want of capacity for plaiming with respect to our movements; meethigs with people at large have presented one after another, much to the baptizing of my sphit, and reducing the creaturely wUl; some of them have been very reheving seasons, wherein truth was iu blessed domimon ; at other times, great has been the labour of spirit and suffering with the immortal seed under oppression, when the power has not risen very Mgh tMoughout the meeting ; but I am not sure that the hfe of trath may not have been as effectually visited at such seasons, as at those wherein more sensible consolation was witnessed ; for no fountain can rise above its level, and where the precious hfe of Christ hes low in the souls of men, it is a mercy to be kept vrith it in the numstry of the word, wherein we are some times made instrumental to the remoring that wMch obstructs its arising. To . Calne, Ninth Month lUh, 1819. After my husband closed his letter at Gloucester, we went to the meeting-house and sat about tMee-quarters of an hour, but very few of the people coining, I found that what I had told Eriends in the morning was reahzed, that a meeting in that compara tively smaU house would not be hkely to answer my purpose, but I yielded to their vrish to try it. We told the smaU corapany col lected how it was, and that it was probable they would be informed next day, of the tirae and place for holding a meeting vrith the inhabitants. Accordingly, tMough much discouragement from vrith- ^TAT. 46.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 175 out, we got the tovm haE, and a large meeting it proved to be ; and perhaps one more largely favoured I never knew, for the doctrines of trath flowed freely, even vrithout obstruction, I beheve for an hour and a haK at least, and the meeting closed in soleran sUence, after a few sentences uttered in hring prayer and praise : so that, after aU I had passed tMough m that city, the language was raised in my mind, " Thanks be to God wMch giveth us the rictory, tMough our Lord Jesus CMist." To . Bury, Twelfth Month 1st, 1819. WhUe I was busied in my faraUy affairs, my loved parent was taken Ul, and alas ! in one week from tMs seizure, she was gone for ever. Dear creature ! she was very sweet in her spirit, and soon gave herseK up, saying that death had no terrors for her; and soraetimes her joy was so great in the prospect of a glo rious eternity, that she sang praises, vrith a raelodious voice, unto her God; so that it was dehghtful to be vrith her We are indeed tossed and tried ; our bmldmg seeras to be shaken to the very foundation ; yet I beheve that there is a foundation that can never be reraoved ; and if we are but found thereon, aU our be- setraents and every storra, as from the north and the south Arinds, vriU but have a tendency to fitx ns firmer on this inrincible Eock ; so that I vrish we may take courage to commit aU to the Lord, in that humbled state wherein we can say, " Though He slay me, yet vriU I trust in Hira." I have long been persuaded that trouble doth not leave us as it finds us : we are either raore intimately umted to that Purity wMcli is uncreated, or we are more widely separated therefrom ; now, in proportion to the tenderness of sphit wMch be comes ours under suffering, so are we grown and grovring in the heavenly iraage, and holy likeness; so that I know of notMng so deshable as a broken heart and a contrite sphit ; and, if we wait in passiveness on the Lord, I beheve He wUl give it. ¦ Do teU rae how it is among ray dear friends around thee ; whether there is anytMng like rerival, or abihty to ghd up the loins, and become vahant for the unchangeable trath. I should be glad to hear of many breaking forth, as on the right hand and on the left ; being separated from the Mndering tMngs, and chosen for serrice. I feel much interested in the weKare of many in dear Ireland ; thou mayest 176 A selection from THE LETTERS [1820, tell my friends so, and that my loved partner and I have not an .easier path to tread, than was the case when on the same shore vrith you. But it is perhaps much as we -expected : it was not vrith a prospect of finding the way to the kingdom less tribulated here, that we gave up to come, but that the day's work nught be knoAm to advance in some measure vrith the day, and that we might have the answer of a good conscience. Very httle settlement, as m a ceUed house, has been ours since our residence m tins country ; and when abroad, we find comparatively httle to answer to t^e hfe, the heavenly anomting wluch is given at times in the work of the mimstry; to be . sure, we have at seasons known it to be over aU, especiaUy in large pubhc meetmgs ; blessed be the Name of Jehovah ! To . Southgate Green, Bury, First Month 23rd, 1820. I vrish, K possible, to encourage thee to cast aU thy sor rowful feehngs on Him who suffered, who died for thee. Oh ! do try in everytMng wMch afflicts, and wMch besets thee, to have refer ence to thy dear Eedeemer, thy Sariour: it VAdU prove of infinite advantage to thee, for " eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath it entered the heart of man," what God hath in store, and vrifl assuredly unfold to tMs state : how the darkness of His Divine proridence vriU aU come to be hght in due season, when He shafl see meet to reveal His righteousness in the sight of His sanctffied chUdren; having, tMough dispensations abundantly inscrutable to theh understanding, changed thera from glory to glory, by His own eternal spirit. Endure therefore, the present groamng as under heavy bondage ; yea, be glad and rejoice therein, as conung upon thee for thy refihement ; designed to incorporate, as it were, mto the very nature, the essence of Jesus CMist, the immaculate Larab of God, who taketh away the sin of the world ; who washeth us in His oato blood, that we raay be vrithout spot, or wrinkle, or any such tMng; even ultiraately faultless before the tMone, vrith exceeding joy. Ah ! can we expect thus to reign with our Lord, unless we submit to suffer, as weU as to do anytMng He pleases ? not that I beheve Him to be the Author of eril, but, by His pemussion, much befalls us, unto wMch we are ready to give tMs term ; and how impatient are our spirits under trial, untU cahned by the Dirine influence, which it is much our interest, as weU as duty, to wait for. I think thou speaks iETAT. 47.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 177 of feehngs, wMch thou seems to marvel should be tMne : dost thou forget, my dear , that He who was holy, harmless, and unde- ffied (not hke us poor fraU sinners) felt an infinite weight of trouble, of angmsh inexpressible, for our sakes ? Dost thou not caU to mind, that when the naUs had pierced His hands and His feet, that when lifted up on the cross to suffer a cruel and hngering deatb. He, the dear Son of God, cried out to His Father, "Why hast Thou forsaken me?" Thus hath He trodden the tribulated path to ineffable glory, as it were before our eyes, that we may be en couraged to follow Hira through all; to corae to be heirs of God, and joint hehs with Jesus CMist. Oh ! let us try to conclude, when seemingly abandoned by all that is goo^, that, K we perish, we perish at the feet of our Lord, as humble supphants ; wMle yet no words can possibly describe the mournful, the painful state in wMch we lie prostrate. Thus, having thought a great deal of thee, I watched for a httle openness in my mind, to pourtray my tender sohcitude, my affec tionate feehngs of sympathy, as weU as my blundering pen is capa ble of. I write tMs on First day afternoon, preriously to a pubhc raeeting wMch, in great avriuMess, we have ventured to appomt in tMs town. I might tell thee a deal of my own deep exercises, and of travaU wMch has been my portion mostly, for several raonths, but perhaps this is not expedient ; I shaU therefore add but little raore, than that we are now beginning our engagements, for wMch last Monthly Meeting hberated us. To Mary Davis. Earlham, near Noruiich, Third Month 3lst, 1820. I have, ever smce learing dear Ireland, as well as before, cherished a consohng hope that the Lord is at work in many mmds, unseen as yet, but to be made mamfest in due season, for His great Name's sake, and for the support of those testimonies wMch are of the unchangeable truth ; for whether, by minghng with the world, we, as a people, stUl faU away more and more, or not, the fundamental principles which we profess vriU be embraced; yea, the time wiU come to Ireland, when they who sit in darkness shaU see great hght ; and to them that are m the shadow of death, light vriU spring up ; blessed be the Lord ! I know, that for Zion's sake, N 178 A SELECTION PROM THE LETTERS [1820. thou mourns before Jehovah, but I humbly trust, the more of tMs, and the more glorious the preparation to put on "the garment of praise for the sphit of heaviness;" and when we come to receive "beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourmng," how does the season in wMch we have suffered, seem to have been but "for a smaU mo ment : " thus may thy Eedeemer, who hath mercy on thee, gather thee with His everlasting kindness into a umon with HimseK, wMch shaU never be dissolved, saith my soul. Our hne of religious duty has not been confined to our ovra So ciety, but we have many rruire pubhc meetings ; most of these latter are seasons, whi»ein He who "leadeth Joseph like a flock," sends forth His hght and His truth among us : sometimes it is over afl; yet tMs is seldom the case, but tMough considerable labour ; but, when the obstruction comes to be removed, even by word and doc trine, it is an unspeakable favour With respect lo Friends, I confess my poor mind is scarcely ever fnUy at hberty. I often tMnk of what Job Scott said, " There is a deadness and a form wMch my spirit hardly rises superior to the oppression of, during the whole of a meeting;" but I beheve that the Gospel wffi more and more spread, both in tMs and other nations. I look forward to Yearly Meeting vrith something of dread, not joy; for it is hard for the httle, lowly seed of hfe to rise into dominion ; it being a time and place wherein there is much want of true simphcity; but it is weU that we should keep in view, that " unto us it is given, not only to believe on the name of the Lord Jesus CMist, but also to suffer for His sake;" there is a portion of suffering dispensed m His time, for His sake, though not hke what befel the ffist CMistians. It is now spiritual imprisonment, and spiritually, the Lord's servants are sensible of being stoned, and of being wounded. May we dwell deep in spirit with the eternal Power, in wMch alone is our preser vation ! Surely the sons of Zion wiU be raised up, as against the sons of Greece ; and the truth must be spoken, although opposed to the vrisdom of the wise ! To London, Fifth Month 21th, 1820. The vrinter is gloomy, but it hath its ovra pecuhar benefit; it teaches us to reverence the Dirine Hand, and to feel our depend ence thereon. I love to see my friends made sensible of the necessity of waiting for that Divine voice wMch, in due thne, is heard in the JETAT. 47.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 179 soul truly chaste to God ; even saymg, " Eise up, my love, my fair one, and come away. For lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone ; the flowers appear on the earth ; the time of the singing of bhds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land." May 'tMs be tMne and your happy knowledge of the righteousness, the mercy, and the truth of Him who is for ever the covenant keep ing God ; yea, " the joy and song of many generations." Perhaps my soul never adored His vrisdom and power more, than now that I am at times under great weights and burdens ; but again He "leads me to the Eock that is Mgher than I," and He Himself sets my feet above all the nughty biUows, and gives me to sing the new song, even to string the harp of victory and say, " Great and mar veUous are thy works. Lord God Almighty ; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints." Oh 1 it is a most blessed tMng to come to know that the Lord's own works, and they alone, praise Him. Let us, therefore, my loved friend, he low before Hhn ; seeking to say amen to aU His deahngs vrith us, even in the darkness of His proridence, that He may work in us, both to wiU and to do, accord ing' to His good pleasure ; so shaU we vritness Him again and again, to make darkness hght before us, and the crooked paths straight. The rough places shaU be made plain, for the glory of the Lord shaU be revealed. These are times abundantly worth waiting for, even as long as that Wisdom wMch is infimte, shaU please. I have not yet seen Ireland forgotten by Him whose bowels are said to roU toward His people vrith compassion unmerited. Oh! Ireland, how many of thy chUdren are under the pecuhar eye of Him whose name is Almighty, in order that He may raise up, separate, and qualKy for His serrice ; and whether our Society come to be more conspicuous tMough faitMuMess or not, I beheve that one day the Lord's own true Church vriU be seen " conung up out of the vrildemess, clear as the sun, fah as the moon, and terrible as an army vrith banners ;" for the darkness shaU not be able to endure its glorious hght, and shaU therefore flee before it ; blessed be Jehovah ! Some of the sittings of this Yearly Meeting have so far been agree able, even, I tMnk, beyond some former times ; the business being less interrupted, and sometimes there has been the overshadoAring of good in an humbhng degree ; but there is, nevertheless, much danger awaitmg us as a people, of our not increasing in brightness, accord ing to our Mgh caUing in Jesus Christ. We are yet faithfuUy warned — may we receive it. 1 N 2 180 A SELECTION FROM THE LETTERS [1820. To . London, Fifth Month 21th, 1820. Oh ! that we may be more and more gathered, for I be heve we have temptations which, K yielded to, wUl scatter, vrill lay waste and destroy; vriU even hug us up, and being of the subtle serpent, wUl press out the pure, innocent hfe. Somethmg of tMs kind I have had to declare, even as the word of the Lord; for it weighed me dovra, and was hke a ffie vrithin me, day after day, and night after mght, until the Lord my God opened the way to lay dovm my burden for Friends' acceptance, in wMch I find some rehef; but stUl my poor nund is sensible of much travaU. Oh! ihat the wiU of ray Master may take the place of my own vriU, untfl He set up and estabhsh His kingdom, an everlasting domimon, in my soul, and untU He fully give me to endure aU tMngs for His .Name's sake ; that there may be a ffihng up in my measure, how ever smaU, that which remains of the sufferings of Christ for His body's sake, wluch is the Church. To Folkestone, Tenth Month 30/!4 1820. The Lord's dignified servants are rendered such tMough baptism, and those w^ho are raised Mghest in His power, have theh proportionate deep plunges : so do the works of an Almighty Hand praise Him in these and through these. That such is thy caUing I cannot doubt, therefore put it not from thee, nor choose a path for thyseK, lest thou frustrate the Dirine purpose, and be found araong those who rob God of His honour, their own souls of mestimable treasure, yea, and the Church of CMist of that portion of service designed it, by these being placed in theh own aUotment there. We have not yet seen Nathan Hunt, but hear of hhn as a vahant in the most glorious cause. I thought, on learing dear Ireland, that the Lord would be pleased to send His messengers, one after another, to your nation, and my spirit is often made thankful in its haring been the ease. It is a proof of His fatherly care, and that He is still looking towards many, to raise them up for His Name's sake. Poor Clonmel ! I do beheve there is a httle seed, in a tender .STAT. 48.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 181 state, under the gracious care of the great Husbandman, and designed to brmg forth fruit to His praise. My mind has sympathy here vrith : it seems to me to lie much among the dear young people. Oh ! may these be so watclKul over theh ovm hearts, that there may be room for this immortal IKe to grow and increase, and to over spread aU : so may there yet be a revival, and the Lord may place His name amongst you : indeed, wherever the lot of these may be cast, as to the outward, they wUl glorKy the Holy Narae by bring mg forth rauch fruit. It is a consohng reflection, that whUe vrith you, I endeavoured to act faitMully, according to ray measure, and feel clear of dear Ireland in my sphit. The pubhc meetmgs are, I thiffic, mostly much favoured with the resurrection of Dirine hfe, the doctrines of the Gospel being opened "in demonstration of the Sphit and of power." Our prospect is tMough Sussex, HampsMre, &c. ; so into the West. At tMs season of the year it looks particularly fornudable as to the outward, but I trust we shaU be cared for. I think we never had a raore tender parting vrith our dear fanuly than tMs time. To Mary Davis. Bury, First Month Uth, 1821. During our late journey into some of the southem and westem counties, thy dear brother and myseK passed tMough many difficulties and trials, some of wMch are only known to Hhn " who weighs the raountams m scales, and the MUs in a balance." There were seasons when my feehngs put me in mind of what a servant formerly said, of being "pressed above measure, and beyond strength;" and yet have I not been enthely crushed: thus that wMch seems too much for us, poor creatures, is rendered possible ; and, in aU these things, are we raade "more than conquerors, tMough Him who hath loved us and given Himself for us." Oh ! adorable love of our dear Eedeemer ! He gave Himself for us;- whereby He hath shown us that the way to life is tMough death, and encouraged us to continue with Him in trial, that He may give us to triumph over aU suffering ; and that, not only at seasons in tMs hfe, but in the end for ever and ever, with joy unspeakable and fuU of glory. But my dear sister, we have had not only to suffer in fuMUing our duty for months past ; there were occasionally a few 182 A selection from the LElTERS [1821. hours, particularly in public meetings, when we were made glad in the sense that the kingdoms of tMs world are more and more be coming the Mngdoms of God and of His Christ. How are the com bmed powers of darkness raade to feel the spreading of Hght and hfe, so that they are very busy, raustering, as it were, aU theh forces against the trath ; wMch, in many instances, renders the labour in the Gospel very painful and hard, for the minds of many are in trenched against the simphcity of that wMch offiy can stand. With respect to our rehgious Society, we attended but few meet ings where we had reason to beheve the seed immortal was in dominion, yet in the general we were enabled to visit tMs seed where it lay, which we esteem a great favour in passing along ; and notvrithstanding our backshding, I trust it may yet be said, " Oh ! Israel, who is like unto thee?" but my fears have been many, lest, tMough the subtlety of the serpent, we should more and more lose this distinction, and become mingled vrith the world m its spirit; and lest Ms varions transformations should even prevaU vrith many, unto the removing them from theh places, hke the dragon vrith his tail drawing dowm the stars from heaven; for we have become so vrise and so hberal, that, even with divers of those ffist in rank amongst us, many tMngs, once deemed MgMy inconsistent vrith our holy profession, are yielded to with irapuffity. It seems to a few, that some inexperienced minds are in danger of going out to meet that, and of setthng down in that wMch the true spirit of the Gospel leads from ; and so a scattering day, even in tMs respect, appears to tMeaten, and in many ways are we likely to be spoUed. But I want to teU thee that my raind is frequently sensible of feUow feeling, in thinking of thee : I trust, that as often as is meet for thee, the eagle's wings are mercKully granted thy waitmg soffi, to rise superior to the most depressing sensations, as a foretaste of that everlasting prize which awaits the fimsMng thy course, when the sanctified spirit shaU be eternally united to those who are made perfect through suffering, and are singing AUeluia to the Lord God and the Lamb, whose is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, world vrithout end. Oh ! it is a blessed tMng increasingly to know, as we pass tMough time, what it is to be so resigned to the Dirine wUl in aU tMngs, as to vritness our Eedeemer to take unto Him His great power, and to reign over aU in us. Some of the pubhc meetings were so very stUl; that when the. power had got up into donumon, on requesting the people to rethe mat; 48.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 183 into themselves, that we might commend each other to the Lord in sflence, the solemmty has been so great, without any sound what ever, that it is hke what we sometimes feel at the close of a great Yearly Meetmg, and the congregation seem loth to separate at last. Oh ! how far does tMs exceed aU words ; and what a testimony does it seem to me to be, to sUent worsMp. To , in ALLUSION TO THE AWFULLY SUDDEN DEATH OF HER FATHER. London, Fifth Month 26th, 1821. I have put my soffi in your soul's stead, so far as I had capacity, or that the difference of our chcumstances woffid admit. My sphit has been hfted up in secret for you, to the God and Eather of aU our mercies, that He would be pleased to prove His sufficiency to you, in such a moraent of extreraity ; this, I trust, hath been the case, not offiy in givmg an assurance of the change being a glorious one to your tenderly beloved parent, but granting you the humble hope of His own fatherly care and protection, as you con tinue to love Him. Oh ! how abundantly inscrutable are His deahngs with us. His poor creatures ; trffiy He hath " His way in the sea, and His path in the great waters;" and yet He shows HimseK, to His humble dependent chUdren, to be " mightier than the noise of many waters." My mind is made thankful in beheving that this is your individual and umted experience under the present dispensation; and how ever, at times, the overwhehnmg surge of affliction may appear almost too much for nature to sustain, surely the everlasting arms of the omffipotent Lord vrill be underneath, and in due season, the darkness of His providence wUl be made hght unto you ; therefore, my dear cMldren, sink dovra deep in your spirits, and wait upon the Lord Jehovah, in whom is everlasting strength. He designs that aU tMngs should work together for your good. Oh ! be simple- hearted, dear creatures, and look singly to the Lord, and you wUl indeed find that He even fiUs the vride chasm made by the relentless hand of death ; that whUe tMs awfiU undeffiable messenger sepa- rateth for ever the deshe of the heart, and the dehght of the eye. He who remaineth is the never-faffing, never-wavering Friend, pro- viffing everything good for you, spiritual and temporal. How are friends raised up for us sometimes, in an unexpected manner, m our probationary state of being, so that we are ready to acknowledge that 184 A SELECTION FROM THE LETTERS [1821. we lack notlung; thus I trast that He who is "the Judge of the widow, and a Eather to the fatherless," wUl make way for you, dear cMldren. How did my nature long to be with you, in the very heart- melting scene you have vritnessed. I thought there would be some melancholy satisfaction in minghng my tears with yours, and witnessing the last sad duty performed, of conumtting to the grave the dear remains of my friend your father, but I felt that the Lord had separated us. The Yearly Meeting has, I think, so far been remarkably solemn. Dear Hffidah Seers has frequently opened her mouth amongst us, " in demonstration of the Spirit and of power." She is a precious woraan. Nathan Hunt was led forth in hring testimony ffivers times, in the Select Meeting. They were days to be remembered on various accounts. What a solemn covering was over the minds of Eriends, when George Withy mentioned Ms prospect of risiting the -American Continent, and when WUham Eickman gave in a short account of Ms travels there. How different a tMng it is to be an anointed ambassador for the Author of our salvation, from that of speaking for Mre, or dirimng for money. I do not know that the contrast was ever more striking in my riew than of late. I was very gratefffi for a few lines received frora cousm Margaret Grubb ; so was my dear husband : they tendered our sphits. The mention she made of the consoling sense respecting thy beloved father's preparation for so sudden a caU, bowed my mind in thank- fiUness ; and my dear, thou knowest, that as he was ready to put off mortality, and be swallowed up of hfe, his dear mind was spared the pang of separation from Ms precious faraily, and may be many feel ings that othervrise might have pressed on Ms mind, in the last hours of life, whereby he might have suffered, and wherein you must have suffered vrith him. Oh ! how infinite is the vrisdom and mercy of the Almighty. I have thought in tMs tMng, it wUl yet be found to call for thafficful acknowledgraent. It is instructive to find that our dear cousin Margaret Grubb is dedicated as she is, and wdUing to be spent stUl, in advocating the ever blessed cause of her dear Master, though now in the dechne of health and vigour. Oh ! surely, while the props of nature are giving way, the buUding of God is going forward ; " the house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens." I think her crown of rejoicing wiU be great and glorious in the end. It is a brave tMng to serve the Lord from youth to old age. MIAT. 48.] OP SARAH GRUBB. 185 To . London, Fifth Month, 1821. In the Select Meeting WUham Eickman gave a short, sweet, hurable account of his visit to .America. I thought I coffid have said, it was enough ; the Master had been with Mm, and He had mcreased Mm in His ovra increase ; and the heavenly image and holy hkeness were raore and more upon Mm. I was glad to beheve that this dear friend's sphit is centering in that good in which it may, ere a great wMle, be lost for ever. 29^/*. — ^For my own part I cannot approve of these great com mittees, but others tMnk dffierently. Last Fhst day my dear J. G. and myseK were at DevonsMre Honse both moming and evening; I believe they were good meetings, the mormng one particffiarly so ; for I thought the IKe ascended Mgher and higher, untU it rose into dominion, and we parted with hearts fuU of praise unto Him who only is worthy An address was brought into the Woraen's Meeting, caUing the attention of the inhabitants of Europe to the iffiqmtous traffic stiU carried on in the persons of the African race. TMs introduced my mind into great feehng that we nught aU be found so co-operatmg with the Divine purpose in ourselves, that quahfication might be received to proraote the coraing of the Mngdom of Jesus in the earth, by our individual obedience and dedication to the Lord in aU tMngs. TMs was my concern. TMs day we have attended Peel Meetmg. I tMnk truth did rise above aU, but it was tMough hard labour for a whUe, and plain doctrine was declared. To . Eighth Month 9th, 1821. We heard last ffight that the poor Queen was dead, and tMs morning the account is confcmed ; but no doubt you will have the inteUigence before this reaches thee. How very awful the tMng seems. The paper this morning tells us, that she desired, in the last hour, not to be disturbed ; that she was going to a better world. I suppose the King is now in Ireland, and that your city hath made great preparations for him. It is very humbling to remember that he also must "die hke men, and faU hke one of the princes." Alas ! how fleeting, how fading, how empty are all the pleasures of a delusive world ! 186 A SELECTION FROM THE LETTERS [1822. To Mary Davis. Spalding, Eighth Month llth, 1821. It is worthy of remark, as affording encouragement to per severe in prayer, that when the disciples appeared to themselves to be in imminent danger, and cried unto theh Lord, " Master, carest Thou not that we perish?" He was "asleep in the Mndermost part of the vessel;" thus, according to theh creaturely ideas, regardless of the perUous situation of His foUowers ; but the sequel proves that it was not so, for, in due season. He was mercKuUy pleased to arise for theh help ; rebuking the boisterous vrinds, and the roaring of those mighty, raging waves, which seemed ready to swaUow them up. He is the sarae yesterday, to-day, and for ever. But how I write ! as one strong in the faith ; whereas I feel myseK amongst the weakest, and am ahnost afraid, that one day or other, I may make shipwreck of faith. At other times I tMnk I see the possibffity of "hoping against hope," and seek for abUity to say in my heart, "Lord if I perish, I perish at thy feet; and I wUl trust in Thee, though Thou slay me." Indeed I am often drawn to feel after the invincible foundation, and to deshe, above aU tMngs, to experience that it standeth sure ; having tMs seal, the Lord knows them that are His. Oh ! how frequently am I brought into darkness, and not into light ; and then again, in the needful time, hght sMnes in ob scurity, and the darkness is as the noonday. To . Southgate Gi-een, Third Month 26th, 1822. I trust thou knowest what it is to experience painfiU feel ings sent in mercy, or I shoffid say permitted, according to my own idea; for surely notMng coraes immediately from the Source of happiness but what is trffiy joyous. Thy mention of divers dear friends in your city is what we much hke. We hear httle of our dear friends on that shore wMch we left from a sense of duty ; and whatever some may think of it, we know, that did we see the way back in the hght of truth, as we did to leave it, our return woffid he with alacrity ; but the Lord knows best how to dispose of His poor little ones, who cannot go one step vrithout Him, but are like the helpless infant ; therefore we desire to trust in Him in simple dedi cation, not doubting but that, if it be His sovereign vriU to lead us STAT. 49.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 187 back to Ireland, He wiU open the way HimseK. .After thy letter to me in Yorkshhe, we pretty directly turned our faces horaeward. I thought I never held meetmgs in so much weakness of body, at any preceffing time; however, we were in mercy helped along, and reached home in the tenth month, with a humble sense of having done what was requhed of us. Dear WUham Tuke, of York, in Ms eighty-ffinth year, appeared in the fuU possession of Ms mental facffities, but qmte blmd. Oh ! how precious it was to sit by Mm : Ms sphit appears to be qmte ready to take its flight to the glorious regions of Divme hght and hfe, whenever the awful mandate is heard to put off the mortal man. TMs dear patriarch is cheerful and mteUigent, even as a youth I hope and are learmng increasmgly from Him who was meek and low of heart, when, in His adorable love. He took upon Him our nature, and suffered for us. The humihty of Jesus Christ is the ground and foundation of aU true rehgion ; yea, it is the very hfe of Adrtue and piety : vrithout it, in vain is all our pretence to the knowledge of God. My heart's deshe is that the great Disposer of events may, in His compassion, avert the terapest that seeras gathering in your land, and turn the evil purposes of vricked and hard-hearted men to good account ; but surely His great Name is, as rauch as ever, a strong tower to the righteous. -As I was waiting upon the Alraighty the other day, and thinking of Ireland, ray heart was sensible of much sorrow for the dark, dis tressed state of the people, when suddeffiy my inward and spiritual eye beheld, as I thought, a light sMffing over the nation, hke the sun in a clear day, and I had to beheve that the time woffid come, when the darkness woffid be dissipated by the arising of the Sun of righteousness m the might of His glorious power; and I became sensible that many of the poor deluded people, being kept in igno rance and gross darkness, were not so MgMy cffipable in the sight of Omffiscience as appeared to us ; and my cries were to the Lord, that He woffid be mercifully pleased to pardon many of theh offences, and ffiumine them vrith His grace. But how accountable must many of their pastors be, and those who influence the nunds of theh feflow-raen out of the true fear of God ! 188 A SELECTION FROM tHB LETTERS [1822. To Mary Davis. Kennington, Fourth Month I2th, 1822. The Lord's dear httle ones are confficted ; even such who have none in heaven but Him, nor in all the earth beside Him ; who really possess every blessing vrith reference to the Giver of all good, and in Him. Now K those who choose the Lord for theh portion, and the God of Jacob for the lot of theh inheritance, have their faith thus tried, surely it is only that they may experience the trial of it to be more precious than of gold which perisheth, and so endure to the end. Many times I have a hope thou hast been sensible of our real feUow sMp with each other, when I seemed as K I coffid not convey it in words : indeed I am much of the mind that those who are mercifuUy preserved in the blessed oneness of the disciples of CMist, are truly helpfffi to each other in their varied exercises, even vrithout outward demonstration of it, and when far separated in person ; so then, if we are but of the living stones, we shaU be fitly joined and com pacted together, growing unto a holy temple in the Lord; and He wiU walk in us, and dvfell in us ; we shaU be His people, and He wffi be our God. Is not this enough, let it cost us what it wffl of suffering, to bring us into such a deshable state ? Since I Avrote to thee, ray endeared sister, raany, very raany, have been my tos sings, even as on the mighty biUows ; but I humbly trast some of these painfffi dispensations have tended more and more to reduce the wUl of the creature, and bring into cMld-hke dependence on my heaveffiy Eather. Oh ! for a considerable time I lay as " among the pots," during tMs last winter ; but I thought may be the Lord would raise rae up in His own tirae, K it was my endeavour to wait upon Him for preservation, that I might be kept chaste in my love to Him, who had been to my soffi the chief df ten thousand ; and so He did, blessed be His Name ! for I distinctly heard His voice again, and felt His power, giving rae to ascend with the "vrings of a dove," which are indeed " silver, and her feathers of yellow gold," even of that wMch had been tried in the ffie ; so it is good not to cast away our confidence, when we may seem to ourselves to be as a broken vessel. iETAT. 49.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 189 To . Bury, Sixth Month lOth, 1822. General indisposition has been my experience ever since coming back to this spot, so that I have more than once thought it was Mgh thne to qffit the field of battle My dear love is to your sweet flock. TeU dear , the eldest, that the way to be happy is to be good, to cultivate an early acquaintance with Ms Maker, and hve in His fear. I love you aU tenderly. Thou and thy precious corapanion have a great charge, but I trust you desire to wait at wisdom's gate, and that it wffi not be in vain. May Dirine Goodness bless you in blessing, and miUtiply you in raffiti- plymg, to the benefit of your dear offspring, and to the prosperity of His cause more at large. I shoffid have hked to have spent a httle time vrith your dear aged father and mother, K way had opened for it. They are abund antly blessed many ways, particffiarly m theh cMldren. How thank ful I shoffid be to see mme bending to the root of hfe, were they matmed; but I am convinced it is not too soon for me to watch every opportumty of encouraging theh nunds herem. To Mary Davis. Beading, Tenth Month 1th, 1822. Thy state of health must have been a trying dispensation, but I trust it has, like other deahngs of a gracious Providence, been blessed to thee, and possibly tMough thee to others ; for as dear Job Scott says, " Sickness is a service wMch many owe to God ;" and if, by a patient, humble subraission to His Dirine vriU, we can but fimsh our serrice to Him in our day, it is enough, be the work de signed us marked out as it may, by that wisdom that cannot err. Sometimes, in contemplating the happy conffition of those beloved relatives, now in the enjoyment of uffinterrupted rest, who are made perfect tMough suffering, and reflecting on the trials of time which we stffi feel, I am sensible of soraetMng like groaning in myseK, and longing to be dehvered also, notwithstanding the awfffiness of the subject, and my natural dread of the dark passage, " the vaUey of the shadow of death." I harffiy need teU thee that the present are truly fearfffi engage ments, and that my mind is much led dovm into baptisms; yet 190 A SELECTION FROM THB LETTERS [1822. tMough all, I have to acknowledge to the almighty aid of Him whom we deshe to serve, and whose to be. Most of tbe meetings have been times of pecuhar favour, as much so, I think, as I ever re member ; although to vish the immortal hfe, where it lies, requhes great abstractedness of mind, like sitting "in the mouth of the cave, with the head wrapped in the mantle." Oh ! sometimes, when in tMs situation, how clearly has the state of meetings and indiriduals been opened to my mind, even as plam as ever I saw the face of another vrith my natural eyes ; and in many of those assembhes made up of a mixed concourse of people, theh condition variously has been felt and spoken to, in authority, wMch hath produced the language in my heart, " TMs is the Lord's doing, and marveUous in my eyes." But oh ! my dear sister, what awfffi ground a true Gospel miffister stands on, in the sacred office ! It puts me in mind of what the Majesty of heaven said to Moses, " Put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground :" indeed we must be thus unshod, as it were, to receive and commufficate raessages of grace. And for ray part I find, from tirae to time, the preparation as needfffi as K it had never been knovra before. To Martha King. Tenth Month lUh, 1822. Many a time since we parted, I have looked back to that hour vrith sohd satisfaction, for I trust " deep ffid call unto deep at the noise of the water-spouts ;" being sensible of true sympathy vrith each other, in the floods of affliction aUotted us m our various situ ations and spiritual caUings. What a precious thmg true umty is ! We feel strengthened in it and by it, to persevere in the hne of dedication to Him who has a right to dispose of us as He pleases; indeed it is m many ways "a good and a pleasant thmg." I humbly trust, my dear friend, that tMs privUege vriU continue to be ours, whether together, or separated m person ; surely it vriU be so, as we individuaUy keep near that Power wMch hath already done much for us, and ai times hath been marveUously displayed for our dehverance from the waves of tribffiation. As to our engagements amongst those not professing with us, I tMnk I never had more blessed meetings than in tMs journey. The doctrines of the Gospel flow freely almost from place to place, iETAT. 49.] OP SARAH GRUBB. 191 and such is the gathering influence over us, that it seems to me, that wMle these doctrines are declared, the solemnity increases until the Divme Power is over the meeting as a canopy, under wMch we mostly sit in sUent, heaveffiy enjoyment for a short time. TMs stUl ness I consider as a proof that the Lord is brmging the people more and more to a sense of what it is to worsMp Him without vocal sounds, and in it my sphit feels a holy joy. To Witney, Oxfordshire, Tenth Month llth, 1822. The present system in tMs country seems to be, to give the youth amongst us all the learnmg theh bram can possibly be exercised in, and aU the polish that woffid render them fit com pamons for the great people of the world ; but I tMnk that, even Arith respect to these tMngs, we shoffid let our moderation appear unto aU men; nor do I see that there is much prospect ffi the general, of the attention of young persons bemg so tumed to the Divme principle m themselves, as to make it very likely for us as a Society, to have those vahants and omaments produced, wluch I believe to be consistent vrith the vriJl of Him who ffist gathered us to be a people. I vrish dear Ireland raay yet be favoured with the native siraphcity and purity of the Gospel, wMch prepares for the reception of the holy anointmg, the pourmg forth of the Sphit to the exaltation of the great Name, and the edification of the Church. There ' are very many amongst you largely gKted by nature, who, K they ffid but fuUy yield to Dirine grace, woffid be enunent indeed, in that cause wMch is "ffigffified vrith immortahty, and crowned vrith etemal hfe." If the time shoffid come for us to meet on your shore, I shaU expect to see much improvement vrith respect to some of my friends, for surely great has been the labour bestowed since we left Ireland. -After ray return home I was many weeks very weakly indeed ; my strength seemed nearly exhausted, yet not feehng clear of sorae places about London, and being sensible of an effiargeraent of pros pect to these parts, we coffid not see the way to resign our certffi cates, but in the faith, requested raore hberty of the MontMy Meet ing ; so when way clearly opened, we left our dear chUdren once more ; committing them to the gracious care of Israel's Shepherd. As usual, we sat down together to wait upon the Lord just before 192 A selection prom the LETl'ERS [1822. separating : it was a precious time, so that, although our dear cMldren had anticipated our absence very painfffily, I beheve they gave us up freely to the service of Him whora they felt to be good ness itself. I raay now tell thee that we have had many meetings on this journey with those not professing with us, as weU as with Eriends; they have mostly been, in the end, seasons of some considerable rehef : I think the real state of tMngs has been come at and spoken to, in the blessed authority of the unchangeable truth. Those meet ings which we have held vrith a raixed company have generaUy, if not always, been very crowded, and yet so stffi, that except by sight, one woffid harffiy have known that many persons were present. In nearly aU these opportuffities, the liring power has come into glorious domiffion, after all the baptisms and strippings attendant on such engagements ; for I tMnk, from time to thne my sphit is brought into a deep sense of my own notMngness, even in a pecffiiar manner ; and oh ! frequently before meeting breaks up, my heart is made glad that the Lord alone is exalted. What a solemn sense of His goodness is mostly afforded in awfffi silence, toward the latter end of a meeting crowded with people sitting and stanffing; the bodily feehngs are lost in a sense of the Divine influence. Eor ever magnified and praised be Israel's God ; He is more and more bring ing the people to the experience of true spiritual worship, even in the sUence of all flesh. Whether we, as a Society, wffi become more spiritually minded or not, I cannot say, but God wiU be glorified, and truth and its testimonies exalted in the earth, even untU afl nations shall flow unto the mountain of His hohness, wMch is set on the top of the mountains, and above all the MUs. The dead forms and erapty professions, whether araongst us or others, must yield to the hving substance, and the eternal power ; but I fear that many under our name vriU wither more and more, and be taken away ; so great is the oppression of the hfe, and so dry are many meetings, as to their general condition ; so that I ara often ready to say. Oh ! where is the living sap from the liring root ? and whfle much is doing in works of benevolence, by our raerabers, there seems but little of that fruit whereby our Heaveffiy Eather is glorified. I hope the poor people in Ireland are rauch reheved by the late exertions and great munfficence of many in this country, and I be heve that kind Providence designs to open the eyes of those, in many instances, who have been in darkness, yea, whom gross dark-- ATAT. 49.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 193 ness has covered. Somehow, I cannot but look forward for Ireland Arith hope of blessed days, tMough the influence of the Gospel of Hght and hfe, and my very soffi says araen. We have, on this jomney, lodged at the house of two aged Eriends — WiUiara Atkins and vrife, who knew me when traveUing tMs way four and twenty years ago. 'The age of W. A. is eighty-five, and that of his vrife "eighty-eight : their facffities are clear : they were dehghted to see me agam, and were both at meeting vritli us : the state of mind in which they are is trffiy deshable ; we took a solemn, and I expect a final leave in tMs mutable state. It is encouraging to see the cMistian traveUers so far safe on theh passage to a glorious eterffity, for they seem to have weathered raany storras, and to have cast anchor in the haven, waiting for a joyful lanffing on the bhssfffi shore. To Elizabeth Grubb. Eleventh Month, 1822. I find it possible to travaU in sphit, and sympatMze vrith my friends, vrithout any outward coramuffication ; and were not tMs the case vrith some toward myseK likevrise, perhaps it woffid be worse with me than it is. Thus, as members of one body, may we be a mutual help and strength, wherever our outward aUotment is ! When the time raay corae that we shall raeet face to face I do not know, but K it were ffi the ordering of Divine Providence, it woffid be pleasant to me beyond what I can teU. I hope thou art somewhat reheved from those very ffistressing feehngs, wMch have borne dowoi thy mind, and almost absorbed those facffities so pecuharly bright, and, I have no doubt, designed abundantly to glorKy the Giver of every good and perfect gift. With a heart glovring vrith affectionate gospel love I salute thee, and say fareweU. To . Near London, Eleventh Month I6th, 1822. The more thou art abstracted, and drawn mto a state of waiting upon the Lord, the raore thou wUt corae to see Satan, the accuser of the bretMen, cast out, and, as it were, bruised under thee, by the power which is above every power ; and thus thy great and raighty Deliverer wiU bring thee up into the hght where there 194 A SELECTION PROM THE LETTERS [1822. is no ffisqffiet; thus shalt thou be made an heh of His gracious promises, who " giveth power to the faint, and to them that have no might He increaseth strength;" and having learned resignation therein, thou wUt be enabled to invhe and encourage others to adopt the acceptable language, " Not my wiU, but TMne, oh Eather, be done;" so shaU thy soffi yet be fiUed with heaveffiy joy" and conso lation in His service, where perfect hberty is knovra ; so shalt thou be enabled to bless the hand which has been laid heavy upon thee in affliction. Let us be dffigently watcMffi vrith that power wMch can yet rebuke all unclean sphits, whUe herevrith we guard against our own untoward tempers and ffispositions, that woffid lead us to mur raur as the chUdren of Israel did in the wilderness, and were de stroyed of the destroyer ; and to " terapt Christ as sorae of them tempted " Him, and were destroyed of serpents. Oh ! ray dear chUd, there is a possibffity of treadmg upon scor pions stiU, in the eternal raight of our Eedeeraer, and of knovring what it is to be preserved, so as to overcorae every hurtfffi and deadly tMng. And now I woffid just say that my dear companion and myseK are about returning home, having endeavoured to fffiffi the wffi of our Heavenly Eather, in an engageraent of nearly eleven weeks in visiting Friends and others, in ffivers counties hereaway. We are very sensible of weakness belonging to us poor creatures, whUe we have to acknowledge to the dorainion of the power of truth iu most of the meetings, even in a marveUous and glorious degree. I never knew it so generaUy so in any former risit, more especiaUy among those not professing with us. Sometiraes these meetmgs have held long, and the longer the more solenm, whUe the doctrines of the Gospel have flowed freely; and often I have had to say to the people, " Were I speaking to you from tMs tirae until raidnight, and then to day-break, it woffid aU be to ffivite and gather to the *»influence which you now feel ; the blessed power and presence of God. Let us sit under the heaveffiy canopy in reverent stiUness, a httle while, and feel its preciousness, beyond what words can set forth :" and so it has been many, a time — oh ! for ever praised and exalted be Israel's -Alraighty Helper. He is doing much, whfle He convinces us that without Him we are nothing, and can do notlimg. [About the sarae date.] — Does trouble spring out of the ground? Is it thus a spontaneous tMng ? Surely no, but every particle of its. weight passes through the scales in which the mountains are weighed. iETAT. 49.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 195 and the balance wMch is in the hand of the Dread of nations ; even lest there shoffid be more than coffid be supported by His dependent httle ones ; so that, vrith the temptations or trials that assaU us, a way is made for our escape. To . Stochwell, Eleventh Month llth, 1822. It is a favour that such is the oneness of the Church of Christ, that aU the members of the body, as they are kept by His power, are enabled to feel vrith and for each other, even vrithout that outward knowledge and intercourse, wMch is, nevertheless, very precious, and trffiy deshable m the Divme vriU. Some of our meetmgs have held nearly tMee hours, but it is enough that the Great Name is exalted, and the Eternal Power raised by its own might mto glorious domiffion. I much desire that we may be more and raore uffited in the in separable love of our dear Eedeeraer, and that He raay hold us ffi His hand for evermore. In low tiraes we are perhaps ready to caU ffi question that wMch we have tasted and hanffied of the word of hfe, as being reaUy such, but "he that thinketh he knoweth anytMng, knoweth notMng yet as he ought to know;" therefore does it please the Lord to echpse aU former experience of His goodness before His dearest cMlffien, that they may learn, from season to season, to depend on Him alone. To Hannah Huntley. Witney, Eleventh Month llth, 1822. It is vrith feehngs of tender sympathy that I have heard of the trying ffispensation aUotted thee, in the ffiness and decease of thy son. No doubt thy affectionate and rehgious sohcitude has been great, but I trust thine Almighty Helper has given tbee to see of the travaU of thy soffi, and be satisfied, as it respects the exit of thy dear cMld. I have thought much about him, and feel a humble hope that Ms suffermgs of nund and body proved as a furnace, wherein He was chosen, and that aU is weU. Thy dear son was not insensible to the awfulness of Ms situation, and I trust the inward groan, the unutterable sigh, were graciously heard and answered, by the eternal day opening to Ms view. I hear he has left six dear o 2 196 A SELECTION FROM THE LETTERS [1822. cMldren who are orphans; may they be the pecffiiar care of the Heaveffiy Parent ! It is with considerable regret I give up the thought of seemg thee on tMs journey, but our way does not appear to open to visit Bur- ford this time, nor some other places in tMs county. Thus I vrished to salute thee, my dear friend, both in sisterly affection, and in that love which, many years back, united us to gether, and which outlives aU sorrow. I write this by canffie-hght, and cannot see so weU as when thou and I were feUow-traveUers, four and twenty years ago, but hope thou canst make it out, so as t'o understand it. I remain, with sincere regard. Thy sympatMzing and loving friend, Sarah Grubb. to one op her children. Kigh Wyeoridie, 1822. I hope, my love, thou art so good as to fibud thyseK happy. I think rauch of thee, as weU as of thy dear sister and your brother. We have had nice accounts frora J., wMch I consider a mercy from kind Providence, and I feel glad to resign you aU to the Almighty, in order to be engaged, in His service, in His own vriU and way; because, however dearly we may love one another, we cannot promote each other's happiness, but as we are engaged to do the wdU of our Heaveffiy Eather; and we shall be very glad indeed to go home, when He pleases that it should be so. On Ehst day we held a meetmg with the people at Leighton, in the evening, which was much crowded ; many stanffing witMn doors, and very many vrith out, stanffing in the yard quite stiU. I had a great deal to say to them of the goodness of the Almighty, which they listened to with great seriousness and attention; and then we were all sUent for a httle while, being sensible of the Dirine presence, beyond what any words can teU. After tMs I beheved it right to supphcate, and at last we separated with much solemmty, feeling that we dearly loved each other in the love of our great Creator. Next morffing we came on to Berkhampstead ; there we appomted a meeting for the people, which was qmte as favoured as that at Leighton ; and the people who could not get in, stood outside at .^TAT. 50.] OF sarXh grubb. 197 the wmdows, and hstened the same way. They were very stffi, but there vvere two men who came in early, that seemed to intend to be rude, and woffid sit at the women's side, up near the gaUery ; how ever they appeared to grow qffite serious after a httle while, for I beheve they felt the Lord's power that was over the meeting, and so aU was weU. Farewell ray love. To Bury, Third Month 3Uh, 1823. "AU tMngs work together for good to thera that love God" — ^there is rauch ffi it. We are hereby given to understand that none of our paiffiffi feehngs pass unnoticed by the Judge of all the earth, whose vrisdom and mercy are infinite, and we may be assured He is the rich rewarder. To be accounted worthy to be tried in the furnace, and to have it heated to more than the usual degree, is the way to becorae of the fine gold ; for whUe " the fining pot is for sUver, the furnace is for gold;" and it is to such that the hring, etemal word goes forth, " I have refimed thee, but not with sflver ; I have chosen thee ffi the furnace of affliction." The creature wffl feel ffistressed, when it feels that it must be notMng, that the Great Name may be aU ffi aU. We must be vriffing to lay our boffies even vrith the ground, to be walked over, to feel ourselves as the dust, again and again, K we corae to be altogether of God's workraansMp, and His works praise Hira tMough us, as weU as in us ; and raost assureffiy He wffi favour the dust of Zion, and honour those ffi whom He dehghts. To Mary Davis. Bury, Fourth Month 1th, 1823. Although it is not very easy for me to write, yet I take the pen with pleasure to adffiess thee, ray friend, my old acquaint ance and tried friend, who has often felt for me, and for whom I also often felt, and stiU continue to feel ; having no doubt that many are thy low times, and even perhaps, at seasons, the language of tlly nund may be, " From the uttermost part of the earth have we heard songs, even glory to the righteous; but I said. My leanness, my leanness : woe unto me !" Now it is encouraging to recoUect, that tMs ffistressing state was that of Zion, the Lord's own precious seed ; 198 A SELECTION FROM THE LETTERS [1823. and indeed, were these not tribffiated, how coffid it be evidenced, to the glory of God and theh salvation, that they are His chosen, and that He keepeth thera as the apple of His eye ? I beheve, ray dear sister, that even so vrill He keep thee, and grant thee the reward of the faitMul ; for who hast thou ffi heaven, but thy Ahffighty Helper; or in aU the earth besides Him, that thou deshest ? seeing that thou hast long since proved that good is to be found in Him, and that even our temporal blessings are possessed in Jacob's God, whom the righteous choose for their portion, and for the lot of theh inherit ance. I frequently tMnk how pleasant it woffid be, K I coffid some times sit dovra by thee, and unbend as in days that are past; but seeing that is stffi prohibited, it is a favour that we can make use of tMs substitute for personal interviews, and a yet greater favour that neither distance of space nor thne dimiffishes our mutual love, nor separates us from that wl4ch is in itself inseparable, even the unity of the sphit of our Heaveffiy Eather in CMist Jesus, who are one, and whose people are one, tMough aU the floods of temptations, and the waters of affliction or baptisms ; indeed all these paiffiffi feehngs do but tend to strengthen the true feUowship wMch is the bond of peace. Many times, in my distress, have I thought of thee and some others, knowing the sympathy that woffid be excited by my iUness, especially towards ray precious partner; and I trast your tears and prayers have not been unavaffing ; he has experienced the everlasting arms to be underneath in the deepest ffistress, and vrit nessed the succour wMch no human aid coffid afford. Oh! how awKffi was that season when I thought the ties of nature were about to be dissolved for ever ; when, for a moment, resignation to such a stroke was veUed frora rae ; when I looked to the Giver of every good and perfect gKt, to enable me to say amen; when my very soffi clung to hfe, for the sake of my dear husband and chUdren ; for I saw notMng retained against me that coffid Mnder, or stand in the way to glory : my sins appeared to be washed away in the blood of the Lamb, and to have thus gone beforehand to judgment : but let me teU thee, my loved sister, that that wMch is impossible to the creature, as such, was made possible in my experience, by Him who taught me once more to beheve — ^to beheve in His righteousness, and in the perfection of His vrisdom, as weU as in omffipoteuce ; so that I coffid corarait, not offiy myseK, but my aU into His hand, as into the hand of a faitMffi Creator. It was then, oh ! that was the moment when I received the sphit of prayer in the unerring vriU of iETAT. 50.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 199 God; I asked Him to spare me to my fanffiy for awhUe; and then I heard His Dirine voice — / knew it was His — "I vriU spare thee." I bowed in humble gratitude, and said, "I thank Thee, oh ! I thank Thee." Yet was my mind fffily sensible, that in the dispensation wMch had overtaken me, I had suffering inexpressible to pass tMough ; indeed I had not preriously any idea that human nature coffid sustain the distress of the whole affimal system, which has been ray portion. Oh that it may have a tendency to leaven aU my ffispositions, more and raore, into the heaveffiy nature of Him who was nailed to the cross for our transgressions ; for surely it is not for notMng that we have to pass by the gates of death, nor ffiink as of "wormwood and gaU;" but what shoffid I have done, had it not been for a measure of that heahng balm wluch sweetens every bitter cup ? or where shoffid I have found repose, had not that blessed influence, wffich made the Psalmist's bed in Ms sickness, condescended to be near, a present help in the needfffi thne ? Oh ! I stffi feel, that without my Saviour I am notMng, know notMng, and can do notMng : when He vrithffiaws HimseK I ara, ffi my own sight, trffiy despicable and wretched ; and to tffis sense of my con dition am I often left, but my soffi resolves, in His fear, to wait upon Him, and not ffistrust Him, for I have never found a better To Stockwell, Fifth Month Uh, 1823. May it please Divme Goodness to increase the number of those amongst the dear youth, who are " skUfffi in lamentation," and vahant in the raost glorious cause. There is occasion for it here too, for few comparatively are prepared for the Lord's serrice, for want of co-operating vrith His power in the heart. My soul is often pomed out, as it were, before the Most High, that He may be pleased to risit our dear chUdren with a pecuhar sense of His love ; weU knovring that it is not enough to be preserved in a state termed hmocent, but that, K any are brought into a fitness to glorify Hhn in theh right allotments in His Church, it raust be by an acquaint ance with the baptism of the Holy Ghost and &e. 200 A SELECTION PROM THE LElTERS [1823. To . Dover, Sixth Month 2Uh, 1823. The very serious accident met with, affected me vrith awfuMess on hearing of it. What an escape he has had ! AU these tMngs are teaching, and shoffid prove incitements to entire deffication to the serrice of Him who holds our breath in His hand, and whose right it is to ffispose of our time and faculties as He pleases, even to His own honour and glory. I feel rauch for and , but yet have a hope that aU their difficffities may work together for good. Our Heaveffiy Parent sees raeet to suffer us to be tried in a way most repugnant to our natural feelings, that we may become coffiormable to His Dirine mind, and that the lowly seed of IKe in us may gain the ascendancy. I suppose your relatives are now with you. It is pleasant to associate in true friendship : from such intercourse our inteUectual enjoyment is heightened, and we are reciprocaUy benefited. I beheve that such is the design of our great Creator. Dear , please say to her, that notvrithstanffing the happy prospect now before her, as to temporals, her fehcity vriU be much enhanced by a vriffingness, m aU tMngs, to become a hurable foUower of Hira who hath exhibited a perfect pattem of seK-deffial and true lowhness of mmd. Oh ! how precious is true gospel siraplicity. 27^^. — I vrrote raost of the foregoing on fourth day, but was unable to proceed, from pain in my face, ear, &c. I had this pain the day I left you, and raostly since ; but it increased so rauch for two or tMee days, as greatly to irapair my strength, and was attended with loss of rest and appetite ; so yesterday I sent for a surgeon, who soon relieved me m degree, by making a deep incision in the roof of the raouth, where he said an abscess had formed, that at once accounted for the great suffering I had felt. I am rauch better to day, and hope soon to be restored to my nsual state ; but thou seest aU these things are against my progressing in health as we hoped for, by commg aU this long way from home. To speak plainly about our coming again to the sea-side, I can offiy say, that had I not sought Divine counsel, as I mentioned to thee, it woffid have been doubly discouraging, since our tarriance here, to meet vritli so much obstruction to using the means for promoting health and strength; the weather has been unfavourable, and it seems as K I coffid not iETAT. 50.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 201 keep from catcMng cold; but I may coffiess to the goodness of Divme Providence, in that His power has, I tMnk, been exalted in some meetings wMch I have been able to attend, incluffing the Quarterly Meeting for worship, and also in some more private sea sons of religious rethement. We had the satisfaction of seemg Steinkopff for a few rainutes yesterday raorning. I was under much suffering, lying on the sofa, when tMs heaveffiy-minded man spoke conKortably to us : he ad- ffiessed very impressively and sweetly. I had never met vrith him before : he and Ms wKe went pretty immeffiately to the packet, and saUed for Calais. TMs Dover is a wonderfffi place, or rather the surrounding scenery. How grand is the riew fr-om the Deal road ! The lofty and vener able castle, the chffs, the majestic opeffing between them to the sea, contrasted with the verdant fields in the vaUey at the right hand, the interspersion of trees and riUages, with the river gently gliffing along, aU insphed my mind vrith dehght, and raised my heart in praise to the Author of nature, wMle my body was in pain. Surely these beautKffi prospects must be doubly pleasing in vigour of body, &c. To . Eighth Month Uh, 1823. I hope thou hast the reward of peace, in thy obeffience and submission to thy Heaveffiy Father, who is, I humbly trust, preparing thy mmd to be a dedicated servant of His, a good example to those around thee, wherever thou art, and to have the blessed reward of the righteous, even in this hfe. Thy paiffiffi feehngs, my precious , are His baptisms, ffispensed to thee for thy good, that thou mayest be as a clean vessel in the house of the Lord. I woffid encourage thee to look to thy dear Saviour, who was wounded for oiu- transgressions, and brffised for our iniqffities, that by His stripes we may be healed. Oh ! how glad I ara that He hath measurably made HimseK known to thee, dear , and that thou lovest His appearing. To Norwich, Ninth Month 2Uh, 1823. I ought to esteem it a favour to be eraployed at aU by the Great Master, or to be made sensible of what is His blessed wiU 202 A SELECTION FROM THE LETTERS [1823. concerffing me, yet I wanted to get horae and be Mdden. We had a brave meeting at TivetshaU. I do not tlunk I was much short of two hours on my feet. It seemed to me that the power of trath rose higher and Mgher, untU it triumphed over aU, to the great rehef of my mind. May the Lord have aU the praise of His own marveUous works. I feel my detention in tMs city very mnch. I am a poor msig- ffificant creature. It must be that the weak tMngs are indeed made use of in the great cause, or surely I had been left ont. Oh ! how do I dread the engageraents now before rae ! I ara so weighed dovra under a sense of my own insufficiency unto any good word or work; and yet, in reflectmg, surely it is here I rest in my spirit — ^that the sufficiency is not of us, but of Hira who caUeth us into His work. To . Twelfth Month 2Uh, 1823. There are times when the tried vessels, in possession of living faith and holy patience, can adopt the language, "When He hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold :" such shoffid not, there fore, be too much cast dovra in a sense of being, as it were, alone : tMs is a part of their proving, eveu to feel theh situation as a pecu liar one, and theh path as untrodden, that the Great Name may be abundantly magnffied in and through them. To . Prolally 1823. It seemed to me that the savour of thy mind in returning from was sweet and acceptable in the Divine sight, and so I humbly trust it remains to be. The deahngs of inscrutable Wisdom thee-ward have been of no common kind. He hath ffispensed much that is pecuharly trying to nature, because He hath set His love upon thee, and designs to qualKy thee increasingly to glorify Him. Oh ! be hurably bold, when requhed in any way to serve the Great Master, who has enabled thee to be a shining hght among the people in thy daUy conduct. He woffid, I beheve, give thee, as it were, to exclaim, "Oh that men woffid praise the Lord for His goodness, and for His wonderfffi works to the cMldren of men. Look simply and singly to Him, and He, even the Almighty One, JITAT. 50.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 203 AriU sustain thee by His inrisible power, give thee faith and courage, and bring thee tMough all, to His praise. Amen. TMs morning, during our few moments' rethement together, I felt thee, as I beheve, very near my sphit in the Lord; and then it opened to me, that "hght is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart." My mmd became conrinced that thy Saviour and Judge, who sees in secret, accepts the sincerity and uprightness of thy heart ; and I had to beheve, that by patiently continffing to do as weU as thou knowest how, in the nudst of weakness and fraUty, thou vrilt, by and by, come to the reaping season, and have to rejoice ffi heaveffiy treasure. So my dear , faint not ; be of good courage, and thy Eedeemer wdU strengthen thy heart. We, poor creatures, are not dealt vrith accorffing to our deserts, for then our spirits woffid utterly faU before the Most High, but we are favoured vrith the adorable, unmerited mercy of Him by whose stripes we are to be healed. Lay hold, then, of the hope set before thee, and ghd up the loins of the inner man, and stand for the truth upon earth. To . Prolally 1823. Oh ! my beloved , art thou growing in grace, and in savmg knowledge ? Is thy acquaintance with thy Saviour more intimate than was the case ffi days that are past? Eeraeraber that we either advance ffi true and rital rehgion, or else we lose ground, wMch latter is of lamentable consequence. , Surely the Most High designs thee to be a ffigffified instrument in His hand, and the earher thou art prepared for tffis, the happier for thee. Do thou try to be ffiward vrith thy dear Eedeemer, and, as I have said before, never let a day pass vrithout endeavouring to prostrate thyseK before Him. TMs woffid lead thee to great humility and seK-deffial, and enable thee to take up the cross daily, in notMng more than m tMs one tMng, of goverffing the temper, wherein thy mind woffid be disposed to obhge aU around. I know thou often wishes to be what thy Heavenly Eather would make of thee, and be assured tffis is not impossible ; but we must " strrive to enter ffi at the straight gate," because our cormpt nature woffid Mnder us. My soffi often commends thee to Hhn who is able and wffiing to do exceedmg abundantly for us all, even more than we can ask or 204 A SELECTION FROM THE LETTERS [1823. think; therefore let not thy tender mind wander from Him, thy blessed Eedeemer, who has powerfuUy visited and called thee, and made thee to feel His unmerited love. To ONE OP HER CHILDREN. Alout the same time.. Having been desirous of entering into all thy painfffi feel mgs, and sympathizing in those ffispensations wMch inscrutable Wisdom may see meet to prove thee vrith, my dearly beloved , my mind has often been, and continnes to be tumed to the Lord on thy behaK; and sometimes, when I ara ready to petition for thee, that the present occasion of uneasiness to thy mind may be removed, I have felt my natural wish for thy temporal enjoyment yield itself to the Dirine wiU ; for I beheve thee to be the pecffiiar care of thy Heaveffiy Eather, who " chastens every chUd He loves, and scourgeth every one whom He receiveth;" therefore be not ffismayed K He "reflnes thee, but not with sUver;" K He chooses thee in the fur nace, even trying thee as gold is tried, that thou mayest be holiness to Him, the Lord. Look to thy dear Eedeemer in aU that is huraihating, and re member that His visage was said to be "marred more than any man's, and His countenance than the sons of men;" and may He bless, preserve, and sanctify thee ! To A Daughter on leaving school. 1824. My dear Child, Having some experience in the path wMcli now opens to thee, I wish, if possible, to be instrumental in afforffing thee instruc tion and encouragement ffi thy future steps tMough hfe. Take, therefore, the affectionate counsel of a tender raother. Place the fear of God continuaUy before thee ; have reference to Him in aU things. He hath not offiy given thee a being, but en dowed thee Arith a good understanffing, and granted thee many blessings : let it be the sincere language of thy heart, " What shaU I render unto the Lord for aU His beneflts ?" so wffl He teach thee His Dirine law, and enable thee to dehght therein. Thus vrilt thou possess, religion ; real, vital cMistiaffity. It is the greatest of afl treasures ; befriends the godly tMough tMs world, and leads them to a better. ^TAT. 51.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 205 What are we vrithout rehgion, even in our best state ? We know not how to estimate our existence, nor any of the blessmgs offered ; how then can we trffiy enjoy them ? In ffistress, in sickness, in the dark and glooray seasons wMch wdU overtake us sometimes, ffi the course of our journey, what have we to flee to for safety, if unac quainted vrith the Name wMcli is the power of God ? Therefore, my dear cMld, "get wisdom;" "forsake her not" — "the fear of the Lord, that is vrisdom." Never give way to a fretfffi disposition. To repine at the crosses and difficffities attendant on our probationary state, betrays a httle mmd, and want of resignation to what Heaven permits ; besides, it renders tMngs trying in theraselves, stffi more bitter; therefore, whenever tempted vrith peevishness, seek, vrith aU thy might, to be qmet, and wait upon the Lord, who vriU brmg thee near to HimseK, and convmce thee, that vrith Him who is hght, there is no ffisqffiet ; and so He wffi grant thee peace. TMne enemies are tMne ovra natm-al evU propensities : to overcorae these ffi the Lord, is a mbst glorious victory. Thy dear Saviour is able and wUhng to grant thee this rictory vrith holy triuraph. Give no place to an enrious ffisposition; it woffid corrode thy mind, and prevent the incomes of heaveffiy love. The sweet and the bitter are more equaUy ffispensed than man perceives. We cannot of ourselves promote our happiness, but, by watcffing against aU AiTong tMngs, we may becorae strong in the Lord, and in the power of His inight, to avoid aU that woffid render us the authors of our own misery. Be assured, my precious cMld, that K there is not tranquffiity in tMne own breast, from suffering the all-regffiating principle to operate there, thou never wUt find true felicity in any situation wMch may fall to thy lot ; and whUe a kind Providence may permit thee to be surrounded by temporal good, thou mayest be vrithout capacity for enjoying His bounty. Be wise, therefore, and submit early to the humbhng power of truth, that it may be weU with thee in time and in eterffity, wMch is the deshe and prayer of thy affectionate mother. -And now, with respect to domestic economy, let rae say, for thy future comfort — do everjrtffing in its season : although it may seem very often, at the moment, as K tffis method was inconveffient and troublesome, thou vrilt fimd thy account in it. Thou wilt hereby save much of thy precious time, and avoid coffiusion and hurry. Make smtable arrangements, and be sure to observe them. Have 206 A selection from the letters [1824, few servants ; treat them kffidly, but give not up thy own judgment to gratKy theh wffl, lest thou lose that govemment wMch is essential to the conKort of a fanffiy. Be industrious, but be not in the habit of doing that thyseK, wMch properly belongs to the servants ; for tMs offiy renders them neghgent. Be sure to manage everytMng vrith frugahty and prudence ; thou vrilt have the more to spare for the needy. Look weU to thy household in aU tMngs. Let thy countenance be as sunsMne to thy family, tMough the calnmess of thy temper. Be not over anxious in trouble, but endeavour to leave aU to the Lord, in doing according to the best of thy capacity ; and thus let thy whole hfe bring glory to Him who is worthy of all glory, honour, and domiffion, for ever and ever. Amen. To Mary Davis. Chelmsford, First Month Uh, 1824. It is one of our greatest conKorts in our passage tMough hfe, to have that inteUectual intercourse which is the product of true friendsMp, such as I trust ours is ; having, for its basis, that love wMch none of the vicissitudes of a mutable world can destroy, and wMch, I trust, strengthens with an increase of years, wMle these do not faU to bring vrith them new trials. No doubt thon canst ac knowledge to fresh difficffities vrithin the five years of our separation; which thy raind had not anticipated, and so can I ; but K aU these tlungs tend to wMten our garments, and render us more fit to walk vrith the Lamb iramacffiate, we may even rejoice therein, and give thanks. Thou vrilt say, that K we coffid beheve tMs was the case, it woffid be cause of rejoicing indeed. I adnut that there are times of great darkness in the providence of the Almighty toward His poor creatures, wherem we seem to be abandoned from good, and even as though His mercies were " clean gone for ever," yet even then it behoves us to exercise faith and patience, whereby we are brought into a conffition of raind to hope against hope, and eventuaUy to be glad in all these sufferings ; and K the weakness of the poor frame be such, that we fear it incapacitates for heaveffiy mindedness, I beheve that our upright, though feeble endeavour, to ffiaw ffigh to the fffiness of strength, is an acceptable offering, and wffl not go vrithout its reward ; for " He knoweth our frame ; He remembereth that we are dust." What a consolation, that thus we have the holy JStAT. 51.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 207 compassion of the Highest, whose regard is unto the lowly ; so do not be too rauch cast dovra, my loved friend, my sister, for I humbly trust thou art one of these lowly, and that, seeing the best hfe hath been preserved Mtherto, the coraraand wffl stiU go forth, in aU thy strippings and provings, " Touch not the hfe." Many times does my mind commend thee unto Him who has condescended to be vrith thee in six troubles, who surely yet waits to be thy sufficiency through aU. We are at times sensible, tMough the unmerited kindness of the Great Shepherd, that our feet are stffl gffided in the way of peace. My dear compaffion has, at times, been effiarged ffi the heavenly anointing, in tffis place. To . aonmel. Fourth Month Uh, 1824. The meetings, both in Dubhn and here, have been times of very deep ffiggmg; the spring of hfe hes low, and that of the mimstry in unison vrith it ; but tMough a great deal of labour, the power made its ovra way, even into some domiffion, ffi each meeting ; and in that of Ehst day morffing here, it was over aU, to the praise of the great and ever adorable Narae : raany felt it, and worsMpped the Lord in the blessed sense hereof. Divers friends have said to me, speakmg of the tMngs that have happened here since our resi dence in England, they were previously set forth vrith great clear ness ; one said, " as plam as K they had been left ffi written characters on the gaUery." At Coalbrook Dale we were detained from ffith day night untU second day morffing, finffing a stop in our mmds, after having seen Eriends together on sixth day, even after preparmg to leave the place. It was rauch against the natural vriU and wisdom, to give up to be there on Ehst day, but I know too weU my own short-sighted ness, to reason away my sense of duty; so besides meeting again with Eriends, we had a large pubhc meeting, and I tMnk I never was qffite so near sitting dovra vrithout proceeffing vrith what was before me, in any meeting where tMs was not reaUy the case, when suddenly the power arose, and a very favoured thne it proved, the people's nunds beffig at length awakened to a sense of the trath ; but the poor frame felt the effects of tMs hard battle, for it was im mediately after this that I had the ffist attack of spasms. 208 A selection from the letters [1824. To . Dullin, Fifth Month 1st, 1824. Thy trffiy kind and interesting lines met me here, and woffid have been noticed in this way before now, had not my mind been much conflicted, respecting whether to give up attenffing the Yearly Meeting ffi London or not ; having felt considerable exercise and concern about visiting famihes in Clonmel, and seeing Eriends in Cork. Tffis latter prospect is likely to be pursued, it appearing to be in the way of our feeling clear of Ireland ; and thou knowest how very awfffi it woffid be to me to cross the water, and apprehend that anytMng here was left undone. The Yearly Meeting here is now got tMough, except that we ex pect to-morrow the meetings for worsMp AriU be very large, as being the last day of Eriends meeting together, and many of other societies attend at such times. I do not know whether I raay be perraitted to get out or not, haring taken a heavy cold, wMch affects my lungs, and has nearly deprived me of my voice. Our rainds are rauch affected in sympathy vrith the state of our Society in tMs land, for although there are a few up and down, who feel the weight of tMngs, we tMnk that fathers and mothers are greatly wanting ; the number bemg lessened witMn a few years, and the dear young people without raany exaraples to look to. It is, however, a day of powerfffi call, and of tender visitation, wMch evinces that yet this rehgious Society is not forsaken ; and the meet-' ings have closed very solemffiy in tMs general assembly. The Quar terly Meeting held in Clonmel, for the province of Munster, was also a memorable thne in the conclusive sitting. Ah ! poor Clonmel ! " How hath the Lord covered the daughter of Zion with a cloud in His anger," may indeed apply to that meeting ; and yet there is, as it were, a very smaU remnant, who sigh and who cry, to whose sup- phcations I believe the gracious ear is bowed, and who, I hope, wifl yet be a blessing there. Second Day 3rd. — Yesterday was a memorable day to me, and perhaps to some others. I was very poorly in the morning, and my voice far from clear ; the soreness and tightness of the cheSt con siderable; but wishing to get to meeting, I ventured, and to my utter astoffishment, found my voice as clear as usual, and no pain in speaking for a very long time to a large crowded audience; the power of truth rising higher and higher, until the dominion thereof fiTAT. 51.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 209 was generally felt ; and although I was on the bed raost of the tirae between the meetings, and took but httle nourishment, I was enabled to be at the second, and to declare, vritli a strong voice, the doctrines of truth again very copiously; the meeting-house being greatly crowded, and many not of our Society attenffing. The meeting ended in thanksgiving and praise, after which I came to my lodging, and again lay down, but was in a large company of Friends here after tea, wherein supphcation seemed caUed for, and was uttered audibly. Thus, my dear friend, I have been prepared to say, " TMs is the Lord's domg, and marveUous in our eyes." TMs day I keep house, bemg hoarse, and fearing to inhale the ah in an open carriage hke ours, or else we might have been on the road to Clonmel. My chest is very sore, and in a, state of hritation. I think this Yearly Meetmg has been much favoured on the whole. Notwithstanding the many tlungs to obstruct the chcffiation of the Dirine Me, it ffid make its way in raost of our gatherings, to the humbling our raffids, and to the honom- of the Great Name. I feel much interested respectmg that vrith you now approacMng, and deshe that Eriends may be sensible of the humbling power of truth among them, and that true simphcity raay be abode in Oh ! how do I long that thy beloved partner may be " chosen," as weU as " caUed," even as it relates to Ms own place in the Lord's Church. Is it not almost time for the man of business to be left for the man of God ? I know that my dear friend, thy husband, loves that wMch is unchangeably good, and deshes its prosperity, but I want Mm to be raore fffily at liberty for the Lord's service. To Martha King. Clonmel, Fifth Month 26th, 1824. There are many precious chUdren in tMs nation, whose hearts are sometimes tendered, but how apphcable is the language, "The daughter of my people is become cruel, like the ostriches in the wUderness;" and how many young men there are, who are strangers and ahens to the coraraonwealth of Israel : some of these, husbands and fathers, who acquaint not themselves with the Shep herd's voice, and who are sturabhng upon the dark mountains. But our paiffiffi feelings are not vrithout an accompanying hope that it is a time of renewed visitation to many ; and sometimes, in meetings and fanffiies, truth has reigned triumphantly, to the praise of the 210 A selection prom the letters [1824. great and adorable Narae of the long-suffering Creator, who, whflst He shows the house of Jacob his sins, and Israel Ms transgressions,-, is caffing out of everythmg that stands opposed to His blessed Mng dom of righteousness, peace, and joy My sense is, that if there be not a turffing to the Lord with full purpose of heart, the prophets, the true prophets, wffl be dumb, and not able to speak, and that because of the people continffing to join themselves unto idols ; and the Lord wffi yet make the reranant of Jacob as a dew among many people, and a remnant it wiU indeed be ; and the Lord wiU more and raore send forth His light and His truth in this island, so that those who sit in darkness shall see a great hght, and they who are in the region and shadow of death wffi behold the springing up of light; and, in their beheving in the light, shaU they see raore hght, and take the places of the once Mghly favoured and powerfuUy visited ones ; and the Lord wffi yet be glorffied in Ireland. To . Chelmsford, no date, prolally 1824. Indeed, ray dear friend, I do remember thee before the Most High in ray prayers, and I reraember thine too, notwith standing the need I have myself of the prayers of those who desire weU for that cause wMch I so pubhcly profess to advocate ; for trffiy there often seeras occasion to ask that it raay not be said, " a stan dard bearer fainteth," even with reference to thy poor correspondent; but it is encouraging to recoUect that even a great and deeply expe rienced apostle of Jesus said, "lest by any means, when I have preached to others, I myseK shoffid become a castaway;" wMch shows that he had to combat with teraptation at that advanced period of the cMistian IKe : shaU / then (far beMnd hira) expect to be exempt from besetment, or a humfflating sense of fraUty ? Let me rather cleave to the same Power wMch was Ms sufficiency, and that of aU the chUdren of God in every age. So you got on nicely the day of the marriage. We spoke of your company many times in the course of that forenoon. I am comforted with thy account of the wedding altogether. I think vve often find a solemnity on the occasion of marriage, as a sanction on high to the ordinance, seeing it is of Divine origin. I wish that these young Friends taking each other in marriage, may be a time of solemn j;tat. 51.] OP SARAH grubb. 211 covenant to them both, vrith the Bridegi-oom of souls; and that theh deshes may be chcumscribed by the same spirit Avhich influ enced Jacob to ask, not for the great things of tMs world, but that the Divine presence might be with Mm in the way that he took, which erinced Ms concern to be found ffi the right way ; and so he was blessed, and made a blessmg in Ms day. To Chelmsford, Sixth Day, 1824. I must send thee a line, both to acknowledge thy sweet letter vrith the grapes, and also to let thee know that our dear boy is going on as well as we coffid expect. He deshed I woffid give his love to thee, and express Ms obhgation for thy kindness to Mm : he enjoyed the grapes very much. I reraeraber that the blessed Master said, " Wliy are ye so fearfffi ? How is it that ye have no faith ?" Oh ! may Ave not cease to caU upon Him, and patiently wait for His arising, when there shaU yet be a calm. He hath often brought my soul out of adversity, and given me to rejoice in His mercy, and be glad in His salvation ; and shaU I not even again praise Hhn as the health of my countenance, and my God ? F'lrst Day, — ^May the dew of Heaven abundantly rest upon your spmts, and those of your dear clffidren ; that it may be witnessed as far surpassing aU the fatness of the earth, and render you frffitfffi unto His praise, who created us for a great and glorious purpose, even that we shoffid give unto Him glory and strength ; the glory due to His name in tffis life, and reign with Hira in joy ineffable, in the world of sphits. So dear friends fareweU. To . Chelmsford, 1824. My dear Friend, WeU, we are corae home at last (from Ireland) but we were perhaps never more sensible of the need of best gffid- ance, than relative to our retum, as to the right time and way; indeed we were detained much longer than, at one tirae, was ex pected, but not in the pursuit of temporal gratification, for of this we partook of very little during our absence ; it was in rehgious p 2 212 A selection from THE LETTERS [1824. engagements, and often in sore travail of sphit, that our time was fiUed up ; nevertheless we can acknowledge, that to be at Divine disposal is our interest as well as duty ; and although tffis excursion has cost us considerable every way, we find the retrospect produce a qffiet which is worth obtaining at its own price. I suppose youi- family circle is now complete. TMs is pleasant, especiaUy when we see the design of a temporary separation answered in a good degree. My heart's desire is for you, that, above all things, you raay seek to be coffiorraable to the Divine wffl ; for it is in pursuit of this knowledge of the power of God that we are most trffiy blessed, and made a blessing; otherwise we may raake re searches in vain for true felicity; grasping as at phantoms, and pur- sffing shadows. I long to know how it is with our Bury friends in general, and what sort of meetings you have ; whether or not the heart-tendering influence of truth is much felt among you. I hear M. E., seffior, is very ill, which awakens tender eraotions in my heart, both on her own account, and that of her sweet, amiable daughter : the feehngs of the latter must be poignant in the tMeateffing separation. Thon wilt please give my love to aU our friends around thee, and be assured I still love thee so weU, that I can ffi truth subscribe myself Thy friend, in undinuffished regard, Sarah Grubb. To . Chelmsford, Seventh Month I3th, 1834. And now for soraetMng about poor Ireland. I certainly cannot say I saw that iraproveraent wMch I looked for among the peasantry : they and their habitations looked as wretched as ever. With respect to Friends, I thought the Yearly Meeting, though much favoured, upon the whole, with the extenffings of Divine love, wMch is all-inviting, nevertheless exMbited much cause of mournmg, even beyond what I feared. Clonmel was a suffermg place to us, in visiting the immortal seed, and so was Waterford. We found less to press us down in Cork, although it is a very large meeting, and there is no nunister belonging to it now, nor any elder among the men : the living power of truth had the ascendancy in both the meetings we attended in that place ; and indeed, in each place where fiTAT. 51.J OF SARAH GRUBB. 213 we risited, it triumphed at times ; so that it was a season of renewed visitation to many, Garryroan not excepted, where the word of the Lord was hke the hghtning from the east, wMch iUuminates and breaks tMough all obstruction, to the exaltation of the Great Narae. To Mary Davis. Chehnsford, Eighth Month 1st, 1824. We may be restrained from expressing our syrapathy, even when it is strongly called forth ; and I am aware that Best Wisdom sometimes permits that outward demonstration of our feUow feeling shoffid be much Mdden from each other. How often is my mind brought into travaU for your raeeting in dear Clonmel ! The retro spect of our late visit is peacefffi, nor woffid I, as an inffividual, have avoided the suffermg and labour for any temporal advantage that might have been gamed by staying at home, although there were seasons when I seemed pressed almost beyond strength, and out of measure; and I reaUy thought, that merely as it regarded myseK, I could have been wiUing, in the Divine mind, to have laid dovra my natural IKe for the sake of Ireland, coffid it even in degree promote the gracious purposes of the Alnughty, with respect to many in that nation ; for great and glorious indeed are these pur poses. What a pity that the want of obeffience on the part of those powerfuUy called, shoffid prevent their being chosen; yet is tMs mournfuUy and conspicuously the case ; and I often fear it vriU stUl be so, because I see the Mndering things stiU prevaU, and raany are overcome of evU, instead of overcoming evil with good The cup of hfe is mingled with the bitter, as weU as the sweet ; and were it not so, we shoffid be ready to forget that this is not the place of our rest, that we are but pilgriras and strangers here below, and ought to be dffigent in seeking another and a better country of un- mterrupted bhss, where joy unspeakable and fuU of glory is the eternal portion of those who, " having come tMough much tribula tion, have washed their garments and made them white in the blood of the Lamb." Oh ! animating consideration ! Is not this worth a world of trials and a fight of affhctions to obtain ? 214 A SELECTION FROM THE LETTERS [1824. To . Chelmsford, Ninth Month, 1824. My dear Friend, The Quarterly Meeting here being now over, it seems almost time for rae to acknowledge thy kind letter, inviting us to attend that of Suffolk, to be held at Bury. Were we influenced by our affectionate feehngs alone, they woffid lead us to sit down once more among you, but chcumstanced as we are at present, there seems a propriety in our staying at home, uffiess prompted to leave it by a sense of religious duty. Nevertheless, my dear, kind friend, be assured of our interest in the weKare of those among whom we have so often experienced the overshadovring of Divine love, and for whom, in our measure, we continue to travaU; desiring that the purity and blessedness of the immutable trutii may take the place of all that stands opposed to its Divine nature. TMs large Quarterly Meeting has been a time of great exciteraent to my mind, so that I feel to want a little qffiet. We have, nevertheless, to be thankful for the renewed mercies extended in a coUective sense, for I think we may say that the meetings yesterday closed under a precious sense of the goodness and power of om- blessed Master. With love to thee and tMne, I remain. Thy affectionate friend, Sarah Grubb. To . Chelmsford, prolally 1824. Dear Eriend, Let rae just say that I do not forget thee, and that my desire is for thy advancement and establishment in Divine grace, seeing that is not Mce this mutable world, but ever enduring in its nature, and soul-satisfying. Now, if we come to a holy settlement in the truth, it must be by obedience keeping pace with knowledge, for we cannot of ourselves choose the time for offering the sacrffice of the natm-al wffi, in those tMngs which may be pleasing to the flesh, any more than Saffi coffid meet Divine acceptance by sparing the best of the sheep and the oxen, to sacrffice in Gilgal, instead of where and when the Lord commanded him ; so see that thou be jETAT. 51,] OF SARAH GRUBB. ' 215 faithfffi in whatever may be manifested to thee in the hght of Christ, that in tffis hght thou mayest come to see more hght, and that thy example may shine forth to the bringing others to glorify the Name of Him who is worthy to be honoured with aU we have and are. We have had many trying circumstances since I saw thee, dear , but my faitii is not shaken vrith respect to our coming to tMs place in the wffl of our Great Master ; and it is a mercy to be enabled to rejoice m His salvation when outward tMngs look gloomy, and to know that He maketh the feet hke Mnds' feet, to run the ways of His requhffigs I remain affectionately. Thy sincere friend, S, Grubb. To . 1824. Dear and precious cMld, what a favour it is to be, as it were, singled out, as one pecffiiarly tried and sifted, that so, the precious bemg separated enthely from that wffich vriU not endure the fire or the sieve, the Lord's own works may abundantly praise Him, and the soffi be effiarged in capacity for hving joy, in pro portion to its sufferings. How often does my mmd deshe for thee the meekness of Dirine vrisdom, in every varied feeling, that, en- durmg hardness as a good solffier of Jesus CMist, thou mayest be- ¦come increasingly valiant for His Name ; not that I woffid have any of us suppose, that because we have been brought tMough ffie or water, we therefore know anytMng, save by the fresh unfolffings of trath ; but K there be a continffing in CMist, then is there also a waring stronger and stronger in His Name, unto His own glory, who is aU m aU. Somehow, in thinking of thee, a few words of James Naylor's occurred to my remembrance. I refer thee to Sewel's History, where thou mayest find him speaking to tMs effect : — " There is a spirit that I feel, that delights to endure aU tMngs, in hope to enjoy its own m the end. It sees to the end of aU temptations ; its crown is meekness ; its hfe is everlasting love unfeigned ; it keeps its king dom by lowliness of mind in God alone; it can rejoice though none else regard it, or own its IKe." Please to take notice, that when I thought of these things, I had not recoUected reaffing the passage for years. 216 A SELECTION FROM THE LETTERS [1825. To . Chehnsford, Tenth Month Uh, 1824. We are now about going out a little to visit sorae of the meetings constituting tMs Quarterly Meeting. There is much of a dead calm wMch overspreads our meetings, and which sometimes the power of trath rises superior to, whUst at other seasons it contmues throughout, to the great grief of the minds of those who are dihgent in labour. Oh for some old- fasMoned Friends' meetmgs ! To . Eleventh Month llth, 1824. [After aUuffing to iUness in her family] — Thus it is per mitted that we shoffid be tossed vrith tempest but I hope agamst hope, for I can appeal to the Searcher of hearts, that we have deshed to do His wffl (even perfectly) here on earth, as it is done in heaven, and have counted notMng too near to part with, to foUow the leaffings of His Holy Spirit ; so that surely He wffi not now utterly forsake us, though " He raaketh the clouds His chariot, and walketh upon the wings of the wind." To Chelmsford, First Month \6th, 1825. Having been favoured to get tMough the fanffiy visit in tMs meeting, I seem more at liberty to talk a httle in tMs way, than whUe under the weight of that iraportant engagement I was able to be at meeting to-day, wMch proved to be the vrind ing up tirae after the visit to individuals. I rather looked for it tMs day week, but no way opened. To-day the key of David was knovra to uffiock the gates, wMch, without Him who alone has tffis key, must remain insuperably closed. I do not tlunk, my dear friend, that our being here at present, can be any other than in the providence of the Most High, for not- withstanffing the many trials with wMch we have been assaUed, there seems a settled persuasion, ever since we came, that our steps were not directed to tMs spot by our own understanffing ; besides, our serrice for the Lord hes much tMs way. How long it may continue iETAT.' 52.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 217 to be the wffl of our Heavenly Father to permit the same feehngs to attend us, I trast we desire not to know, for it iU becomes us to take thought for the morrow What shoffid we do but for the humble hope that the Eather of mercies takes cognizance of His poor creatures every raoraent, and dhects all the occurrences to wMch we are subject, for our good ? AU our love awaits thee ; mine especiaUy to thy dear partner, for whom I continue to travaU that he may be enabled to have Ms attention primarily turned to improring Ms Lord's raoney ; that the answer of "weU done" may be joyfuUy received in its fffiness at last, as weU as in measure now. Do salute Mm for me in the Lord. To Martha King. Colchester, Second Month, 1825. I assure thee, my dear friend, it is no hght thing to be a member of Chehnsford Meeting, which is large and interesting : there are, indeed, burdens to bear, something hke standing in Jordan with the weight of the ark upon the shoffiders, untU the people pass over. Our late visit to the families was attended vrith relief : the Lord revealed His power and sphit from time to time, so that the authority and love of the Gospel made its own way, and was gener aUy in some degree of domiffion ; and some of the succeeffing meet ings have been Mghly favoured, the contriting infiuence of truth spreading and prevaffing over aU. We have also visited many other meetings in tffis county, in aU which I think we raay say Ancient Goodness was near, so that the miffistry of the word flowed to the people hke a living stream. It woffid now seera as if I had written fine tMngs with respect to our getting on, but oh ! I often feel left to a sense of my own nothingness, in a raanner raore humiliating and depressing than I can teU thee. It is the Lord's power that I vrish to magnKy, and K I glory, it is in my iiffirmities. To : . Chelmsford, Third Month 1th, 1825. I ara persuaded thou hast not been without thy share of sorrow since we parted, but T trust the language of the Great Master to His disciples forraerly, may apply — " Ye shaU be sorrowfffi, but your sorrow shaU be turned into joy ;" " and your joy no raan taketh ai8 A SELECTION FROM THB LETTERS [1825. from you." So it is worth being a partaker of the sufferings of CMist, to have tMs joy that He giveth, in its fuU frffition, to all eternity ; but not only in the end of time is it the portion of the righteous, a foretaste is given now, and is as a brook by the way, replenishing the weary traveller, and giving fresh vigour to run the race set before us. Say not, my dear sister, that tMs brook is closed to thee through thine unwortMness, but remember that even the seeking, panting soffi, is permitted to feel sometMng hke the tongue failing for thirst, yet, in the raoment of extreraity, the proraise comes to be fffiffiled, " I the Lord wffl hear thera, I the God of Israel wUl not forsake them ; I wiU open rivers in high places, and fountains in the midst of the vaUeys ; I VAdU make the wUderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water." Surely He who sees the integrity of thy heart, wiU give thee to be one of those who inherit Liis promises ; therefore lift up thy head in hope, and doubt not but the very feeble endeavours of thy nund are accepted by our gracious Creator, To . Chelmsford, FouHh Month 8th, 1825, I can remember nervous suffering so severe as is by no means to be described : I tried hard to lean on the bosom of the Lord Jesus (who was for our sakes a man of sorrows once, in a body of flesh) and, tMough His mercy, I ffid obtain a httle quiet, but how transient, how momentary was the rest ! Ah ! it was permitted to be interrupted by that part in wMch our poor soffis groan, being in bondage, and longing to be ddivered; " not for that we woffid be unclothed, but clothed upon." To . Chelmsford, Fourth Month 2Uh, 1825, Thy little note is sweet to me ; it breathes unabated love and true friendship I hope thou, my dear friend, mayest, in a few months (may I not say weeks ?) have to be thankful for another precious gift added to those already sent, and for thy health being mercifully preserved, I wish this joy for thee and thy dear partner (in submission to the Divine wffl) even as I shoffid for my own near relatives. It is said in Scripture that chUdren are " an heritage of the Lord ;" so then He sends them that we may be en- JiTAT. 52.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 219 riched hereby; and when we consider that they are beings designed for eternal glory, shoffid we not, even in tMs view of the subject, account it an honour to be entrusted vrith them, besides the use which they may be of in their passage tMough time, both in civU and rehgious hfe ? AU these tlungs ought to cheer thee, my dear friend, who hast so many blessings, and who, I know, desirest to number them with reverent hunuhty before Hhn from whom aU good comes. There is a Bible Meeting now sitting in Chelmsford : it will be well if both speakers and hearers aU mind what that good book tells them, and then they wffl not be of those who say, " Lord, Lord, open to us, for we have done mighty works in thy name," but who, for want of coffiormity to the Divine nund, are not acknowledged, after aU, by the Lord of hfe and glory I do indeed, ray dear friend, feel deeply interested in the happiness of your dear , which happiness we know depends npon an obeffient atten tion to the secret caU of the Heavenly Father, wluch saith, " My son, give rae thy heart." We who are parents are often raade sen sible that tffis obeffience is an act which we can in no wise perform for our dear chUdren, but let us pour forth our prayers that the -Ahnighty may be pleased to draw them with the strong cords of His love, that they raay feel powerfffi inducements to be His, by unre served dedication. I feel sometimes a httle encouraged to hope that our intercession is acceptable, and that, in consequence, the Eather of mercies does visit our offspring by His special grace. To . Stockwell, Fifth Month 2lst, 1825. In the ffist sitting of the Yearly Meeting, dear Martha Smith was enabled to supphcate that the Divine presence woffid be with us : her offering was evidently the means of bringing solemnity over the meeting, and I reaUy think it continued to the close of that sitting, which thou vrilt join me in acknowledging was a good begin ning to the Yearly Meeting ; and I believe that many do feel tins to be an uncoraraonly stiU time, and much favoured Yesterday I was at DevonsMre House. The meeting held about three hours, and was a highly favoured season. Many not of our Society attended : the doctrines of the Gospel were clearly and largely opened, and trath ffid appear to be over aU. 220 A SELECTION FROM THE LETTERS [1825. To . Chelmsford, Sixth Month 1st, 1825. The Yearly Meeting was, on the whole, a time of much favour, even to thanksgivmg and praise. I was often put in raind, frora what I felt, of the ancient, corapassionate, and raoving lan guage of the Heavenly Father, respecting His people forraerly — " Is Ephraira my dear son ? Is he a pleasant cMld ? for since I spake against Mm I do earnestly reraember hira stffl ; therefore my bowels are troubled for Mm ; I wiU surely have mercy upon Mra, saith the Lord." To . How often is it the case, that in endeavouring to foUow the leaffings of truth, and to do the Dirine vrill, we find the verity of the declaration, " Ye have need of patience ;" raay we be enabled to keep the word of patience stffi, for I beheve tMs to be the way for us to be kept in the hour of temptation, wMch does corae, and must come, even to try all that dwell upon the face of the earth. There were two visits to the Men's Meeting (during the Yearly Meeting) and, what is singular, I was present at each ; for in the ffist instance, dear Martha Sraith, of Doncaster, proposed my going vrith her, and the second was a visit that I had to pay to our bretMen near their conclusion ; both tended to my rehef, for my exercise was great, and in the ffist I was vritness to the overflowing cup of dear M. S. in an extraordinary manner. I want to say a httle of this Eriend. She was about five years in a low state of nund, which she described in the Select Meeting, as darkness blacker than that of midnight ; and said that the dragon's mouth was wide open to swal low her up, so that no language coffid be found sufficiently appro priate to set forth the ffistress she was in ; and that in a moment the light broke forth, dispeUed all her gloom, and she coffid sing Allelffia to the Lord God and the Larab, her great and mighty De- hverer. I have been with M. S. sometimes, out of raeeting, whfle in London, when she was also hke a vessel that must have vent to declare of the Lord's goodness and power, and to invite aU to par take thereof. Strange as it might seem for me to go twice to visit our brethren, especiaUy as I was much opened and enlarged the first time, I could not rest without making the attempt the second time; MTAT. 52.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 221 and indeed it was qffite a ffifferent thing from the first, for it was speaking to those who had been witness to the goodness of the Ahnighty during the Yearly Meeting, and to some hunffieds who were added to the number there when I went before. Oh ! it was a soleran tirae indeed: there came such an awfffi silence over that large assembly, and under this it separated — ^praised be the Lord ! To A YOUNG Friend. Sixth Month Uh, 1825. I am comforted in knovring that Dirine Providence has been pleased to give thee the continual feast wluch a contented raind affords, and I hope thou art favoured often to feel His good presence to be near thee, who is thy Heaveffiy Eather, " in whose presence is fulness of joy; at whose right hand there are pleasures for ever more ;" not mdeed hke the fadmg pleasures of this transitory world, but ever enduring in theh nature, and soffi-satisfying. I beheve thy tender nund has sometimes felt it to be so, and that thou art not vrithout understanding, in some degree, of what I now write ; and I vrish to encourage thee to wait upon the iUmighty, to experience His goodness and power to be near thee, wMch wffi more than make up for aU thy trials, my dear chUd ; and so He vriU give thee of His Holy Sphit, stffl more and more to enable thee to serve Him ffi thy day ; yea, K thou seek Him, He vriU dignKy thee, and make thee as the "King's daughter, aU glorious vritMn;" and thou vrilt have to acknowledge that all the deahngs of the Most High vrith His cMlffien are in vrisdora and raercy ; and in leaming to put thy trust in Hun, thou vrilt know that everlasting strength and aU- sufficiency are with Hira, the Lord. To Chelmsford, Eighth Month 3Uh, 1825. The most deshable state of mind before the Eather of mercies is that of true contrition, for He hath said through His prophet, " I dwell in the high and holy place ; with him also that is of a contrite and humble sphit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to rerive the heart of the contrite ones." Trials we must have in tMs world, and what a favour it is, when they tend to unite us more closely to Him who, for our sakes, 222 A selection from the letiers [1825. becarae a man of sorrows, and was acquainted vrith grief; whose life exMbited a perfect pattern of true humility, and subraission to the wiU of the Father. Surely it is they who have fellowship with Him in suffering, who shaU reign with Hira ; being even joint heirs in His unspeakable glory. Oh ! adorable raercy, vouchsafed to poor, unworthy raan ! How does the thought of such infinite love melt our hearts ! To . Chelmsford, Eighth Month 3lst, 1825. My dear Friend, I ara glad thou coffidst write me so conKortable and kind a letter as I received the other day from thy pen ; I say comfortable, for I thought it breathed a disposition to be dhected and supported by the unerring, all-sufficient principle vritli which thou art not un acquainted, as being in us a moffitor and gffide : that thou art low and afraid of raissing thy way I ara not sorry for, thinking these feelings may induce thee to cry the more mightily unto the Fffiness of Strength, where no sincere soffi supphcates in vain. I dreamed lately that thou wast indeed low, and felt the need of an assurance that thou wast one of those who so run as to obtain. I wish it may be so. Eemember, my dear friend, that " the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the -strong," but the persevering soul, or those who hold out to the end, shall be saved. Oh ! that, thou and thy dear husband may be rauch acquainted vrith the waiting state to which the promise is, they " shall renew theh strength ; they shaU mount upward with wings as eagles, they shaU run and not be weary, they sliaU walk and not faint." Dearly fareweU, saith Thy affectionate friend, S. Grubb. To HER children. Hereford, Ninth Month lUh, 1825. I often think of you, my beloved chUdren, in looking round at the beautiful scenery as we ride along, in this county and Worcestershire; almost wishing you coffid set your eyes upon it. About Malvern it is dehghtfffi. I reraeraber being on sorae of those Mgh Mils before I was married, and writmg to Clonmel about it. iETAT. 52.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 223 when I related how our company sat dovm on the grass, and bad to adore the Author of the visible creation, wMle we admired His works. I tMnk it hkely we raay have a meeting here to-morrow, in a great new town-liaU. Eichard Burlingham and wife, from Evesham, are with us. I hope you wffl be a little fanuly of love, and the God of love be with you, my dear cMldren. We must learn to bear trying feelings, even the sense of our own fraUty, with patience, and in a humble hope for a perfect change of heart. So fareweU, aU of you, saith your affectionate mother, S. G. To THE SAME. Charlbury, Ninth Month 2Uh, 1825. The public meetmg was held at Bhnungham, to our cora fort, it being a living, powerfffi time. Many friends at Birmingham recoUected my forraer labours ffi and about that place ; and raany, whose corapany I had in those days, both in and out of meeting, came to shake hands with me, on seeing me again, expressing their love, and saying they were much pleased ; indeed my hand was qffite sweUed with taking so many of theirs. I do try to comrait you into the good hand of an Almighty Being, behevmg that what He per mits is for our real benefit. EareweU, my dear cMlffien. To . Chelmsford, Tenth Month Uh, 1825. I know that the tiraes of refreshing are worth waiting for, and I am not ffisposed to work myseK up into a behef, that because I have been engaged in so solemn and sacred a work as the mmistry, I must therefore of course be sensible of heavenly con solation, immediately on my retreat as from the awfffi field of battle. To . Chelmsford, Twelfth Month Uh, 1825. What a long tirae it is since I coraraunicated a word to thee in this way, but not so in sphit, for my mind is with thee more often than the day; indeed it often seems to me, that I travaU with thee in some degree, and of late feel more easy about thee, than was 224 A SELECTION FROM THE LETTERS [1825. the case some time ago ; for even when it was not with me to send anytMng by way of letter, I thought thou wast in a situation wMch felt to thyself to be that of hourly jeopardy, and my heart has been hfted up in prayer to thy God and mine, that, for His Name's sake. He woffid be pleased to help thee with a little help, yea, to encom pass thee by His own omnipotence, that nothiug might either harm or hinder thee. Now I feel encouraged to hope that thou mayest adopt the language, " In aU these things we are made more than conquerors tMough Hira that hath loved ns, and given Himself for us." Be thou therefore strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might, even when tMne own weakness is present with thee ; and hope against hope, for the trial of our faith is more precious than of gold that perisheth. Poor ! His death put me in nund of Jane Pearson's address — " Lord, the vrickedness of man is great," and the reply — " My mercy is greater." To My dear Friend, Chelmsford, Twelfth Month 2Uh, 1825. It is gratKying to me to be assured of thy con- tinned affectionate reraerabrance, and I can assure thee that I have not forgotten to love thee, nor to deshe for thee every good that our all Arise Benefactor sees raeet ; and may the same blessing be vrith aU thine. It is pleasant that thy dear husband and thyseK coffid attend the late Quarterly Meeting, and more so, that you had to experience true .profit therein : may you raore and more eye the leaffings of truth, even in all things; counting notlung too near or dear to give up for its sake; so vriU you be increasmgly blessed, and made a blessing. Ah ! my friend, what wiU all the world be to us in a little time, when we must answer to the solemn inquhy, " What hast thou done vrith thy Lord's money?" when having faitMuUy occupied with our talents will prove of infinite and everlasting advantage to us. But it was not vrith a view of writing thus that I took my pen, yet we ought to endeavour to "provoke one another to love and to good works." I ara not sorry that thou canst mourn the want of more Dirine hfe and energy among your httle corapany. I can be lieve that you often sit low, but dig deep, and persevere in labouring; JEVAT. 53.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 225 so wffl the inexhaustible source be opened from time to time, to the refreshment of the weary soul EareweU ray dear friend, and beheve me to be, as ever. Thy affectionate and gratefffi friend, S. Grubb. To Martha King. Second Month Uth, 1826. A letter received yesterday prepared us for the moumfffi tidings wMch carae this raorffing. You know that we do and must feel for you, but the consolation of so fuU an assurance that the sanctified, redeemed sphit, for ever rests in the Lord, cannot fail to mitigate even thy sufferings, in the loss of one who was given thee for a compaffion, by the mighty hand of Jehovah. I need not say much now, hoping to see thee. I had been much vrith you in mind, for two or three days before the affecting inteUigence arrived; and the very raorning it came, I had thought I woffid write to thee. I waited in deep rethement two or tMee times that day, and could come at nothing more than a sense of sweet qffiet ; so I said in ray heart, the wffi of the Lord be done ; in hfe or death, aU is weU. EareweU, my very dear friend; my sphit commends thee to Him who is a strength to the needy ffi theh distress. To . Chelmsford, Third Month 26th, 1826. Although ffistance by sea, as weU as land, separates us in person, I trust we sometiraes commune together in spirit, raeeting at the feet of our Divine Master, who is omffipresent ; beseeching Him on behalf of each other, as well as on our own account, that He may preserve us by His power, and pour the consolations of His love into our soffis in His ovra time, which is ever the best time. Thou speaks of being rauch distressed at times, and even that it is seldom thy lot to experience dehght, by being brought into the presence of thy soffi's Beloved, where there reraains to be fuMess of joy, and at whose right hand are those pleasures wMch endure for ever ; yet, my dear, I hope the everlasting arms are un derneath, to sustain thee in aU thy painfffi feehngs, and that having to drink deeply of "the wormwood and the gaU," thou mayest pro fitably remember it in days of less suffering, and be able to strengthen 226 A SELECTION FROM THE LETTERS [1826 and encourage others to take the cup of salvation as it is offered, and to caU npon that mighty Name wMch is thy confidence. And now, haring but little instrumental aid, it is my hope that thy stand ing may be the more Mm, even upon the Mount Zion wMch cannot be removed. Oh ! how tenderly do I feel for thee, being situated as thou art, and caUed to so great a work ; yea, my heart yearns toward thee ffi the love of our dear Eedeemer, to whose safe keeping and succour I am engaged to commend thee, and indeed thy dear sisters too. E. is as "the King's daughter, aU glorious vritMn:" it is said of such an one, her raiment is of wrought gold. Oh ! saith my soffi, raay the King of kings ffigffify you more and more Arith this clotMng, wMch none can bestow but HimseK; and may you thus erince yourselves to be of those in and tMough whom His works praise Him ! Ah ! He is worthy, my dear cMlffien, that aU we have and are shoffid be dedicated to His honour, aU the days of our IKe. To . Chelmsford, Fifth Month 1st, 1826, The funeral of our late worthy friend, M, P., was largely attended. It is a happy release to the dear departed, whose purified sphit was no doubt fffily prepared to jom the triumphant Church in those realms of glory, too dazzling for ns whflst inhabitants of these fraU tabernacles. It is conKorting that some of the dear youth ¦ promise, by theh deffication, to fffl the places of mdiriduals who rest from theh labour. I seldom can speak of enjoyment, when retreating from my feeble efforts for the exaltation of the great and glorious cause of uffiversal righteousness, but I am content in the Lord's vriU, He is, in His ovra due time, a rich rewarder. To London, Fifth Month, 1826. Oh ! my dear, I may teU thee that the Ancient Glory has indeed descended amongst us in different meetmgs, and the Most High has been for a sphit of judgment in a remarkable manner. There are many ffice young people at tMs Yearly Meeting. It seems, vrith us and you, a pecffiiar tirae of favour to this class, and of pouring out of the heavenly anointing in the miffisterial gKt. iETAT. 53.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 227 To . Chelmsford, Sixth Month 6th, 1826. I take the pen to comply vrith thy kmd request to be in formed how I got tiirough my visit to . Fhst day forenoon was very exhausting to me, the meetmg at DevonsMre House being rather long and exercismg, and then I went imraeffiately to the man's house, and kinffiy accorapanying rae. He readily admitted us, although he was up-stahs on the bed. He seemed fuU of talk : I requested him to be stffl, and then cleared my mind to Mm, and immeffiately after rethed, vrithout any further conversation. I was enabled to speak very plaiffiy, and in an awfffi stram, so that I hoped he felt what I dehvered, as a warffing to pre pare for Ms latter end. Be assured, ray dear friend, that ray mind is frequently turned toward thee, and thy beloved partner in hfe, deshmg that every painful feehng may be blessed to you, and tMough you, by your be coming more and more the Lord's servants, as I assureffiy beheve to be His design. You are increasingly dear to me I trust, in that wMch endureth, even when the joys and sorrows of time shaU termi nate for ever. I hope you were comforted together by the visit of Isaac Stephen son and Ms anoiable consort. To . Chelmsford, Seventh Month 1th, 1826. It is a great and awfffi tMng to be a vessel moring in Hira who is the " glorious Lord, the place of broad rivers and streams, wherein goeth no gaUey with oars, neither doth gallant sMp pass thereby." To A YOUNG Friend. Chelmsford, Eighth Month 13th, 1826. I assure thee, my dear chUd, that many tiraes my soffi commends thee to Him who is everywhere present ; and strong are my breatMngs to Him, the Lord, for thee, that thy mind may be endued vrith grace to enable thee to keep those good resolutions wMch I know thou hast formed, but wffich Dirine power alone can fuMl. q2 228 A SELECTION FROM THE LETTERS [1826. I hear there has been a very nice letter from that dear, worthy American, Isaac Hammer. I ffid not doubt but Ms Divine, aU- gracious Master woffid be with him, for he seemed to me to be in pure deffication to His call, and with the eye of the mind continuaUy turned to the heavenly anointmg. To Chelmrford, Eighth Month I8th, 1826. And now let me say that I rauch hope none of the things that are from without, move thee from the stedfastness which is in CMist Jesus our Lord ; may they rather have a tendency to give thee to stand more ffiraly on this invincible Eock ; raay you indi viduaUy experience the truth of that scripture, " They that trust in the Lord shall be as Mount Zion, which cannot be removed." How wonderfuUy has the Almighty dealt with you ! He has not with held His chastiseraents, that you raight know you were His by adoption ; neither hath the washing-pool been closed, whereby you might be presented a fit offering unto Himself, prepared as clean vessels to receive of the holy tMngs which pertain to His kingdom; and how hath He, your Heavenly Eather, borne up the ffiooping spirit, when some of you have been ready to faint ! May you not then weU say, " The Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song ; He also is become my salvation;" and doth He not reqffire that there sbould be a vrilhngness to show forth His salvation, in His own way, accorffing to the pointing of His heaveffiy anointing ? To Chelmsford, Ninth Month 2nd, 1826. I have thought, for sorae days, when looking toward you, how greatly the Psalmist was tried many times, and how he always found refuge in the Lord his God. One time I think he says, " Turn Thee unto me, and have mercy upon me ; for I am desolate and afflicted. The troubles of my heart are enlarged : oh bring Thou me out of my distresses. Look upon mme affliction and my pain." I believe that the same everlasting Source of sufficiency wiU hear and answer your prayers, my dear cousins ; and again my soffi fer vently commends you, inffividuaUy, unto Him. WeU, my dear, let us aU look beyond secondary causes of trouble, JETAT. 53.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 229 perplexity, and outward loss, to Him who can turn them aU into blessing; who hath His way in the clouds, and in the tffick dark ness; so wffl His righteousness be revealed in His own time, when He wffl give us to offer to Him the tribute of thanksgiving, and we shaU learn more and more to trust ffi His holy narae, who is worthy for ever and ever. Amen. To . Same date. I remember a tirae when I was under raost trying feehngs, when my soffi ffistinctly heard a language hke this, " Have patience ;" and with it, as I turned to the voice wffich spake, my mind was enabled to sink down into resignation and quiet ; wUhug that the creature should be mortified and brought into the dust, wMcli is so neeffiul for us, that, in aU tMngs, the etemal power of truth may be set up and magnffied. To . Chelmsford, probably 1826. My dear Friend, By some mistake I find we have brought away a pocket handkercMef, wMch I conclude belongs to thee; surely thou mayest suppose it needfffi to have an eye to us next time we corae ; but are we not (to use an Irish pMase) Jwnest thieves, as we return the goods ? It is pleasant to take a little retrospective view of our late turn-out araong our friends : I do not love you any the less for it ; indeed I have a hope that sorae of you are rather nearer in union with that Spirit, which brings the ffisciples of a crucified Master into the eternal feUowship of hght and of hfe ; which notMng here below is of itseK able to dissolve. Let us aU endeavour to raake stiU further progress in tffis happy experience, by stanffing fuUy open to the Divme mind in aU tMngs I subscribe myseK Thy — your affectionate friend, Sarah Grubb.. 230 A selection from THE letters [1827. To A YOUNG Friend. Chelmrford, First Month llth, 1827. None of us ever come to be weU-grounded in righteous ness, but by tribulation ; and I weU know there are times when we seem to be alone in what we feel, tMnking no one ever was intro duced into sinular* ffistress : tMs is in order that we may cleave closely to the Almighty as our Friend, and not look too much out ward. Surely He who, in the days of His personal appearance araong men, carried our sorrows and bore our griefs, is pleased to care for thee, and designs that thou shoffidst know Hhn in the character of Comforter as weU as Sariour. I harffiy need tell thee that my mind is mnch vrith thee, greatly deshing that that good work wffich is begun ffi thy heart, may be carried on and completed, to thy enduring consolation, and the glory of the Great Name. To ONE OF HER CHILDREN. Chelmsford, First Month 3Qth, 1827. I vrished thy dear father to write to thee this time, but he told me he knew not what to say, and he thought once a-week qffite too often for us to write. Thy father and I fimshed the famUy risit here last Eirst day, havmg paid sixty- six visits, besides the ffiriding of many famffies, where they had servants and apprentices. We tMnk it may be right to sit vrith the famihes of the other two meet ings wMch belong to the MontMy Meeting Eemember, my love, that the more the capacity is effiarged to suffer, the more joy also it can receive when the night of sorrow is past; when the happy morning of dehght dawns upon the mind. WhUe I vrish thee to be resigned to the deahngs of thy Heavenly Father with thee, it is also my desire that thou vrilt not unnecessarily give way to distress. Eemember that fear hath torment, and cast it off, possessing sometMng of a holy indifference as to what may be thought of thee, save by Hhn who knows the heart. We must even be content that good people shoffid not Mgffiy esteera us. May Dirine corapassion and love be vrith my dear cMld, saith her affec tionate mother. ^TAT. 54.] OP SARAH GRUBB. 231 To Martha King. Fourth Month I3th, 1827. I find I must be satisfied with the faUure of these bodUy facffities, sight, hearing, &c. : the poor tenement gives way, but sometiraes I see, with an eye of faith, as " tMough a glass darkly," sometMng in store, ever-enduring in its nature ; a life wMcli lives tMough death ; facffities of the immortal part, wffich, instead of de caying, mcrease ffi vigour ; endowed vrith capacity to know and enjoy Hhn who was, and is, and is to come — the Author and Source of every good ; and then agam I know notlung, and am in a state of trembhng, and abhor myseK most trffiy. To London, Fifth Month, 1827. I beheve that none can fffily comprehend the ffistressing feehngs of one dafly sinking under inffisposition, but those who are the hnmeffiate subjects of it ; yet I know that your minds partake, in no common degree, vrith the object of your tender sohcitude, in her sufferings. I hope, however, that you experience the support of those everlastmg arms, wMch are ever underneath in time of trouble, for the strength of the Lord's tribffiated cMlffien, whereby their heads, as it were, are kept above the bffiows. May He who pitieth those who fear Him, comfort and strengthen your hearts ; even He who, m the riches of His mercy, vriU vouchsafe to be the portion of your dear sister for ever. Oh ! I do humbly trust that the God of aU grace is very near to you now ; that He wffl be more to you than you can ask. How often does my spirit commend you aU into the holy arras of His protection, yea, and salvation ! He reraains to be a Eather to the fatherless, and a Eriend that adheres more closely to His humble, subnussive ones, than the nearest outward connections ean do. To . London, Fifth Month, 1827. TMs morffing the women's meeting-house has been weU fiUed, without much crowdmg ; and I tMnk there is some cause to hope that the great Legislator, to whom many of us look, even as the 232 A selection from the letters [1827. eye of the servant to his master, has not tumed away from ns as a people, but is stiU ffisposed to do us good. It is indeed by a surrender of our aU to the Lord, that some of us can be prepared to attend this annual solemnity with any degree of courage, such as we ought to feel, K soldiers of Jesus Christ. Great is the exercise of my poor mind, as in former tiraes at Yearly Meet ing ; yet when I can see tffings going on well, I am repaid for aU. It seems to me that* the Woraen's Meeting has increased in weight. We seera, at times, pernutted to dweU a little under a sense of that want of sphituality wMch prevaUs in individuals, in too general a. way, and consequently in our lesser meetings scattered over the counties ; but K I ara favoured with anytMng of true discerning, the Great Master is pleased to bless the uffited exercise of those who are engaged in a secret travaU after the resurrection of the ancient and everlasting life of trutii ; so that this well springs up again and again, to the watering of the flock. Oh ! blessed be Jehovah ! Our rainistry wants correcting in raany instances, yea, purging : the Lord do the work, saith my soul, or else tMs glory of true, living gospel ministry, may withdraw raore and more, and reach the moun tain hard by, instead of spreading and prevailing araong us, so as to induce those not immediately of our outward fold, who nevertheless are gifted to preach CMist, to come and say, " Let us be called by thy name." The Lord wiU send forth His word in the earth with authority, " ffi the deraonstration of the Spirit," and it shall reach the heart, whether the ear of man be gratified, yea or nay. But let me not forget that the blessed anointing is pouring out in tMs day, on the chUdren of our Society, so that some of them cannot hold theh peace ; which shows how unwffling Divme mercy and wisdom is, to remove the crown of righteousness and of true simplicity, wherewith He hath, vrith His own hand, crowned His people ; and I have thought, during tMs Yearly Meeting, it may yet be said, "Who is hke unto thee?" as applying to our coraraunity: indeed aU who erabrace the Gospel receive the sarae unction which we pro fess to wait for, and to be ffifluenced by ; and the testimonies of this Gospel are as irarautable as itself. I trerable for the future sittings of the Yearly Meeting as it regards myseK, a poor, burdened creature; but K the Lord and His truth be exalted, it is enough. MTAT. 54,] OF SARAH GRUBB, 233 To Mary Davis. London, Fifth Month 2Uh, 1827. What a blessed thing it woffid be if should be come eminently separated unto the Great Master and His glorious cause ! Tffis is never the case, but tMough peculiar suffering. We have been rather on the watch for information of the release of our precious Elizabeth Moore : a happy change I fully believe it avUI be for her ; and the raore she has been buried with Christ by baptism into death, the more gloriously will she reign with Him, her Saviour. How trffiy comforting it is to my best feelings, to think of this dear child of heaven, wffich I have long done much more often than the day. Thy account of dear is reviving and precious. Oh ! may the unslumbering Shepherd watch over her by day and by night ; enabling her to meditate in His Divine law through each, even in the night of adversity and in the sunsMne of joy ; and may she be eminently quahfied to caU others home to Him, the Lord. On fourth day raorning we raet as a Yearly Meeting. Yesterday the summary of the answers was brought in. WhUe we have these statements, which give the Yearly Meeting to understand how things are among us, as to the outside, I feel desirous that we may get down to that heavenly source of inteUigence, by which we may be able to feel what conffition we are in, as a religious Society, with respect to an advancement in the trutii ; and so be prepared to sym pathize and render sorae true aid to the body, whfle we prostrate ourselves in the presence of Jehovah, vrith whom is everlasting strength. Vocal labour has often devolved upon me : I am sensible of the effects of such exertion on my lungs, but I consider it a great favour to be anointed for the solemn work of the rainistry; yea, I magnKy raine office, whUe I feel that to me belongs blusMng and coffiusion of face. To . Dover, Sixth Month 2Uh, 1827. Thy kind letter has been forwarded to this place. We came off sooner than was at ffist intended, as I found myseK so de bilitated that I lost all prospect of attending our Quarterly Meeting ; mdeed the use of my hmbs seemed fast leaving me, nor have I yet recovered from the pain and weakness wMch the fatigue of attending 234 A SELECTION FROM THE LETTERS [1827. Yearly Meetmg appeared to produce, although considerably improved vritMn the last few days. The situation of the house we lodge ffi is most beautifiU; haring a fffil view of the sea, the scene is ever varying. .Another fanffiy is here, occupying the dravring room, &c. Last Ehst day they came to the afternoon meetmg, bringmg one or two vrith them. They told me they understood I spoke in our meetings, and they and some of theh friends vrished to hear me. I replied that our meeting house doors were always open for any who pleased to give us theh company ; that our meetings were often held in sUence ; that I coffid not say it would not be so when they came, for we waited upon the Lord, and K we felt anytMng arise in our hearts to speak, behering that He woffid be vrith us in what we had to say, then we spoke; othervrise we considered it right to refrain from words. They, how ever, came, and I was engaged in the ministry a considerable time At Eochester, being there on a Fhst day, and some not of our Society commg in, I think I had to speak altogether, morffing and eveffing, more than tMee hours. That was to have been a day of rest, but it proved one of much exhaustion of strength, as to the body ; yet I can say that the Lord is worthy to be served, even vrith our latest breath. To Chelmsford, Eighth Month 26th, 1827. It has been trying to my feehngs, so long to vrithhold a word of sympathy in this way, since the removal of our precious Ehzabeth ; I trust, however, that you are inffividuaUy assured that my heart is deeply sensible of the poignancy of that suffering wMoh has been yours, under so proving a ffispensation, and the chasm wMch stffl continuaUy presents itseK; but when we consider the weight of glory wMch the dear departed inherits to aU eterffity, in the room of shackles, often hard to bear, from a decaymg mortal frame, shaU we not rejoice and give thanks ? ever adoring the name of Him who was her invisible strength, sometimes her song, and who, in the riches of His grace, ffid become her salvation for ever. iETAT. 54.] OP SARAH GRUBB. 235 To HER Brother. Chelmsford, Eleventh Month 6th, 1827. My dearest Brother, I do not hke to omit addressmg thee vrith a hne or two, K it is offiy to say that I tMnk much of thee, with sisterly affection : we are separated in person, but I trust uffited in sphit ; going on, as it were, hand in hand, in the tribffiated path wMch terminates in everlastffig rest : how sweet wffl be that rest, seeing it is prepared and bestowed by Him who hath washed us in His own blood, and given us to have feUowsMp vrith Him and the Father ! I hurably hope that I am not in a presumptuous sphit, whUe writing these hnes ; being weU assured, that K we partake of the rest prepared for the people of God, it is aU of His free raercy. That I sympathize vrith thee, my brother, is no marvel; I have sometMng of the sarae feehngs (wMch are of a trymg nature) both ffi body and mind, being greatly depressed, at times, vrith infirmity : tMs complamt, wffich pervades the system, affects my nerves very much ; I often fear, too, lest it shoffid put on the form it once ffid, when I was brought near to the grave ; but why fear ? it is the flesh which sMinks from such ex treme suffermg ; besides, I think my constitution now is so weak ened, that there woffid be no probabUity of my sustainmg such an attack ; but I wdU endeavour not to anticipate, offiy to stand ffisposed to meet the Heavenly Father's will, who doth aU thmgs right. Perhaps thou art aware that my dear husband and myseK are engaged, at times, ffi holdmg meetmgs with the people at large, in tMs county : it is trffiy a great and solemn work ; I may, however, gratefuUy acknowledge that we have so far been favoured to experi ence the Divme Master to stand by His own cause, and assist His poor servants to labour faitMuUy. It is surprising how a mere nothing, hke me, shoffid, frora tirae to tirae, become a channel for the word of hfe to pass tMough, or even that the physical strength shoffid be sufficient for the exertion, seeing I ara reaUy often very poorly, and equal to httle in comraon-place raatters. I must teU thee that the opposer of aU that exalts the kingdom of Jesus, has seemed to me to sth up Ms wrath against even the feeble atterapts we, poor tMngs, are concerned to make for the proraotion of right eousness and truth ; he has been pernutted to beset me vrith ffivers discouragements, so that, at times, I have weU-nigh fainted ; but the 236 A SELECTION FROM THE LETTERS [1827. Lord hath held me up, and enabled me to resist the attacks of the grand adversary, so that I can say renewedly, "The Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song ; He also is becorae my salvation." I must now say fareweU, being thy very affectionate sister, Sarah Grubb. To . Chelmrford, Twelfth Month Uth, 1827. Thou knowest that it is sometimes the case that the Lord's dearest children are permitted to feel distress to that degree, that they are ready to exclaim, " Is any sorrow like unto ray sorrow ?" indeed it seems to me that those who are designed to declare most louffiy concerning the efficacy of living faith, have their portion of this precious virtue most nearly tried, in order that they may prove it to be an anchor, both sure and stedfast, in the greatest tossings; even when the waves and the bUlows may roll over our poor vessel; so be not over-rauch cast down, but endeavour to do thy best, and leave the issue to Hira, by whom "Wisdom is justffied of her children." The enemy of our peace and of God's glory, woffid sometimes wMsper murmuring and rebeUious thoughts into us, and almost raake us believe that they originated vrith ourselves, that we might despair of victory over ourselves ; whereas the Lord knows how we abhor such gainsaying, and desire to have our ivills whoUy lost in His Divine mind ; and if we quietly turn frora the evU sug gestions of the old serpent, looking unto the Fulness of strength, I fully believe, that in all these things we shall be made " more than conquerors, through Him that hath loved us, aud given Himself for us." Oh ! how cheering the hope that eventually we may triumph over all that could prevent our consummate happiness, and that for ever and ever ! What are a few fleeting years, even were they replete with sorrow, when put in competition with eternal, ineffable joy? Let us take heart, and humbly endeavour to comrait the keeping of our soffis to the blessed Eedeeraer in well-doing, even as unto a faitMffi Creator and High Priest. I have not, to this day, ffiscovered a better way than to trust in the Lord my God, even should He slay me. To whom shall we go ? Shall we not stiU wait upon Him whose words are gracious, and who hath indeed the words of eternal hfe ? WiU not His heaveffiy ear of pity be open to our cries and sighs, aU helpless as we axe ? Yes ; JETAT. 54.] OP SARAH GRUBB. 237 and He vriU yet give us to confess, " I am poor and needy, yet the Lord tMnketh upon me." We may be humble without undue depression ; nay, I am inclined to tMnk that the meekness of Christ leads from a disposition that way. To . Chelmsford, Twelfth Month Uth, 1827. My dear Friend, Had I not expected to see thee, on the raoving occasion of dear ^'s interment, I think thou hadst received a line from me before that occurred, for I wanted to tell thee that thy letter was very acceptable, and did rae good. I love to see that thou art not faring sumptuously every day, even in spirituals ; for we are so apt to forget our own frailty, that to be constantly at the banqueting house might render us less hungry and thirsty after righteousness, and so less diligent in seeking, and asking, where our dependence is for every good. It was much my deshe to be with Eriends last fourth day week, at , and had arranged matters accordingly; but near the time appointed to leave horae, ray dear husband Avas attacked with a complaint occasioning much pain : this discouraged me, and made me hesitate; so that when the chaise was ready, instead of going toward — , I went in it to meeting here; but so strong was my attraction to be with you, that after meeting the chaise was again brought to the door, and again my dear J. G. was in great pain, after having been rather better; then my heart faUed me, and I quite gave up leaving Mm, but did not feel lightened by it ; and what is reraarkable, when it became too late for me to set forward, he grew better, and has been pretty well ever since. Thus, I said to myself, " Oh ! thou of little faith " — indeed, my dear friend, the little grain of this rirtue wluch may be in my possession, has, in a particffiar raanner, been tried of late Yet thanks be unto Him who giveth the victory, when I have gone forward, I have had the acknowledgraent raised within me, " In all these things we are more than conquerors, through Him who hath loved us, and given HimseK for us." Hoping soon to have the pleasure of verbal coramuni cation, I bid affieu for the present, and subscribe myself Thy affectionate friend, Sar-ah Grubb. 238 A selection from the letters [1828. To Martha King. First Month 6th, 1828. I am stffl prevented from making progress in the great work before me, of holffing meetings with the people in tMs county. My faith is often nearly tried, but is it not said, " the trial of your faith is rauch more precious than of gold that perisheth?" I have trffiy passed tMough much probationary exercise smce I saw thee ; and agam there have been times when aU these tMngs are compara tively light in the scale; the love of God, and a glimpse of the glory that shaU be revealed, preponderating, to the unspeakable joy of that part which shaU hve beyond the grave. I tMnk few have to wrestle hke myseK, vrith Him who alone can bless. Perhaps my mind is naturaUy more prone to wander from the Source of good, than is often the case vrith such as love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity, as I humbly trust I do. Sometimes I tMnk how glad I should be to have a soffi as innocent and resigned to the Divine vriU, as my friend ; yet who knows but we may meet by and by where, instead of flghting vrith the enenues of our soffis, aU is triumph and joy in Hira who said to His ffisciples, " Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world?" Even so, my endeared friend. EareweU. To . Chelmsford, First Month 12th, 1828. Few meetings of Eriends have ever been more faithfuUy laboured with than tMs, or more covered vrith power and glory than has many times been the case here, tMough the ministry of the eternal word. Surely it woffid be no marvel K another dispensation* came, even wherein there would be a faraffie of tM.s word ; for I do not apprehend that, take us altogether, we are as much improved as we ought to be. To Chelmsford, Third Month Uh, 1828. My dear Friend, ' ' It often seems remarkable to me, that when thou wast vrith us, there shoffid have been so much interruption to our social corafort : it was as if the pleasant pictures were to be spoUed ; we did, .stat. 55.] OP SARAH GRUBB. 239 however, as I humbly trust, nungle, in some measure, in a Mgher joy, even the joy of wluch the holy Author of aU happiness spake to His foUowers, and told them that no man coffid deprive them of it. After aU my sorrowfffi feelings raany ways, I do believe that the more unhesitatingly we deny ourselves, take up our daUy cross, and foUow CMist, the more of the heaveffiy treasure, peace and joy, is laid up in store for us, poor and fraU as we are. So be encouraged, my dear friend, to endure mortffication and suffering in the vrill of Him who hath undoubteffiy caUed to a preparation for His ser vice My movements for many months past, have been marked vrith pecuhar uncertainty ; perhaps for the further trial of my faith, and to prove whether I woffid endeavour to stand ffi the dedication or not, under feelings very trymg to nature. It was rauch my deshe to prosecute the engageraent of holffing meetings vrith the people, so as to be released from the serrice before now, but that has been impracticable Thou hast probably heard of the awfffi event of 's decease. We trust he was prepared to go, as he seeraed to be more and more fit to hve ; being mcreased, I hope, ffi the increase of God, although he made no great show, bemg rather a rethed character. How true it is, that "in the nudst of hfe we are m death." He was offiy forty-five years of age, and industriously engaged for the maintenance of Ms fanffiy. Thy tiffiy affectionate friend, Sarah Grubb. To HER Husband. Dullin, Fourth Month 26th, 1828. I am glad thou coffidst pray for me; perhaps I never stood more in need of such ffitercession. We have got tMough the sittmg of the Select Meeting tffis morffing. I thmk it was a good thne : Eriends appeared trffiy glad to see me, and enquhed with much interest for thee. Brother Joseph gave in the report of the meetmg for elders having been held, and when he mentioned that the Society in this land was favoured stffl vrith a hring gospel miffistry, I felt thankfffi, and had to express sometMng of it. 28^^. — ^We were at Sycamore Alley both fore and afternoon, and I think that it was, upon the whole, a day of favour : in the morffing 240 A SELECTION FROM THE LETTERS [1828. the power of truth rose higher and higher, until it was in dominion. TMs day has been very exercising, but the good tlung predominated in both meetings. To THE SAME. Dullin, Fourth Month 3m, 1828. TMs day we have had a meeting for worsMp, which was, I, think, a remarkably favoured time. I never experienced the min istry of the word of life to have more of a gathering effect, until the blessed and glorious power of truth was over aU, for some time, in profound silence. I have hoped that thy prayers for me have been avaUing, for I think I am unloading by degrees. Fifth Month 3rd. — Now I have to teU thee of the conclusion of the Yearly Meeting, which was with solemn silence yesterday even ing. Friends say this has been a remarkably favoured Yearly Meet ing. E. Eayle told me the other day, that the Men's Meeting was one of the most solemn they had known for a long time, and without much preaching. I visited the Men's Meeting: it was an open, solemn season. When leaving the meeting, my way seemed clear to say farewell, and to let Eriends know of the affectionate solicitude which the partner of my hfe had felt and expressed to me for them, before my coming to this Yearly Meeting. I believe it was received in that love which he feels for the Society in this land. To A YOUNG Friend. Ffth Month, 1828. Well for thee, my dear, that thou loves the immutable truth ! mayest thou continue to do so ! so will it be thy corafort and support in times of trial, when thou art under the sensible feeUng of deprivation, with respect to many things that are gratifying to the youthful mind. Thy Heaveffiy Eather has seen meet to afflict thee, or rather suffer thee to be afflicted in sorae measure, but He hath drawn thy mind near to Himself, perhaps even making thy sufferings a means thereof; so that I hope thou knowest what it is to commit thyself into His holy hand, iu the acknowledgment that He knows best what is best for thee. May tffis disposition continue to be tMne ; so wffi aU tMngs work for thy good, and thou wUt be enabled ^TAT. 55.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 241 to preach righteousness ffi thy hfe and conversation, and have thy reward both now and hereafter. It is not always those who are quahfied to be the raost conspicuous rehgious characters, who are the raost acceptable with Him who sees not as man sees, but it is those who are vrise enough to be obeffient to the Dirine vriU, wlio shall " shine as the brightness of the firma ment; and those who tum many to righteousness shaU be as the stars for ever and ever." Now K we do but come to eternal glory at last, no niatter what we have to pass tMough in tffis world; for time, corapared with eterffity, is but hke the ffiop frora a bucket in the ocean — it is lost there. Yet, ray dear, I woffid have thee partake of every temporal enjoyment which raay be thy portion, in the wffl of the -Almighty Creator, who giveth us of aU tMngs " ricMy to enjoy." Improve thy natmal understanffing by sffitable books and study ; it vriU make thy time pass more pleasantly; bnt do not risk thy health by these tMngs : it is not worth wMle. To . The Epistle from PMladelpMa is thought to be particffiarly satisfactory. It is comfortffig that Friends on that side the Atlantic find strength, in a Yearly Meeting capacity, to express themselves so decideffiy encouraged to persevere in the good old way. To . Chelmsford, Seventh Month 28th, 1828. I ara stiU led forth vrith the invitation of the Gospel to the people, to come to the dear Eedeeraer : speaking, however, in these lofty bams is very exhaustmg, the labour of the voice being much greater than ffi those houses usuaUy occupied on such occa sions ; but if the power reaches to the people's hearts, and inchnes them to seek the Lord, aU the rest is but triffing ffi comparison. To Mary Davis. Chelmsford, Tenth Month I6th, 1828. May Divine power and goodness keep thee, my dear sister and friend, and enable thee to strengthen the weak, to hold up the 242 A SELECTION PROM THE LETTERS [1828. hands of those who war against the enemies of Israel, and give thee thy reward into thy bosora; raay He bless thy cMldren and thy cMldren's cMldren ! Corae health or sickness, hfe or death, thy beloved brother, as weU as Ms partner in sorrow and joy, do deshe to be found in that aUotraent which Best Wisdom appoints. My present trials appear to me to be like the breakmg of the sixth seal, when there was " a great earthquake ; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hah, and the moon became as blood ; and the stars feU from heaven, as a fig-tree casteth her untimely figs." Occasionally I hope that I may be corae thus far, and then there is but one more seal to be opened ; and on its opening, there is " silence in heaven for half an hour." To . Hastings, Eleventh Month Uth, 1828. What are we vrithout tribffiation ? How erring ! how wandering ! I blame myseK for the absence of that holy confidence, that hurable trust in the narae of Jehovah, wMch woffid give me to be less moved in affliction, and perhaps teach me gratitude for the blessing of haring it in our power to do so rauch for the promotion of health, instead of grieving that there is occasion for it. I look toward Chelmsford with a longing desire stffi to caU it home, if tMs raight be in the Divine wffl; but for a considerable tirae past, I have felt as K my rest there was breaking up, and alraost as though no more place remamed in it for religious labour, except in winding up ; and what shaU we say, but " Good is the Lord," and "Let Him do as seeraeth Hira good." If it be right for us to pitch our tent elsewhere, I hope the same glory wiU go before, and be the rereward, which has been vouchsafed in prerious movements. Now thou knowest, that be this in ever so small a degree, the certainty attenffing it stays the poor mind, ena bling it to trust in the " Strength of Israel." To . Prolahly 1828. My dear friend's letter gladdened my heart, not only to find that thou hadst such a very agreeable return home, but that thy mind is so fervently turned toward Him who has aheady done much for thee, and who is waiting to perfect His own work in thy j;tat. 56.] OP sarah grubb. 243 happy experience. It is indeed, as thou remarks, no easy attainment to the creature to say, " I am the clay. Thou art the Potter ;" but the more we endeavour to commit ourselves to oui- great High Priest, the sooner we find the truth of His assertion, " My yoke is easy, and my burden hght." I have missed thy company much ; it has, however, been gratefffi to my feehngs to beheve that our uffion in CMist is rather strengthened than othervrise, by the late opportu nity we have had of conversing a httle on raatters of the first im portance to us, and waiting together on the Lord. We frequently felt His presence, contriting our hearts, when we belonged to the same meeting ; and I hope, that although this latter is no longer our lot, we raay be favoured to reraeraber each other as at the feet of the Ommpresent Saviour stffl, and to feel that we are even one in Him. Be faithful, my dear friend, from time to tirae, to the sraaU but clear manifestations of the Dirine Mind, and the Lord give thee a crown of righteousness to weai-, even ffi tffis hfe, unto His own glory. To ONE OP HER CHILDREN. aapham. First Month 6th, 1829. I am resting ffi tffis warm house, haAring some cold, but it has not Mndered me from fmisMng the famUy risit in Kingston MontMy Meeting, wMch I ara thankfffi to say is now got tMough, and I humbly hope vrithout domg harra to that wMch it is our ffist deshe to promote and cherish. Many very favoured risits we have had : the meeting at Croydon on Fhst day was also an awakeffing, powerfffi time ; and yesterday at Wandsworth, was the most so of any we have attended there. I was very, very sorry to miss dear and . -Ah ! ray precious ¦ , we are sure to retrograde K we do not advance in the CMistian's path, especiaUy after the extraordinary manKestations of the love and power of our dear Eedeeraer. I tMnk, sometimes, that K I can but see you, my dear chUdren, grow in humffity and in the fear of the Lord, wluch is growing in the truth as it is in Jesus, it wffl abundantly repay me for aU my exercise of mind in the cause of rehgion, and aU that I feel in leav ing my dear fanffiy. R 2 244 A SELECTION FROM THE LETTERS [1829. To ONE OF HER CHILDREN. London, First Month lOth, 1829. Having such very close engageraents in fanffiy visitmg, my mind and body are weary, or I shoffid have replied to my dear ^'s letter before now, wMch I was very glad to receive. We have nearly got tiirough Wandsworth Meeting, and, I hurably hope, have been assisted by the Great Helper of His people. Sorae of the visits have been very extraorffinary, the love of our corapassionate and dear Eedeemer being ffisplayed to our admiration, and to the deeply humbling of our spirits, even in gay famffies. This is that they may be brought away from theh foolish tMngs, to the meek and humble Saviour, who wore a garment vrithout an ornament, even without a seam. To . Wandsworth, First Month llth, 1829. I may say that my help and strength has been in the Lord, who was pleased, in very early hfe, to give me a sense, that " it is not in man that walketh to dhect Ms steps," and was my Eock and my Dehverer in those days. I went tMough almost more than I can reraeraber in my past hfe, both by day and ffight, for a long tirae, before conung on tlus present concern ; so that I thought of one who spoke of being "pressed out of raeasure, above strength;" but now, with aU that I have to introduce my mind into exercise, I seem raised above it ; so that I can go forward vrith a degree of cheerfffiness, in this weighty and arduous work ; having received of that wluch may be compared to the eagle's vrings, and to find my place in the Mgh rock, far above the mighty waves of the sea. I thmk, in an especial manner, way has been made in famihes to de clare the word faitMuUy, and in gospel love, which is like holy oU, and has spread to each individual, almost without exception. To aapham. First Month 2Uh, 1829. My dear Friend, Thy truly affectionate communication handed me yester day, confirms rae in the belief wluch I had, before receiving it, that I ara not forgotten by thee, even when a season of long-continued iETAT. 56.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 245 sflence between us occurs ; and I can assm-e thee, that with respect to myseK, I frequently risit thee and tMne ideaUy, and I trust vrith an interest as strong as when we used to meet two or tliree times a week. It is very pleasant to find that thou canst speak of your dear cMldren with the prospect of much comfort in thera; tffis raust indeed be esteeraed by thy dear husband and thee, one of your greatest blessings. It is ray fervent desire that their beloved parents may be so mcreasffigly and ffitimately acquamted vritli what the weapons of the CMistian's warfare can do, as to enable them to teach the children the use of these : the scripture saith " they are mighty tMough God to the pulhng doAvn of strong holds ; to the casting dovm of imaginations and every Mgh thing ; to the bringing mto captivity every thought to the obeffience of Christ." Then, when aU is subjected to Him who is worthy to reign and rffie, the soffi comes to be effiarged m a capacity to sing His praise, and to ascribe unto Him salvation and strength ; serring Him, the Lord, " vrith a perfect heart and with a vriffing mmd." We have, indeed, too few among us so prepared ; for instead of the whole heart bemg defficated to the Most High, the tMngs of time and sense engross it cMefly, and leave httle abffity to offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness. We cannot, my dear friend, but mourn tffis, in our passing along m the present solemn work wffich engages us ; there are, however, exceptions, wMch is cause of humble gratitude to the Great Pre server of men, who, in adorable mercy and infimte love, hath ap pointed salvation as waUs and bffiwarks, to all that wffl accept it on His ovra terms. The stram of thy letter is such as convmces me that thy mind has not become msensible to the goodness and power of thy dear Ee deemer, who risited thee ffi early hfe ; and in His being, at times, to thy sphit hke the dew upon the grass, is evidencing His design to render thee raore frffitfffi unto His glory. I ara indeed glad, in a fresh and hring sense, whUe I write, that notwithstanffing the flatness and dryness in wffich thou mayest often find thyself, K thou wait fervently on the Strength of Israel, He will cause thee to grow before Him, and in His garden, as the lily — and more — ^to send forth the roots like Lebanon. Thus may thy sphit deepen, and so be able to stand in time of storm or trouble ; yea, to stand tMough prosperity and adversity, to the honour of the ever- 246 A SELECTION FROM THE LETTERS [1829. blessed Name; and I may say these are my deshes for thy dear compaffion in hfe too. We are in gospel bonds hereaway, nor do I, at present, see to the end of it Our work lately has been visiting famihes, many of whom are not, in appearance, the least hke Eriends ; but gospel love reached to these, as weU as to others. It has mdeed been a time when this Dirine principle raanifested itseK largely, and when it penetrated the obdurate heart, whUe in a disposition to resist its influence With love to friends, I remain thy affectionate friend, Sarah Grubb. To HER CHILDREN. Bromley, Tliird Month 3rd, 1829. May Divine Goodness be graciously pleased to protect you, every one, from aU that coffid harm you ! He vrill indeed keep you from evil, that it may not grieve you, K you are watchfffi, and con cerned to look to, and pray to Hira, the Lord, your Saviour and Eedeeraer. I often think of that scripture wffich saith of Zion's children, that they shaU be " all taught of the Lord," and great shaU be theh peace. TMs peace is worth obtaiffing tMough great hu- mffiation and suffering. To ONE OP HER CHILDREN. Londbn, Fourth Month Uh, 1829. Although the time is short smce we parted, yet when that very great interest is felt respecting each other wffich is the case with us, it is even some relief to write. My nund is much vrith my precious family, whUe, for the Gospel's sake, I am induced to give up the gratffication of their society ; but we have no doubt of its being best for us aU, for whatever is in the ordering of Dirine Wisdom turns to our real advantage. Let me charge thee and each of you, to mind what is right and be found in it, at the risk of your own reputation, or honour, or pleasure : tlus is what becomes us, and is worthy of us all. I charge thee, my dear cMld, mind not foohsh or Mgh tMngs ; for K thou dost, thou wilt ensure to thyseK the sorrow of tlus world that iETAT. 56.] OP SAR/UI GRUBB. 247 worketh death ; and besides reproach the name of Christ, thy Saviour, and bring upon us, thy anxious parents, much ffistress. I am not easy that thou shoffidst mimic the vain custoras of a delusive world, for that brmgs the mind into the bondage of corrup tion, and ffisqualffies for the free service of an aU-beneficent Creator. To THE SAME. Uxlridge, Fourth Month I3th, 1829. We took tea with Sarah Angel, who appeared much grati fied vrith our company. I went to the Cffina closet, to see the old round ffish that was sent vrith dessert on the day of our marriage, fiUed vrith various kinds of frffit : it looked as K it had harffiy been out of its place on the shelf, ioxfii/ve and twenty years. I made divers caUs at Staines on invahds, and met vrith some old schooKeUows of nunc. They were glad to see me, although we had not met since those days of sorrow (at school). Fifth day being meeting day at Staines, Ave attended it : it was a good and mstructive tirae. Not feehng liberated, we had a meeting appointed for other people on sixth day, which was also favoured, being very soleran indeed. Friends and others seemed much com forted. We had a precious raeeting indeed, here, and very large. The hfe of truth was over aU. May the Most High have the praise of His ovra works ! We are notMng, but He is great, and greatly to be praised. To Mary Davis. London, Fourth Month 17;"/*, 1829. Hitherto, in tffis journey, I may acknowledge that the Strength of Israel has been a present help in the needfffi time. Last Ehst day we held a large meeting with the people at Uxbridge. Preriously to gomg to the meetmg-house I feft so poorly, and devoid of all sense of anytMng but ray iiffirmities, that were it not for the reraerabrance that I was notMng but a mere channel, which no good coffid pass tMough, untU it issued frora the inexhaustible Source, I shoffid have been whoUy faint-hearted. It, however, pleased Infiffite Goodness to occasion the doctrines of the Gospel to flow freely and largely to the hearers, and His ovra holy anointmg to soften theh hearts; so that once raore ray soffi adopted the 248 A SELECTION FROM THE LETTERS [1829. language, " TMs is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes." It seems as K the Divine Hand was turned upon us as a people, that the ffioss, the tin, and the reprobate sUver, may be purged away. This is the day wMch hath for years been declared of, in the sphit of prophecy. Yet vriU the Eefiner bring forth a reranant who reserable the gold, vrith its own lustre, and bearing the inscription of " Holiness to the Lord." To Martha King. Fourth Month 2Uh, 1829. The large general meeting in the City I went to under much exercise and weight upon ray nund. After a considerable time, I found my way to stand up, when my bonds were indeed broken, and ray tongue loosened, so that I had largely to declare the word of the Lord among us as a people, even in the blessed and hring authority of trath ; this tended greatly to the relief of my oppressed sphit. My dear J. G. had also a precious, solenm time ; beginffing vrith the query, "WiU ye also go away ?" Perhaps thou VAdlt wonder, after all tMs,'^ that I shoffid say I only feel as K I had commenced as a labourer in that extended field, nor do I see to the end ; yet where is the place which my natural inch- nation does less deshe to be found in ? But the vriU of the Lord be done. To . Clapham, Fifth Month 21st, 1829. To sit in famUies under a sense of rehgious duty, and wlule assuming the character of a gospel messenger, is mdeed an awfffi tMng. I feel it so, even increasingly, the more I am engaged in it, and the longer I contffiue in the sacred office of a miffister of CMist ; so that I seemed a httle prepared to sympatMze vrith thee, my dear, in thy early going forth in tMs way. I trust it tended to unburden and strengthen thy own nund, wMle some effiargement in the precious gift committed to thee, has resffited from the dedica tion ; and that the rainds of the visited have been raade sensible of the renewed offers of our Heaveffiy Father's love S. G. had visited all the Meetings composing the London Quarterly Meeting, except two. ^TAT. 56.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 249 If we are called upon to advocate a cause ever righteous and glorious, shoffid we hold back because iffiqffity abounds, and the aboraination of desolation is seen stanffing where it ought not? Woffid not that look hke coldness of love ?" The foUowing Letter to Elizaleth Grull, arrived shortly after her decease. To E. Grubb. Clapham, Seventh Month 2nd, 1829. My deau, and long afflicted Sister, Havmg learnt that thou woffidst hke to receive a few hnes frora either thy brother or me, I am induced to adffiess thee in tMs way, wffich I shoffid have done before, only that I feared that thy present weak state was such as to render it difflcffit for thee to bear the exciteraent of an hnmeffiate coramuffication of this kind. We have ffideed felt much for thee. Thou hast been tried with the ab sence of tbe invaluable blessing of health for many years : under tMs deprivation, aU sublunary enjoyraents are much enveloped as in a cloud ; thus has the sunshine of hfe been less thy portion than faUs to the lot of most ; neither, perhaps, have the consolations of an etemal and glorious world been as sensibly poured into thy soffi, as thou hast supposed was the experience of many ; but my faith is strong, that in tffis late eveffing of thy day, the heahng wmgs of the Sun of righteousness vriU be known to the immortal spirit as aU- sufficient; even giring strength to rise superior to aU depression. Oh ! I trust, my sister, that He is vrith thee, who became for our sakes "a man of sorrows, and acquainted vrith grief;" for "HimseK took our infirmities " even more heavffiy than we are able to bear them for ourselves. What matcMess mercy ! What unbounded compassion towards us poor unworthy creatures ! EareweU, my be loved sister; yea, I believe thou vrilt for ever fare weU in thy Sariour, thy Eedeemer. I remain thy trffiy affectionate sister, Sarah Grubb. 250 A SELECTION PROM THB LETTERS [1829. To ONE OF HER CHILDREN. London, Seventh Month Uth, 1829. Oh ! how I love to see the young people embrace rehgion fuUy ! I know it is theh truest happiness. I vrish, my dear, thon mayest be carefffi of thy words and demeanour. I often tMnk of you, whUe I am engaged to declare the truth to the people, and effiorce the necessity of watclKffiness unto prayer, that we may hve to the glory of our Creator. Great is ray travaU for ray chUffien. The Almighty has done much for you — ^blessed you abundantly many ways. Oh ! that aU His benefits may be regarded, and your hearts yield to His power, that so you may be His ; wMch I know woffid render you more happy than anytMng else. To . Clapham, Seventh Month, 1829. There are times when our faith seems aU but shipwrecked, yet as we endeavour to be stiU, we are kept frora being cast away, we hardly know how ; offiy we are sure it raust be that the true PUot has not deserted the vessel, as we feared was the case ; and even if tlus extrenuty be brought on by outward chcumstances, it stUl brings us to hope against hope, and fixes our dependence more ffimly on Him who is unchangeably just and true. ShaU we give way to a ffisposition unprofitably to dweU upon the weakness of our nature, and so let go our hold of Him who is invisible, because we see that some stars in the ffimament, wMch appeared of greater magffitude than ourselves, have faUen ? No ; but rather let us look weU to our own abiffing; let us watch, vrith aU vigilance, against everytMng that woffid have a tendency to occasion us to begin to wander, in the least degree, from that sphere in wffich Consummate Wisdom hath seen meet to place us ; and then the dragon vrill have no power to ffiaw us down, but we shall see Him in donuffion, of whom it is said that He declared, " I wiU punish Leviathan the piercing ser pent, even Leviathan the crooked serpent, vrith my great and strong sword ; and I wiU slay the ffiagon that is in the sea." Thou vrilt not consider it in any degree arrogancy, to speak of our being stars iu the ffiraament. I beheve we are all called up into such a state, and that, as we become obeffient, the Divine hand is known to bring us thus to experience its great and glorious work ; yea, and to ex hibit, in our raeasure. His own beautifiU harmony, His blessed order, iETAT. 56.] OP SARAH GRUBB. 251 His holy econoray, who is God over aU, blessed and glorified in aU His works. Now, whUe I write thus, I can freely confess, that it is not frora any feehng of a redundancy of heaveffiy vhtue vouchsafed to me, but from a sense of content in ray own sphere, as a very httle star, while I can rejoice in seeing others raore largely gifted and quahfied to serve, and to magnify the great Creator of all things, visible and inrisible ; to whom my poor soffi ascribes aU honour, nught, majesty, and renown; and unto the Larab, one vrith Him to aU eterffity. Amen! Very abundant testimony hath of late been borne to the immuta- bffity of the truth as it is in Jesus, and unto its all-sufficiency to keep us, and to establish us upon itseK as an invfficible foundation. It seeras as K our Heaveffiy Father had afforded, very especiaUy, the demonstration of His Sphit and power for tffis purpose, so that many coffid not but subscribe thereunto, after aU theh doubts and fears The Great Dispenser of gifts does not aU at once remove the sphit of prophecy from such to whom it has been granted ; in tffis respect His long-suffering is evinced ; but uffiess there be a returffing to that from which these may have begun to faU, the gift leaves thera by httle and httle, and the raan's part is ¦ sometimes substituted, and the deril's part too; for Satan knows what we are, and, by Ms influence, Ms servants sometimes know it too. Did not one cry out, when possessed vrith a spirit of ffivma- tion, that the Apostles were (as they indeed were) " the servants of the Most High God," who showed the way of salvation ? and do not men of qffick perception, who are in the obeffience unto unright eousness, often recognize theh bretMen in ungodlmess, even where they may not have much, K any outward knowledge of them : know ing more of " the rffier of the darkness of tffis world," they often more readUy ffiscover ffis subjects than those do, who are in the aUegiance to the Prmce of peace ; yea, I beheve that they can sorae times speak to the condition of raen, not indeed in the holy and heaveffiy anointing, but in a spirit at variance with it, whUe it mimics its very language TeU and not to be too faint-hearted in the way wMch I trust each of them have entered, believing it to be the offiy way from earth to heaven, but, having begun to chmb the ladder, to persevere, and when any may tMnk themselves ready to shde back, to endeavour to chng more closely unto the defence; hke taking hold more ffiraly, and with 252 A SELECTION PROM THE LETTERS [1829.' both hands, of the ladder whose top reacheth unto heaven, although the bottom is upon the earth. Oh ! thus is CMist, the way, repre sented, who condescends to our eartMy condition, to raise us up into His own heaveffiy, joyous kingdom. To ONE OF HER CHILDREN. Eighth Month 2Uh, 1829. We are aU weU, and desire our dear love to thee; feehng much sympathy vrith thee ; but I hope thou hast the love of thy Eedeemer to conKort thee, wMcli is best of aU. He suffered for us. " It pleased the Lord to put Him to grief," even Hira who knew no sin. Do not think, my dear, that thou art risited with tffis singular and sore ffispensation in displeasure ; I believe it is far othervrise. " Be of good cheer, and He shaU strengthen thy heart." To . Eighth Month 22nd, 1829. I do pray for thee, my dear cMld, fervently and. frequently; • prostrating myseK before the Lord on thy account; and I am well assured that He has set tlis love upon thee. Oh ! that thou mayest be raised up to raagnify His eternaUy exceUent Narae. How very glooray thy situation raust be ! True, the goodness of the Lord is great, in reconcffing thee to thy lot ; and I humbly trust that the Sun of righteousness has arisen, to ffissipate the very dense cloud which has been so long hanging over thee, and felt, as it were, breaking upon thee. Oh ! may the heahng, wMch is in the heaveffiy wings, reach thy soul, conKort, and strengthen thee to go forth and grow up as one pecffiiarly cared for ! To Mary Davis. Near London, Tenth Month 13th, 1829, What labour and sorrow we have in tMs probationary state of existence ! I often am ready to marvel at the world in general seeming to neglect the consolations of rehgion, for what woffid become of some of us, were it not for that balm ? yet very httle of the sensille enjoyment of tffis unmixed good has been my experience for a long time, offiy I endeavour to hope that its Mdden iETAT. 56.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 253 virtue keeps the soul frora sinking. Never, in my recoUection, was my poor mind more near fainting than of late. Oh 1 how have I feared for that cause wMch it has been ray engageraent to advocate so pubhcly ! in what conffition have I many times gone to those very meetings which I considered myseK constrained to appoint ! Alas ! I have thought, that ffid the people know my entire empti ness and want of aU tMngs, except the least and almost imperceptible grain of faith, they surely woffid not come to meet me. Mffititudes have mdeed attended on these occasions, ignorant, totaUy so, of my helpless state, without the renewed, holy influence of that anointing wMch teacheth aU tMngs; by wluch even so poor and mean an instrument as myseK has been assisted to evidence, or bear testimony to the truths of the everlasting, unchangeable Gospel ; yea, in the demonstration of the etemal Sphit of God, and with that power wMch is of and from tMs som-ce. To ONE OP HER CHILDREN. London, Eleventh Month 30th, 1829. How ffice it is to pursue a httle study, to vary your em ploy, and to store the mind with usefffi knowledge ! It is much to be hoped that the powers bestowed vriU turn to good account, by hemg sanctffied tMough the operations of Dirine grace. is not araong those whose gifts are very few, or of the lowest in kind ; raay thy mind be strengthened to devote thyseK enthely to the dear Eedeemer, whora thou hast loved from a chUd, because He first loved thee. Oh ! that He may ever be, to thy susceptible heart, the " cMef of ten thousand ;" so wffl thy hfe be happier than in joinmg vrith the sphit of the world, in any of its presentations, or attractive and delusive pleasures. Yesterday morffing at Gracechurch Street, it was a remarkable time for the extension of the power of truth. In the eveffing a very great meetmg was held vrith the people in the sarae house ; and oh ! for ever praised be the Helper of the helpless, the Strength to the needy, it was a blessed, heavenly meeting : it ended vrith increased solenmity, a measure of wffich had been over us from the commence ment of our gathering together. I feel these things to be very weighty on my spirit; not less so for their frequency ; nor, indeed, can I desire that it shoffid be otherwise ; my prayer is that the Almighty may be graciously pleased 254 A SELECTION PROM THE LETTERS [1829. to conduct me tMough the work to His own honour, and the abase ment of the creature ; wMle, in a sense of my great weakness, I am ready to adopt the language, " Who is sufficient for these tMngs ?" The meeting was very large at DevonsMre House ; I beheve there were not less than sixteen hundred persons present, perhaps eighteen hundred, and very many went away for want of room. I thought it a good meeting, wMch was cause of great thankfuMess, for it was a raixed mffititude. To . Stamford HiU, Twelfth Month 12th, 1829. The work aUotted me is truly awful. Sometimes I think of that conffition, described as " standmg on a sea of glass, mmgled vrith ffie :" the harp is given at seasons, even there. Oh ! my dear, I ara aheady in travail about the meeting at Tottenham to-morrow evening. May Almighty Goodness lend His aU-sufficient aid in the needfffi tirae, that His Narae may be magnified over aU ! As regards faraUy prayer, I desire that the restraining influence of the Spirit of truth may keep away frora us the strange ffie, which, wherever it is offered, occasions death. To ONE OF HER CHILDREN. Wandsworth, Twelfth Month 2Uh, 1829. I often tMnk of you when ray raind is turned to the Lord in secret prayer : it is the breatMng of my soffi, that it may please Him to ffiaw you by His love, near unto HimseK; to give you to acknowledge, that " in His presence is fffiness of joy ; at His right hand there are pleasures for everraore." There are no pleasures like these, ray beloved cMld. I often wish that each of you may be particularly engaged to hft up your hearts to the Alraighty, mornmg and evening, to implore His preservation, and that He would give you to grow in grace and saving knowledge. To . Near London, Twelfth Month 3lst, 1829. Being brought low is frequently a preparation to being raised up to stand on Zion's Mount, with the trumpet to the mouth, to proclaim the word of the Lord ; even to give a certain sound in the ears of the people. iETAT. 56.] OP SARAH GRUBB. 255 We have prosecuted oui- views of religious serrice from time to time, both among Friends and others, as perhaps thou hast heard. Last night had a very fffil meeting at Esher, about nine mUes distant from tMs place. Our hearts are sometiraes fiUed vrith a gratefffi sense of the Lord's power and goodness, on these solemn and important occasions; finffing the people glad to receive the hving gospel truths declared ; at other seasons we have to exercise faith and patience, wMle there is much labour caUed for, vrithout the consohng evidence of the word having free course. Since I last wrote to thee, my dear, I have, at times, been brought into much conflict, and deep, painful exercise of mind. Now I am favoured vrith a measure of the calming influence which continues to raaffifest itseK down to the present age, and even to such a worm as myseK; the same that it was in the days of the early CMistians, when they knew it to hush aU theh fears, wliUe on the boisterous waves. To A YOUNG Eriend. Prolally 1829. I just want to put thee in mind that when we, poor erring, sinful creatures, are sensible that the weight of our transgressions is a burden " too heavy " for us, it is by no means a mark that we are forsaken, but rather a caU to endeavour to come to Him who knew no sin, and yet, in adorable loving-kindness, took upon HimseK the iffiqffity of us aU; that so, in His blood, we might be washed thorougMy from all our poUution and vileness. We fmd, that for want of watchfffiness and obeffience, we have incurred a debt wluch we are altogether unable to pay ; but, in hurable apphcation to the Lord of glory, who is unsearchable in goodness and raercy, we find, in due time, that He is as wffling as able to release us from it aU, to pay the great debt for us by His atoffing sacrffice, and to set us free from the load that has so sorely oppressed us. TMne is no new condition, no sohtary instance of being borne doAvn vrith sorrow and shame, in seeing thy sins set in order before thee ; it is even the case, in a greater or less degree, vrith aU who are found in that repentance wMch is not to be repented of. I knew it well, early in life, and often since. To this day, at times, I blush in secret : I feel that to me belongs confusion of face. Even when my past sins rise up before me, and the latent corruption of ray heart ffisgusts me, I could sink into a state of ffiscouragement which 256 A SELECTION PROM THE LETTERS [1830. woffid unfit me for imploring the mercy of Him who ffied for ns ; but knovring that such is not the design of our Heaveffiy Eather, I am mduced to resist the accuser, the enemy of aU good and of aU peace, and to cleave to the Protector of such as feel the need they have of that salvation which they cannot purchase for themselves. Tbus it is, my dear , that having known the terrors of the Lord for sin, I am induced to persuade others to repent and hve; and I consider tMs to be one great use wMch is to be made of my own shame, and confusion, and oppressive weight, under a sense of being found in the transgression; even to invite others to the " Fountain wMch is set open in the house of Darid, for sin and for uncleanness.'^ Let me say that I fuUy beheve thou mayest be brought to the same conclusion, that it is thy duty, instead of givmg way to too, much ffiscom-agement, to suffer the painfffi ffispensations thou hast passed tMough, to prepare and stiraffiate thy mind for persuading and warning others to break off their sins by repentance, and theh transgressions by amendment of life. We were at Devonshhe House Meeting tMrd day. Peel yesterday, and have appointed a pubhc meeting at the latter place for this eveffing, and one at Gracechurch ^Itreet Jor Eirst day. To Mahtha King. Prolally 1830. My dearly beloved Sister, I scarcely am aUowed a few nunutes to salute thee, being m haste to depart, but I want just to say, " Be of good cheer;" for surely the "light affhctions which are but for a moraent, arenot. worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed " in the fffiness of time. What is the present hfe, when compared vrith an etemal state ? offiy hke a drop of the ocean. So toU on : thy re ward is sm-e, ffi holffing out to the end, in patient continuance in weU doing. Thou art travelhng home, never more to be weary or faint, nor to want any comfort or joy. The Lamb shaU feed thee,, and bring thee to hring fountains of water ; and " all tears shafl be wiped away." ^TAT. 57.] OP SARAH GRUBB. 257 To A YOUNG Friend. Clapham, First Month 20th, 1830. And now, ray dear , let rae advert to thy plaintive language respecting thy ovra conffition of raind. Be assured it has been, and continues to be, the condition of many, even that notwith standing a degree of wUlingness to be found faitMuUy foUowing the crucffied Eedeemer, and to love Him enthely, the weakness of the natural part often gains ground, so as to occasion paiffiffi remorse : thus " the spirit indeed is wUhng, but the flesh is weak ;" and hence the exclamation of one VA'ho was warring a_ good warfare, " Oh ! wretched man that I am, who sliaU dehver rae from the body of this death?" and yet we fmd that he was dehvered, even as he persevered in watcMng the soffi's enemies, and corabating vrith thera ; using "the weapons that are not carnal, but mighty tMough God," to the " bringing into captivity every thought to the obeffience of Christ." The same victory vrill, I trust, be tlune tMough the same means, wMcli ever works the same end. That we shoffid be jealous over ourselves is acceptable to the Lord ; and to find ourselves inclined to give the affections too rauch to perishable objects ought not to occasion despondency, but hurable us indeed, and prove an incite ment to apply vrith increased dUigence unto that power wMch is above every power ; for " K any raan sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus CMist the righteous :" raay we ffiaw near to Hhn, and "endeavour to cast our burden upon Him; for He hath testffied that He wffl in no wdse cast out such as come to Hira. He reqffires, not that we shoffid look always upon our transgressions, but beyond them unto HimseK, the hring Fountain, ffi wMch aU that is offen sive may be removed for ever. The days of youth are indeed those days wherein we may so corae to CMist, as to witness a preparation for waUring with Hira in wMte raiment, tMough every stage of IKe. -As we progress in the spiritual hfe, the garments of righteousness and of salvation become wMter and wMter, and the capacity enlarged to speak the inviting language of example—" Come and have feUow ship vrith us ; for verily our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Christ Jesus our Lord." Yea, it wUl be evident, to the glory of the Great Name, that we know what ft is to be purged from our sins in the bMod of the Lamb. Be encoui-aged, my dear , 258 A SELECTION FROM THE LETTERS [1830. to hope that better days are in store for thee, seeing thon dost long after a nearer acquaintance, a more intimate uffion vrith thy Heavenly Father. To . Stoke Newington, Third Month lUh, 1830. Oh ! if my dear chUdren are united to theh Eedeemer, in the eternal covenant of His love and hfe, what cause of rejoicing it vrill be to theh precious father and myseK. We never deshed great things for them in the world, only that Christ Jesus our Lord, might be to them " the chief of ten thousand." To . Stoke Newington, Fourth Month lUh, 1830. Yet it is trae that " affliction coraeth not forth of the dust, neither doth trouble spring out of the ground." No, no ; it is not a spontaneous plant ; it is perraitted to be sown for us; to grow np and raature, until it produce what is bitter in the mouth, but is as wholesome raefficine, that proves ffitimately conducive to the health of those who receive it. Thus is the soffi strengthened, so that abUity is known to " vrithstand in the evU day, and haviag done all, to stand." To . Stohe Newington, Fourth Month llth, 1830. I know exactly how it is to tMnk that the tide of opposing tMngs is so overwhelnung, that we cannot move forward in the hne of rehgious duty ; but, after aU, as we hold our peace, the Lord fights for us, and afterwards we sing His praise. How glad . I am that thou hast found grace to help in time of need, and art now going forth in the cause of Zion's King ! Much do I deshe thy effiargement in the Gospel, and that rehef which Infinite Wisdom may see meet for thee. It is no more than I expected, that thou art again raised up, and constrained to visit the seed of IKe in places situated away from thy own home. To . London, Fifth Month, 1830. Yearly Meeting, second week, — Once more Eriends have cause to be humbly thankful, in a sense of the condescension of the iETAT. 57.] OF S.\31AH GRUBB. 259 Great Head of the Church, in giving us an evidence in om- general assembly, that He hath not cast us off frora His presence, nor taken His Holy Spirit from us ; mdeed it has been a remarkably favoured time so far. TMs mornmg the subject of private prayer was introduced, when some of us expressed a concern that we might be cautious how we encouraged any vocal supphcation in the thne and wffl of man, lest we shoffid be found gomg back again into those mere hfeless offer ings, frora which our Society has been caUed away. I hope Eriends understood each other, and that the matter closed agreeably. Now I may coffiess that it seems to rae that we, as a people, are caUed to still greater humihty and perfect deffication ; which, if we come to, vriU draw down the Divine blessmg in an abundant degree ; we must, however, be abased before the Lord, either in the extend- mgs of His love, or by His judgments being poured out among us stffi more conspicuously, and more heavUy than we have knovm of late. To A YOUNG Friend. Sixth Month Uh, 1830. Thy brother's character seems to be formed for the best example to others, so that, wherever his lot is cast, the influence cannot but be good ; Ms mind appearing to be regffiated by the aU- regffiating principle vrith wffich we are inffividuaUy favoured, and wMch it is the interest of every one to submit to, and abide vrith. What a comfort to thee, ray dear chUd, that early in hfe thou too hast become acquamted vrith the unspeakable gift of Divine grace, wMch is the sufficiency of the Lord's chUffien in aU theh privations and suffermgs ! It often seems to me that thou art the pecuhar care of thy Heaveffiy Eather, and K thou continues to love Hira, thy consolation vriU be great ; for He vriU give thee to be abundantly satisfied vrith the fatness of His house, and thou shalt drink of the river of His pleasures Thus vriU the Lord, thy Maker, raore than compensate for any outward and temporal gratification wMch, in His inscrutable wisdom. He may have seen meet to withhold. It was in ray heart to salute thee with tMs httle word of encourageraent, and to assure thee of my continued love. s 2 260 A SELECTION PROM THE LETTERS [1830, To ONE OF HER CHILDREN. Sandford Place, Seventh Month I8th, 1830. Last evemng the parcel arrived with the feast of letters, we each receiving one. My dear S.'s to me is gratefffi to my heart. Wliat occasion of thankfffiness there is, in the renewed mercies of our Heavenly Father ! He hath evidenced that He heard our prayers, and hath led us Mtherto by His own Divine hand ; so that I hope we can aU say, " It is better to trust in the Lord, than to put confidence in princes." To THE SAME. Sandford Place, Eighth Month 2lst, 1830. I vrish thee not to avoid any right sense of just reproof frora the inward raonitor, and that I raay be able raore fffily to un derstand thy conffition, and, in the Divine wiU, be instrumental to aid thy mind. I know, my dear, that, in order to our becoming decidedly such characters as our Almighty Eather would have us to be, we must pass tMough trying ffispensations ; and the best thing to be proposed, under feelings of this nature, is patience; wMch, when truly exercised, not offiy works experience, but bears up the soffi, when tossed as with tempest, and not comforted. , I have no apprehension that thou art utterly forsaken of the great and good Shepherd, who looks after the wandering lambs, and gathers thera with the crook of His judgments, so that they come to love the fold of safety, although it confines them from many outgo ings which afford a raomentary gratffication to the natural mind. I woffid have you often comrait yourselves into the hands of your Heavenly Father. If you have words, use them : K not, seek them not. To Stoke Newington, Ninth Month 2nd, 1830. We have indeed a mercifffi High Priest, who . pities our in&raities. A miffister of the Gospel has trials to pass tMough, pecuhar to that caUiug, and which are also huraihating in no Coramon degree ; but, so far as my experience has come, I would by no means sMink frora such feelings, for they have a powerful tendency to prepare for intimate communion with Him who was .aSTAT. 57.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 261 revUed, who Was spit upon, and whose blessed words were deemed the words of one possessed vrith a demon ! Further — I am abund antly persuaded that increased quahfication is eventuaUy known for exalting that Great Name wMch was blaspheraed, and contmues to be so at tMs day. I write not tins with any particular aUusion, for we are much ignorant of thy concerns of late. Wlien dear sister so kffidly wrote to me about the moumfffi bereavement in their family, the task was so great to her, that she entered into no other subject. -Ah ! my dear, how deeply affecting is the dissolving of these ties — the most tender and endearing earthly relationship severed as in a raoraent, by the scythe of death ! How does it inrite us to live loose frora every perishable object, and to set our affections on thmgs above ; tlungs ever-enduring and soffi-satisfying, in wMch kmdred sphits, released from mortal shackles, find aU that was wanting here below, to give them consumraate happiness; every aUoy being for ever removed ! -And ought we not to rejoice for those who are aheady entered into this perfect state ? We do not feel as K we had missed our way in coming here, after aU our conflicts on the occasion; indeed I tMnk both ray beloved husband and rayseK have felt, and continue to enjoy true qffiet, raany times, under our present humble roof; and this, thou knowest, is better than great riches; yea, ft is possible to rejoice in the Lord, and be glad ffi the God of our salvation, when temporal blessings are removed. To Egbert Eayle. Stoke -Newington, Ninth Month llth, 1830. My DEAR, Cousin, Tlunking as I do, of thee for many weeks past, with affec tionate interest, I may as weU teU thee so. Inscrutable Wisdom has seen raeet singffiarly to prove thee and thy dear companion m life, by permitting the interruption of that almost invaluable blessing- health, and by removing from your parental charge, repeatedly, the , endeared objects of your tender, yet pleasing sohcitude. The Dmne Pareffi saw meet to take these kvefy clffidren to HimseK. Ihe Giver of every good gift hath a right to ffispose of His own; and He knows when and how to deprive us of these beloved ones, so as to proffi the bereaved. My heai-t has heaved the sigh of sympathy, \ and feh with you as a sister, in contemplating these piercmg stiokes 262 A SELECTION PROM THE LETTERS [1831. to our nature, even wMle I have deshed that you might be enabled to refer aU to Him, vrithout whom a sparrow faUeth not to the ground, and who said, "Ye are of more value than many sparrows." But who is it that our Heaveffiy Eather chastens ? even those He loves, and " scourgeth every son whom He receiveth." That He hath, in a precious degree, received thee as His cMld, I have a com forting belief; having accepted thee in the Beloved; in Him who is our adorable Mediator and Eedeemer ; and surely it is His gracious design to increase the preparation of thy sphit, for stffl more intimate uffion and coraraunion with HiraseK; yea, ffitiraately to present thee faultless before the throne of His glory with, exceeding joy; joy very far exceeding aU the paiffiffi conflicts of mind and body, wMch tend to sanctify and fit the immmortal spirit to hve and reign in glory ineffable, with Him who hath washed thee in His ovm blood ; to whom the purffied spirit ascribes salvation for ever and ever. I salute thee in more feUow-feehng and tender regard than I have abihty to set forth. My dear husband haring written to thy brother Thomas, I shaU not burden thee vrith many messages of love, only to thy wKe, our cousin, whom we do remember with thyseK, as being. in adversity; but we are comforted in the behef that the Most High wiU graciously evidence that He sees you in adversity, and watches over your soffis, to dehver in His own thne. Our love is to your dear chUffien. May Heavenly Goodness maffifest His prori dence as being abundantly over them ! I sometimes view, with pecffiiar interest, thy valued present to me many years ago — a seal with the motto, " Eideh certa merces." Farewell, ray dear relative and friend ; long known and increas ingly beloved by thy far distant, yet nearly syrapatMzing friend, Sahah Grubb. To Sudlury, Third Month 21th, 1831. I have been at meeting to-day. It was an extraordmary meeting : the stream of gospel miffistry flowed freely along, and near access was felt in prayer. He who hath " His way in the sea," whose footsteps are not seen, hath been ray help in suffering. I can say that I have risen at the midnight hour to supphcate His mercy, and to beg that I might be kept by His power ; that, for the sake of my beloved husband, for iETAT. 58.] OP SARAH GRUBB. 263 the sake of oiu- dear chUdreu, but above all, for tiic sake of the truth itseK, nothing might reaUy prevaU against me, to render me as a broken bow. To . Stoke Newington, Fourth Month Uth, 1831. We have rejoiced in the tiffings of thy being effiarged in thy ministerial gift, and that the power of the Lord is with thee. I hope thou, and thy compaffion in the serrice at Waterford, were much reheved by that act of faith and obeffience. Cousin T. Eayle must be much ahve to his bereaveraent, his dear and offiy brother bemg taken away ; but how must the afflicted widow feel tffis sepa- ratmg stroke ! Oh ! it is very moring. E. is a general loss hke vrise. He was one of the few active, consistent merabers of our Society there ; but who shaU do other than give thanks on Ms behaK, m the behef of Ms haring become an inhabitant of the fairer city, where " none can say, I am sick ;" neither is there any more pain, nor tears ; but the fffil frffition of joy unspeakable, and full of glory ? Ah ! my dear, if we do but come here at last, what are the most trying and mscrutable dispensations we may pass tMough, ffi fltting us for such eternal peace, ffieffable dehght ? As Job Scott said, " hghter now than vaffity, except as they are clearly seen to have contributed largely to the sanctffication of the soffi." To . Ipsioich, Fifth Month, 1831. The meeting is got tMough, and I am much reheved, feehng trffiy thankfffi ; for it has been aU I could wish — a mffititude of people, and the power of truth rose Mgher and Mgher, untu it was in blessed and glorious donuffion To Mary Davis. Stoke Newington, Sixth Month Uh, 1831. No doubt thou frequently feels the in&mities attendant on advanced age ; tMs is part of the labour wMch, if rightly sub mitted to, meets hs reward in a world to come, "where the weary are at rest." Be of good cheer, my long-loved sister ; take the few remaiffing steps of thy race with a Mirable hope of etemal repose in a mansion of glory. ' Thou hast loved thy God and Saviour many 264 A SELECTION FROM THE LETTERS [1831. years ; in thy measure travaUed for Zion, sincerely deshing the pros- -penty of tMs true Church, wherever found upon the earth; and I trust the testimony VAdU go forth concerffing thee, in the day of righteous retribution, " She hath done what she coffid." To ONE OF HER CHILDREN. Sandford Place, Sixth Month 2lst, 1831. Oh ! ray loved chUffien, I was often, in my early days, unrefreshed ffi spirit, after having waited on the Lord of glory in the very best manner I was capable of, durmg the time set apart for pubhc worship; but I can say that we do serve a good Pay-master; yea, that it Mghly behoves us to be given up to Him in aU things, for He is from everlasting to everlasting, " faithfffi and true." I do not know why, but it seems vrith me to teU you, my precious clffidren, that the prayer of my heart has tMs day been, in a pecffiiar manner, " Oh ! Lord, lead me in the right way to the end : rather take away ray natural hfe, than that I shoffid cease to be tMne hand- maiden; and I beseech Thee, bless my chUffien after me, and render them capable of thy sacred impressions." Now my dear , do not think that tffis serious detaU of my feehngs is a prelude to my being freed from the shackles of a mortal and probationary state of being. I beheve no such tMng, but, in our separation, I pray for you ; and I have httle doubt that the omffipotent Lord is watcMng over you for good. You may and ought to adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour, even in your secluded situation, by your example among those where your lot is cast ; and tins is what we vrish for you, that your reward may be great. To HER Husband. Colchester, Tenth Month 2nd, 1831. I have transacted the main business I came here about, and I did think myseK, that the aid of " the Comforter," the Spirit of truth, helped to make tMngs easy ; and ffideed, I have tMough out felt qffite cheerfffi, and my physical powers renewed, as weU as the spiritual strength ; all of which I esteem as unmerited mercy to one of the weakest of the Heavenly Father's faraily. I ara just come from meeting. On sitting down vrith Eriends, and inwardly gather ing to the unfaUing Source of good, I found my mind nearly united -iETAT. 58.] OP SARAH GRUBB. 205 to a few shnple ones — meek and lowly ones — and sat dehghted in the sense of it, although I knew that I was not among vahants or mighty men, and also that raany exceptions to those cMldren of God were present ; but oh ! I have been for once permitted, as it were, to celebrate the Mighty Name with harp and pipe, even on the holy mountain. I thought it hke a song in the night, for how is the day tmned into the shadow of night, in tffis time, among us ! We were favoured vrith another hving meeting in the aftemoon. I thought of Job Scott's terms, " blessed and glorious." To ONE OP HER CHILDREN. Stoke Newington, Tenth Month I3th, 1831. I address tMs to thee, acquainting you vrith my getting home weU, and fluffing aU here fficely. I read " Keith " nearly aU the way, whUe the dayhght lasted. He seems to be a very enhght ened Christian, and to have gone deeper in Ms inquhy after truth than the generahty of writers. His "Eridence " of the truth of the christian religion, derived frora the literal fulfilment of the prophe cies, is most interesting : at the sarae thne, in a sohtary instance here and there, he seeras to lean more to the understanffing of the mere man, than quite sffits rae To HER Husband. Lexden, Eleventh Month, 1831. I am persuaded it is our reasonable duty, even to suspend our worlffiy concerns, to render to our aU-beneficent Creator that wMch is as the ffist-frffits. I often tMnk we have great reason to be thankful in being blessed with every eartMy conKort, and we ought to number our blessings. Many are made sorrowfffi in grey hahs, by things that have not come nigh us. To ONE OF HER CHILDREN. Stoke Newington, 1831. The meeting at Tottenham on Eirst day evening was much crowded, Eriends having taken pains to circffiate the notice widely ; and what is above aU, the Great and Etemal Fulness was graciously pleased to bless their labour and my exercise, without which aU 266 A SELECTION FROM THE LETTERS [1831. woffid be frffitless. Oh ! it was a good meeting. My sphit felt relief indeed, in opening the doctrines of the Gospel to the people, largely, and with liring, blessed authority. Then a precious sUence ensued : again, thanksgiving, praise, and prayer, were offered up to the tMone of God and the Lamb ; after which, and a solenm pause at last, the meeting closed. My soffi is encouraged to confide in Elim who is the strength of His poor dependent ones, and to ascribe unto Hira all raight, raajesty, and renown ; to he low before Him, and to wait for the fresh opeffings of His mind and wffl. To THE SAME. Stoke Newington, Seventh Day Evening (prolally 1831.^ I need harffiy teU thee that I have thought of thee con tinuaUy, and also of thy dear brother. The asphations of my heart are to the Author of blessing on your behaK, and that very fre quently. Surely He wffl care for you, even as your Alraighty Eather. Be encouraged to serve Hira, the Lord, with a perfect heart, and with a wiUing mind. Never be ashamed to confess the holy Ee deemer in aU His manifestations, and faitlKuUy foUow His leadings. None of us can do better than tMs, nor can anytMng short of such dedication render us as happy as we may be, even in the tMngs of time. I rather dread to-morrow, lest there shoffid be anytMng out of joint as it were, or the cMistian cause not exalted : but it is better not to anticipate, but to be inward vrith the Lord, both now and then. First Day Afternoon. — The funeral to-day was attended with more parade than suits my ideas of cliristian simplicity. I had no active part to take, but I felt in silence, especially at the graveside, a fufl assurance (as I believe) that the innocent sphit was glorified tMough the blessed Eedeemer. I said in my heart. Oh ! the sUence of the grave ! and yet I heard the songs of heaven ; I heard AUeluia to the Lord God and the Lamb ; yea, I heard praise from that very sphit wffich had, so early in IKe, taken vring, and fled to the realms of eternal bliss. Oh ! my cMldren, hfe is worth liring, when it brings to tffis consummation of hope, and centres in the eternal reality of happiness. Much do I bear you on my heart; yea, before Him Avho is iETAT. 59.] OP SARAH GRUBB. 267 onmipotent and almighty. You know that even this separation is that we may prove to the world, that we love Christ before son and daughter. To . Stoke Newington, Second Month I2th, 1832. We are not young now ; may we be more and more of those who are raade wise unto salvation ! It is the converted, the humble, simple-hearted, who are thus favoured. How dehghtful to see those who have entered the last stage of hfe, growing in the heaveffiy nature, becoming increasingly prepared for an everlasting iffiieritance in the kingdora of glory ! To . Stoke Newington, Tliird Month 3rd, 1832. Thy precious letter, received tMs raorffing, has rauch con tributed to our conKort. We are trffiy glad to find that thy dear mind was favoured with the most enricMng blessing — peace; at least, that in sorae measure tffis was thy portion ; indeed I hoped it woffid be so, when I bore thee on my heart before our corapassionate Father, whose oraffiscience beholds the sincerity of thy soffi. True, thou hast found thyseK to be a fraU, erring, siffiul mortal — ^where is the child of God who cannot coffiess to the same ffiscovery, and conclude that such an one is utterly unworthy of the least of the mercies of a righteous and gracious Judge ? Sorae of these, least wiffing to screen themselves from that hght wMcli shows all unright eousness to be sin, have so felt the terrors of the Lord, as to becorae vriffing to persuade men to subnut themselves under the cross of Christ. I hope thou wUt yet have to speak weU of the Ahffighty Name, for that He vriU give thee grace and glory, and wffl not withhold any good tMng from thee; no, nothing that is best for thee; nothing that would prove a real Messing. Oh ! it seems to rae that thou art taught of the Lord, and vrilt yet be taught of Hira whose name is "Wonderfffi, CounseUor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Eather, and Prince of Peace." Indeed I think I have the promise, that if thou maintainest thy integrity, and seekest to love God en tirely, great sliaU be thy peace and comfort, even in tMs IKe. Be patient, my dear , and endure the trial of thy faith with noble 268 A SELECTION PROM THB LETTERS [1832. fortitude ; having thine eye singly to thy Saviour, who, in a body of flesh, felt all the in&raities and sufferings of huraan nature, that through His blood our sins raight be purged, and by His stripes aU the wounds infficted in any way upon us, raight be healed. To ONE OF HER CHILDREN. Stoke Newington, Third Month 8th, 1832. According to ray engageraent yesterday, I begin a letter to thee tffis day. After we saw thee qffite off, we went to 's. They were talking of the observation of the fast day impenffing, and appeared undecided about closmg the shop-doors; saying that " the thing shoffid be seriously considered," &c. ; but I rephed, that if we fuUy understood our religious principles, and embraced them, it did not appear to me that we had the case before us as sometMng new ; rather as that vrith wffich we were weU acquainted, and \new how to meet accorffing to our cMistian profession ; and that I shoffid have supposed, at Ms raaturity of years, he had come to a decision on such points. For ray part, I was of the old school, I said, and ffid not now find that it was necessary for me to call in question the propriety of the high standing our rehgious body had always taken in such raatters ; being clearly convinced that tMs is not the true fast. To ONE OF HER CHILDREN. Stoke Newington, Third Month I6th,* 1832. My dear — ¦, TMs being the twenty-ffist anniversary of thy coming into existence, I feel particffiarly inclined to talk a little to thee. Early tMs morning I recoUected the chcumstance, and have dwelt with pecffiiar delight on that happy morffing, when my iffiant was brought to my view as a boon from Heaven; in some degree fiUing the chasm wffich the bereavement of ray sweet Joseph had raade ffi my maternal feelings. In proportion to the depths of sorrow, so are the heights of joy wMch affect our hearts. I was glad, even beyond the usual pleasure of which the mind is capable, on the occasion of receiving such a treasure, because I had, not many months before, suffered all that a mother coffid endure, of tender and not inordinate grief, in losmg a, * Ten years from this date, viz., Third Month 16lh, 1842, S. G. entered on her everlasting rest. iETAT. 59.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 269 lovely infant fxom my breast; snatched away by tiie unrelenting hand of death, alraost before I was able to reahze my rituation ; but I have thee, my cMld, stUl; so at least I trust; and that thou wift be spared to the end of my pUgrimage. May rehgion influence the good understanding of ray precious ¦ , and correct the defects of a heart that feels everytMng too keeffiy. May slie be altogether what her Heavenly Eather desig-ns she should be, and thus have the truest enjoyment of this IKe, and everlasting riches, and honour, and glory, in the world of sphits. With dearest love, I remain Thy own tender mother, Sarah Grubb. To . St^ke Newington, Third Month I8th, 1832. My dear Friend, Thou ffidst not, in thy remarks at the Yearly Meeting, on the deshableness of sUence, minister ffiscouragement to me : I am one vrith thee, ffi wishing, that we might separate under the immediate covering of the heaveffiy wing. I was, however, dis couraged, and cramped m my exercise ; and thought I discovered in part where it arose. It was in a cparter from which I have, for years, been accustoraed to flnd a damp to my exertions in pursffit of religious duty, but I deshe to leave it all to the Lord It seems to rae to be a day of perplexity and of treading down ; a day of gloonuness and of tffick darkness ; a time wherein opiffion takes the place of faith to an alarming degree ; which is maffifest in the want of unaniraity respecting our testimomes, and in the con trariety of practice, as relates to some of them in particffiar. It is indeed a trying time many ways, and puts me in mind of that scrip ture, " If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do ?" but surely the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous, and although He raay perrait these to be much tried for a season. He wiU one day bring them forth as gold ; yea, I beheve that the reranant among us, who keep fast hold of their integrity, wffl yet appear in the sarae brightness that the sons of the morning ffid, and show forth the praises of the Most High, as was the case with Eriends before the gold became ffim, or the fime gold was changed. May the simple- hearted therefore strengthen themselves in theh God, even in this 270 A SELECTION PROM THE LETTERS [1832. evil day, though it may yet show itseK to be stffl raore an evfl day, and notvrithstanffing terrible things may be spoken in righteousness, by the Judge of all the earth We hear that the cholera in London is lessening. Should the visitation be comparatively slight, it is not for our deserts, but for raerc/s sake, and to evince that an offended God is " slow to anger." Trusting to thy indffigence for my procrastination in writing, and for the freedom now taken, I remain Thy affectionate friend, Sarah Grubb. to one of her children. Stoke Newington, Fourth Month 9th, 1832. I have been anxious about you on divers accounts, not knowing what corapany you might be introduced mto, under your present chcumstances, nor how far you nught be enabled to show decidedly that you were not ashamed of the meek and lowly Saviour, nor of His words. TMs latter testimony for the truth, I have indeed frequently prayed that you. might see the propriety of bearing Arith true greatness and ffimness of soul. With earnest deshes for your preservation and furtherance in the path cast up for the redeemed, I take my leave. To THE SAME. Stoke Newington, Fourth Month Uth, 1832. I tMnk that Eirst day is a day wherein we may be partic ffiarly brought near to those we are bound to by rehgious, as weU as social ties, inasrauch as it is a day especiaUy set apart for rethement from teraporal pursffits, and when we wait rauch on the Lord. Be assured that thou and thy brother are very present with your dear father and myseK, at aU times. TMnk of ns to-morrow evemng : a large meeting is appointed at Devonslffie House. The two here have been much favoured. Many of our poor people attended both. It was my vrish, and, after the &st, theirs too. Though our aUotments are ffistant outwardly, thou art ever with me in mind. iETAT. 59.] OP SARAH GRUBB. 271 To THE SAME. Stoke Newington, Fifth Month 1st, 1832. The meeting on First day was very large, and got tMough well; truth making its own way, untU it rose into blessed domiffion. I hear there are many mquhies where the next is to bc, but I never mention a meeting untU I cannot avoid doing so. I got home very conKortable ffi mind and body, offiy a little fatigued ; and I am very thankfffi for bemg helped tMough these fornudable engagements. The raeeting at Westrainster was the raost favoured of any I have had, so far as I ara capable of judging. There was great enlarge ment, and such relief to ray poor, oppressed sphit, as I had not knovm for a long tirae, either araong Friends or others. Oh ! ray soffi raagffifies the mercy, and vidsdom, and power that is not of man, but of the Lord our God ! To A YOUNG Friend. Stoke Newington, Fifth Month 3rd, 1832. We are glad thou engages thy time and talents in things likely to benefit thy feUow-men, and bring glory to the great Creator ; and much hope thou wUt have the leaffings and assistance of that Dirine influence wluch can do aU vrithout us, but nevertheless prompts our minds to useful acts, and enables to labour in the cause of righteousness and truth ; that tMs may spring forth in aU the earth, to the praise of the Great Narae, and to the happiness of mankind. Yes, my dear , thy sensibihties are ffideed strong and qffick — more so than can promote thy ovm ease ; but never nund ; go on as weU as thou canst, and thou wUt yet be happy. The principle of grace, vrith wffich we are endued, is all correct mg ; and, as thou grows in tMs, thou vrilt increase in vrisdom, and be forraed for the glory and honour of thy God; and great will be thy peace in a world of trouble and perplexity. FareweU, my dear ¦ . To . Fifth Month llth, 1832. I hope, my dear , thou wift avoid engaging in too benevolent plans or pursuits : it may be overdone, and rather 272 A SELECTION PROM THE LETTERS [1832. weaken than strengthen the best life in individuals ; and I tMnk I have seen the gKt of the holy anointing turned from its own chan nel, by great devotedness to these tMngs, to the ffisquahfication of some for advancing the cause of truth in the way designed by infinite and unerring Wisdora. At the same time I quite beheve that thy phUantMopy is regarded by the Judge of aU the earth, and the sin cerity of thy heart wiU no doubt raeet its happy reward. I do, ray dear , desire thy encourageraent in everytMng given thee to do by the great Giver of aU good, and wish the work of thy hands to prosper. To Mary Davis. Stoke Newington, Fifth Month 23rd, 1832. It is with feelings of peculiar sympathy that I take the pen to address thee. I want, K possible, to hand thee "a cup of. cold water, in the name of a disciple " of our Lord. I seem fuUy persuaded of thy vrilhngness to accept of even such refreshment to thy panting spirit, shoffid it be sent by never so poor a servant. I stiU hope thy faith wffl be so renewed as to enable thee to rise superior to depressing thoughts and feehngs; yea, to "mount up with wings as eagles," and to " fiffish thy course with joy :" then life vriU be found to have been worth toffing through, and aU its afflictions appear light in the balance, because of "the far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory " " which shaU be revealed." WMle iffiiah- itants of these eartMy, frail bodies, we often groan, and feel that we are in bondage, because our in&raities are heavy upon us ; and I beheve we sometimes know not how to discriminate between theh pressure and another kind of weight, and think that we are suffering the displeasure of our Judge, and that we sliaU not know Him as our Saviour ; while, at the same time. He is sustaiffing the spirit by His invisible power. To . Stoke Newington, Fifth Month 30th, 1832. I hope, as thou launches forth more fuUy, as a vessel steered by the all-skilful hand of thy Lord, and freighted vrith the things of His heavenly kingdom, thou wUt find even thy bodily health improve ; thy mind having to rejoice at tiraes To some of us this Yearly Meeting has been a trying time, beyond -aSTAT. o9.] OP SAIIAH GRUBB. 273 what I can remember; for the lowly life has, in my apprehension, been bome dovra by that AvMch, with a specious appearance, seems to me to be much devoid of substance. I have once more been constrained to sound an alarm, and set forth our Sanger; which some beheve, and many set a^ nought. To Stoke Newington, Sixth Month 8th, 1832. Feehng much for thee in thy tried state of mind, I want to tell thee, that in endeavouring to look to Hira who knoweth our frame, and remembers that w-e are dust, I have had reneweffiy to beheve, that as thou seeks after patience in tribffiation, thy peace vriU, by and by, be great indeed. He who has shown thee that vaffity is inscribed on all earthly things, vrill, in estabhsMng thy soul in godhness, grant the living experience that it is profitable unto aU tlungs ; baring the promise of the hfe that now is, and of that also which is to come. Oh ! my dear -, I weU know what it is to be shut up in darkness, as in a low dungeon ; to be hedged about that one cannot raake their escape, and to feel the chain heavy ; but, I say it again, be patient in tribulation, stedfast in hope, and thou canst not tlunk how the Almighty Arm vriU be made bare for thee, to bring thee, in due time, into a large place. In Sarah Grubb's journal we read a beautifiU verse, in which she thus writes : — " WTien heaven seeras brass, and earth, with iron bars, Doth hold its cheering goodUness from thee, Then with a calm, resigned mind, give up — Freely surrender all thou callest thine. No longer rest on Jordan's banks, but with Stability step in, and learn to know That stones there are, which for memorial serve ; Then bring them up from thence, as proofs where thou Hast been, aud therewith raise thine Ebenezer." I have thought that those endowed vrith more than ordinary talents are peculiarly tried, ere they come to devote aU to the Lord, the Giver of every good and perfect gift. Then He is pleased to say, "I have refined thee, but not vrith silver. I have chosen thee in the furnace of aflhction." 274 A SELECTION PROM TIIE. LETTERS [1832. Ah ! my dear , thou art designed to be a golden vessel. Be not dismayed ; the Lord is vrith thee, even when He Mdeth His face. » To ONE OP HER CHILDREN. Stoke Newington, Sixth Month I8th, 1832. We had a very fffil meeting yesterday at Peckham, in the evening, and a time of Divine life and favour it was, to the hum bling our hearts in the presence of the Most High. The people were, I believe, nearly aU of the upper class of commuffity; and when, at last, I bid them aU fareweU ffi our dear Saviour, they bowed their heads, and looked very serious. Oh ! these are traly weighty engagements, and shoffid be felt as such to all who enter upon them ; but how must it be with such a one as I am ? for trffiy I find that in me, that is in ray flesh, dweUeth no good thing. -All iraportant and weighty as these concerns are, they give some heaveffiy dehght to the soffi, when one finds the nunds of one's feUow-mortals impressed with the solemn truths of the Gospel. This Gospel leads down into great abasedness of the creature, and exalts the Creator, the Eedeemer, the Everlasting Eather, the Prince of Peace. To THE SAME. Seventh Month Uh, 1832. Yesterday we gave in to the Monthly Meeting the Minute, as expected. The ffist meeting was remarkable; I had so much effiargement in the ministry, and yet the congregation was smaU. Thy dear father uttered a few words kneehng, after we had returned the Minute, and I had to foUow in the same line. I ara glad- thou values Job Scott's Journal. He was a great ex araple of deffication, and knew weU what it was to renounce Ms own vriU. He suffered with Ms Dirine Master, and obtained a glorious crown that will never fade away. We want such among us now : there are very, very few who hate theh own hfe as tffis vahant soldier did, who stood in the &st rank of the Lamb's army in his day. We are now reading George Fox's Journal again : thy father enjoys it, and I am gratified too, in reading it to Mm. Thou mayest rest assured, that even for your sakes, I am disposed to take care of myself. j:tat. 59.] OF sarah grubb. .,277 To . Lexden, Eighth Month 20th, 1832. Ah ! we had not been more than a very few days separated from our dear Nevrington friends, ere the sad tidings reached us, of the awfuUy sudden removal of poor frora aU he held dear in tMs world; leaving Ms bereaved widow and near connexions to mourn Ms loss to them. My heart has ffideed ached with syrapathy, both by day and by ffight, in looking towai-d the circle in wMch he moved, as a husband, a father, a son, aud a brother. I have been tenderly touched vrith sorrow, and have dwelt upon the eraphatic language, "All flesh is grass." Thy testiraoffial of the cliristian fortitude vrith wMch the afflicted vridow bears tMs more than com mon stroke from the hand that waits to sever the nearest ties of nature, has afforded me some comfort. May .Almighty Kindness pour mto the wounded sphit the heahng bahn of His heavenly love, wMch, whUe it renders the mind all passive and resigned to the sovereign vriU of our Heaveffiy Father, brings down the Mgh places, and prepares the soffi to worship, to praise, and to give thanks as in "Jerusalem, the quiet habitation;" producing the language, "Just and true are all thy ways, thou Kmg of samts." My tender love is to her, to whom aU tMngs once owned by Mm she loved, must seem to wear the garment of mourffing. TeU her to be encouraged to look to Him who takes jufficial notice of aU her sighs, and the inex pressible feehngs with wffich she views the dear pledges of theh mutual affection. TeU her to pray that her Maker vriU be her husband — the Lord of hosts is His name. Oh ! raay she also beg of Him to be a Father to her fatherless httle ones. He is a God hearing prayer. My love is likevrise particffiarly to our dear friends and ' . I have thought rauch of thera in tffis sore trial, wMch I am persuaded they have largely shared with theh sister ; and as none of these tribffiations leave us as they fimd us, I tenderly desire for them, that they raay feel an increase of &mness, as to their stanffing on the sure Foundation, the Eock of safety in the boisterous sea of Me. T 2 276 A SELECTION FROM THE LETTERS [1832. To . Lexden, Eleventh Month Uh, 1832. My BELOVED Friend, It is long, very long, since thou and I have communed in this way; I trust it has not beeu so in mind. As for me, my thoughts are frequently turned toward thee vrith affectionate sohci tude ; yes, more than merely affectionate feehngs fiU my heart, in remembrance of thee and of tlune. I shoffid be glad to know how you are in boffily health, and if you wax strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might ; that so the soffi's enemies may be vanquished, even the most potent of thera; which are also the enemies of truth, and of all real peace. The world seems to gain much ascendancy in the present day among us, as a people, both with parents and chUffien ; so that little room is left for the simplicity, purity, and raeekness of the Gospel of Christ; and we have few noble standard-bearers, and few of our cMldren promising, by theh humble deportment, to become vahant upon earth, in the great and glorious cause of promoting the king dom of the Eedeemer among men. Is it not so ? I wish I coffid take a more encouraging view of things imraeffiately relating to our Society than I am capable of doing, when my mind is ffi an ab stracted state; but fear takes hold upon me, lest we shoffid be assimilating more and more to spiritual Babylon, in too general a way. ShaU not we who are parents, endeavour to see, in the hght wMch deceiveth not, how it is in our own fanulies, as weU as in the Church? and is it not for us to labour vrith our dear cMldren, to bring them to a just sense of the necessity of taking up their daily cross, if they woffid have a crovm of everlasting righteousness and joy; and if, indeed, they would be owned by the Sariour upon earth, as His people ? Oh ! my dear friend, I often fear lest I should not say, in the loud language of example, FoUow ye me, as I foUow CMist ; yet it is my earnest deshe to bear about in this body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that His blessed IKe may also be raade raanifest in my mortal flesh. NotMng wiU do, after aU our specffiations, but a dying to self, and living that hfe, of which an eminent Christian speaks, "I live; yet not /, but CMist hveth in me." If we are without tlus knowledge of the great work of regen eration, it AriU, nevertheless, manifest itseK tMough others ; for the jETAT. 59.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 277 true Church must take the place of the false, and aU that appertains to "Mystery, Babylon" must fall, as certaiffiy as God is true, right eous, and just. I know not how it is that I have suffered my pen to run on thus, but my heart feels interested in those I have long loved, that they may be found waUring worthy of the high vocation wherewith we are caUed. With love uffieigned, I am Thy sincerely attached friend, S. Grubb. To Mary Davis.* Lexden, Eleventh Month I2th, 1832. My long beloved Sister, I may say that thou hast been brought very near to my best feehngs of late ; and when I reraerabered the raany years which have been raeasured out to thee in a world of probation, and how thou hast been enabled to maintain thine integrity tMough aU, my heart has been made thankfffi to the Great Dispenser of every good ; and in His love, which I have felt flowing towards thee, ray sphit has said, "God speed;" vrisMng that thou mayest be enabled to descend the hffl of hfe, with ffim rehance on Hira who is the staff of old age, to His humble, dependent ones. Of tffis description I fufly beheve thee to be; and, when present with thee in mind, I have thought, and am sensible of sorae humble assurance, that the state of a httle cMld fit for the kingdom of heaven, apphes to thee, my dear sister. Do not, oh do not be afraid of the dark valley to be passed tMough, as at the foot of that hffl, dowm wffich thou art taking sorae paiffiffi steps ; endeavour to look beyond all suffering, afl darkness, to those regions of joy and hght where redeemed soffis for ever hve to praise His name, who hath purchased for them etemal rest and peace. But possibly thou mayest be ready to say, there is httle or no abihty to hft up thme head in the blessed hope of everlastmg felicity ; even so, I cannot but beheve that the prepa ration is gomg forward, however imperceptibly, to rise superior to aU depression, and vring thy way to glory. I long for those powers of expression wffich sorae possess, to describe to thee, ray sister, the * Mary Davis died on the I2th of First Month, 1833. 278 A SELECTION PROM THE LETTERS [1832. .sweetness, the sense of the innocent life that accompanies my thoughts of thee; which makes me hope that the leaven of the pure, heaveffiy kingdom, is rendering thee more and more like itseK; and I do commend thee to Him who, in His love and mercy, hath paid for ns poor, fraU creatures, a ransom wMch we coffid never purchase for ourselves ; the benefit whereof aU do ricUy partake, who, hke thee, do love Hhn, our Lord Jesus Christ, in sincerity; so, my dearly beloved friend and sister, fareweU, in thy Saviour and mine. Thy dear brother's near sympathy and affection is vrith thee, wMch he vrishes thee to be assured of. We are aU tMee ffi the last stage of hfe, and shall we regret that it is so ? Trae, we see that we have proved ourselves to be poor, erring mortals ; but yet, coffid we bring ourselves back to even middle age, we do not know that there woffid be one defect less to blot out of the book of remembrance, when the final setthng day shoffid arrive. Shoffid all be renutted and cleared off, it is mercy, mere mercy; for which our immortal sphits wffl be prepared for ever to sing Hal- leluia to the Lord God and the Lamb. Sarah Grubb. To . Stoke Newington, Twelfth Month llth, 1832. I sit dovm after a day of company to adffiess thee, feehng assured that thy mind is soraetimes turned toward thy poor old uncle and aunt vrith affection, and that therefore thou vrilt have no objec tion to receive a httle fresh testiraonial of our regard for thee, and our other dear ffieces. I begged for a letter from thee in mine to our mutual, endeared friend, and near relative, thy aunt Davis. Poor dear creature ! she is, I suppose, about to land in a glorious eternity, after bemg safely conducted over the sea of hfe, even tMough some storras and diffi cffities, permitted her in comraon vrith others ; notvrithstanding, to the transient observer, she raay have seeraed to ghde along more smootMy than many ; but every heart knows its own sorrows, and sorrows we must partake of, in the nature of tMngs, as it regards our present state. I often tMnk how I shoffid hke to sit haK an hour wdth you ; but dost thou not tMnk, that as merabers one of another in the Lord, and even when there may not be any outward intercourse (no, not in this way) we may nevertheless bc helpfffi to each other ; yea, and iETAT. 59.] OP SARAH GRUBB. 279 that when not aware of ft ourselves ? Sui-cly there is such a tMng as being found in the precious oneness of the hving body, in our various outward aUotments ; then are not these a strength and assist ance one unto another, through the sufficiency of Hira who is the holy Head ? I sometimes hope I derive benefit from the members of the Church mUitant who are even ffitogether unknown to rae. Ah ! poor T. E. ; how inscrutable is Ms removal ! and now our friend G. E. taken frora Ms loved family and Ms usefulness. It has been for many months, and still is a trffiy awful time : such a one as some of us, who are far advanced in IKe, never saw before. The noisome pestUence, how has it brought many to the grave, and occasioned much affliction to survivors ; wMle it has been most signaUy marked, as sent by Him whose ways are past fmffing out. One has been taken and another left, under chcurastances exactly simUar, hke "two women grinding together," &c. Some of those to whom the last messenger has come ffi the form of the dreadfffi cholera, were no doubt prepared for the sudden and unlooke^rfor summons; whUe they were concerned to glorKy their Creator and Judge " vrith theh spirit and with theh body," remembering they were not theh own. Others appear to have been the servants of sin to the last ; yet these aU no doubt had theh twelve hours aUotted them, wherem to do theh day's work. We wiU not sorrow for the first class as without hope ; no, let us rather give thanks that they are taken from the evfl to come. We raay and ought to " lay it to heart;" yet vrith a reverent acknowledgement that the Judge of aU the earth doth right. Oh ! ray dear , I think that the righteous are indeed taken from a day of overturffing, at least araong ourselves as a people ; for it seems to me our departure from the true and ancient standard ahnost generaUy, is becoming raore and more apparent, from the foremost in rank down to the chUffien. .Alas ! I do not recoUect to have been so much of a mourner in aU my hfe, with respect to us ; and vriU not the Most High visit for these things ? But enough ; there reraains to us that wffich is immutable and safe to attend to and bffild upon ; and there are preserved those who have no other dependence, and who wffl prove themselves trffiy vrise in theh choice and in theh obeffience, when the sandy foundation wUl be ffiscovered and shaken, and aU wiU give way that has been erected on it. 280 A SELECTION FROM THE LETTERS [1833. To ONE OF HER CHILDREN. Stoke Newington, Twelfth Month 29th, 1832. TMnking thou and thy dear brother wiU look for some tiffings from us to-^morrow, I may just state that a meetmg is ap pointed at Devonshhe House, for the lowest class of the people, to begin at six o'clock. I feel rather nervous, which is no wonder. I ara not, however, without sorae degree of faith and humble hope, that the great Almighty Helper of the httle ones, the poor and needy, is ordering aU things for the best, as it relates to me, and the work in which He sees meet to engage His handmaiden; yea, I trast that all tlungs wiU work together for good. I sometimes think of the text, " He that loveth son or daughter more than me, is not worthy of me." I know my dear chUffien wUl vrish me weU through so important and so arduous an act of obedience to the wffi of my Heavenly Father. May you tum your nunds to Him on behaK of His own great cause, and on behalf of His poor notMng as I am. To THE SAME. Stoke Newington, First Month, 1833. We are right glad of thy lines written yesterday. What a kind Providence we have over us ! He does not permit us to be introduced into more solicitude or exercise of mind than we can (with that capacity He has giveii us) sustain. I was sorely baptized on seventh day night and yesterday, wMch I beheve was preparatory to the raeeting last eveffing. I am much better smce that was re- lieringly got through. It is indeed an awfffi tMng to raeet Arith many hundreds of one's feUow-creatures ; a mixed mffititude whom we have dared to caU together in the love of God, whUe we are wholly dependent upon Him who puts forth, for any good word or work. When I wait on the great Author of our being, and of aU our sure mercies, and tMnk of you, my mind is not disposed to doubt the gracious providence of our Heaveffiy Eather. Trials we must have, but, as we profit by them, joy comes likewise m its season, as sumraer succeeds the winter, and day the night. I long very rauch to be with you. It is a great corafort to receive such good accounts of our dear absent cMlffien ; indeed I esteem it one of those raercies which caU for gratitude to our Heaveffiy MTAT. 60.] OP SARAH GRUBB. 281 Father, and encourage to perseverance in the path of duty, in deffi cation of aU to Him from whom we receive every blessing. I have no doubt of your good desires for us, and for the cause in wMch we are engaged : I hope you wffl remember us in the Divine presence. I never felt more sensible of my ovm insufficiency for any good work or word than is now the case. These offerings are in a measure of that faith or behef wMch renders things possible, that otherwise, or vrithout it, coffid not be entered upon. The meeting at Gracechurch Street was very sohd, enffing with great solemnity. Some came to speak to me before leaving the meeting-house, who expressed their satisfaction, and said they attended the one I had there sorae months ago. The sufficiency for these fearful engageraents being in that power wMch puts forth in the work, I have a hurable trust that it wffi be given in the needfffi hour. The everlasting Fountam of hfe and hght is my sole dependence. To . Stoke Newington, First Month I3th, 1833. We hope thou wUt be able to get tMough tffis perplexing time vrithout ffijury to thy best feehngs. I woffid have thee aUot a short time every day, to commit thyseK into the care and keeping of thy Almighty Eather; that thy tender mind being brought into a httle retirement, thy strength may be renewed in Him, the Fulness of strength ; so shall thy soffi be preserved frora taking harra by the distracting concerns of busmess. I beheve thou art caUed upon to serve the Lord thy God conspicuously in thy day, and I shoffid be sorry to have thy raind too rauch occupied or absorbed in the things of time. I take a tender leave of thee, commenffing thee to the care of Israel's Shepherd. To ONE OP HER CHILDREN. Stoke Newington, Second Month Uh, 1833. On Eirst day we had the company of dear Daniel Wlieeler at both raeetings. He took tea here. We found Ms conversation trffiy effifying and mteresting : he was all resignation under Ms trials, and spoke as K he was not offiy fffled with an assurance that Ms endeared wKe was centered in everlasting peace and rest, but that he had a sense of the sweet calm that reigned in Ms faraUy under accumffiated trial. He gave us a beautKffi and instractive letter to 282 A SELECTION FROM THE LETTERS [1833. read frora a son. I was ready to say, "TMs is the Lord's doing; it is raarveUous in our eyes." In my deep rethement yesterday, I sought to present us aU before the mercy-seat of our Great Judge, and to pray for preser vation and dehverance, when the text was brought to my remem brance, " I vriU bring the bhnd by a way that they knew not ; I vriU lead them in paths that they have not known : I wffl make darkness hght before them, and crooked tMngs straight. These tMngs wiU I do unto them, and not forsake them." It comforted and strength ened my raind, for I thought, that although we cannot see the good of our crosses and exercises at the tirae, yet those who trust in the Lord find eventuaUy that tMngs come round to theh real benefit. To THE SAME. Stoke Newington, Third Month, 1833. We had a very large meeting at Westminster on Ehst day evening : it was, hke aU the rest held since our return from you, remarkably soleran, and favoured with the holy anointing, both as to utterance, and m the sUent part. My soffi bows in humble grati tude before the Most High ; praising Him for His goodness, and for His wonderfffi works, even to the meanest of His servants. Lately thy dear father and I went to Tottenham Meeting, for I found ray mind ffiawn there, as thou knowest I do sometimes to other meetings than my own. I had satisfaction in endeavouring to ffil up the portion of exercise aUotted me, and that with a single eye to the Great Head of the Church. We ffined at C. W.'s. I very much enjoyed being in her company, and visiting her commoffious, but trffiy humble dweffing. Your father deshes me to say he has, for J., John Barclay's Diary of Alexander Jaffray, one of the Scottish Commissioners of Charles the Second ; to wMch are added particffiars of Ms subsequent IKe, connected with meraoirs of the rise, progress, and persecutions of Eriends. We are now reaffing it, and tMnk it a valuable production Altogether yesterday was a sweet day to me ; a day of some degree of abffity to give thanks, and, although with trembling, to rejoice. I was reheved from bodUy and mental suffering, and favoured to have two ffice letters, wMch conveyed comfort relative to aU my dear chUffien. I desire to number these tMngs among the many mercies received from our gracious and heavenly Eather, and I also desire to iETAT. 60.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 283 stand open to His blessed wffl, in crosses and trials that may yet await me. Surely He knows best what is meet for us, and what vriU eventuaUy promote our truest mterests ! To THE SAME. Third Month, 1833. Thy letter received to-day is indeed a comfort to us : though I should be trffiy glad ffid our lot faU together, I am much comforted in the consciousness of thy being in thy right place, and for the present, at least, may we not hope it is the case vrith us aU ? I must assure thee that I am ever vrith thee ffi my nund ; but, what is better, I humbly trust that our heaveffiy and omffipotent Father watches over us aU for good. May we remember one another before the throne of His mercy ! To A Friend who was becoming conspicuous in political AGITATION AND EXCITEMENT. Stoke Newington, Third Month 2nd, 1833. Dear Friend, Some unknown hand haring sent us a paper, in wMch is an address signed , I conclude it is the production of thy pen, and am exceeffingly alarmed for thee. A Mghly professing Christian; a raeraber of the Society of IViends; yea, a miffister among a body of people remarkable for theh peaceable hves ! Surely this adffiess is altogether inconsistent vrith the name of Christian ! What has a foUower of the holy, meek Jesus, to do with pohtical parties, or vrith the striring one vrith another, of the potsherds of the earth ? Ah ! , it was once different with thee : " Eemember, therefore, from whence thou art fallen ; and repent, and do the first works ;" or else further desertion of good awaits thee, wherein thou mayest look for hght, and behold darkness ; and thy soffi may be more and more in a state of ahenation from the Divine hfe. Oh ! I am sensible of much sohcitude on thy account. " Be sober, be vigUant ;" " be watcMffi." Is not the hon, even now, roaring for his prey with respect to thee ? Eetire, oh ! rethe out of aU fer ments, and wait upon Him who saw thee in thy tender years ; who accepted the uffieigned hunuhty of thy heart, and anointed thee for His service ; yea, sent thee forth in His great Name, and gave thee 284 A SELECTION FROM TIIE LETTERS [1833. feUowsMp with His chosen ones ; opening thy way to proclaim His hring word in His own blessed authority. Oh ! I cannot but mourn over thee, who art faUen by httle and httle, who wast as a star in the ffimaraent. Where hast thou wandered ? Into what hast thou come down ? Is it not into the corrupt, eartMy nature ? and art thou not, ffi measure, now under the government of that sphit that rffies in the hearts of the cMlffien of disobeffience ? Oh ! I entreat thee, in the love of the Gospel, lose no time ffi humbhng thyseK before the Lord : put thy mouth as in the dust ; yea, Mde thyseK, untu the mffignation of Him whora thy conduct reproaches, pass upon the transgressing nature ; if so be thou mayest corae to know thy garments again washed and made wMte in His blood, who died for us that we might hve ; and who said, " My kingdom is not of tffis world ; else woffid my servants fight." My husband unites with me in this coramuffication to thee ; de siring it may be received as a solemn warning to consider and amend thy ways. So saith Thy sincere friend, Sarah Grubb. To A YOUNG Friend. Third Month I9th, 1833. May Divine Love draw thee into a preference of heavenly tMngs still more mauKestly in the sight of men, for I know thy heart does primarUy value those things that are sphitual, and are not seen. Dost thou recoUect our friend 's adffiess to thee, wherein she repeated how the scripture speaks of Joseph, the "frffitful bough by a weU;" and how this Joseph was shot at, and deeply tried for a season, but eventuaUy triumphed, and was abundantly blessed. I hope it wffl be thy case, and that thou vrilt increasingly become a blessing. To THE SAME. Fifth Month I3th, 1833. Thy sweetly acceptable letter met my eye on returning from tovm, where we had been; the Morning Meeting occmring to-day. I ara raost truly glad to perceive that the bent of thy mind is to that sacred influence, wMch is our protection and safe gffidance tMough a world of teraptation and intricacies. iETAT. 00.] OP SARAH GRUBB. 285 Many, many times is my heart raised in prayer for thee, to the great and good Shepherd, whom I ara aware thou derirest to love enthely. Often ffiaw near to Hira in sphit, and commit the keeping of thy soul to Hhn in weU-doing, as unto a faitMul Creator ; even in suffering accorffing to the wiU of thy Heaveffiy Father. I trust and hope that good tMngs every way are in store for thee, as thou encouragest and cherishest the exceUent rirtue — ^patience. Yesterday we stood round the grave of dear httle Thoraas Eeed. I thought it a tirae of consolation, the evidence being granted of Ms tender sphit haring found a prepared raansion in the regions of eternal hght ; and I had to believe that the gift of resignation was not witMield from the sorrowing relatives. On the whole it was a day of considerable labour to me, having to speak largely in our own meeting, preriously to entering the grave-yard; and then in the evemng we had a very great pubhc meeting at Hackney. I believe it was held under right influence, and I feel satisfied. To THE SAME. WeU, my dear , I have often told thee, that as thy heart, thy aU, was committed to the Lord frora time to time, I fuUy beheved He woffid bless thee, and render thee a blessing in thy day. I stffi have tMs faith respectmg thee. The committing ourselves Arithout reserve into the hands of a faithfffi Creator is, I know, a great sacrifice, and that which not even a parent can do for the most beloved cluld, but it is that in wMcli our truest mterest hes ; there fore it behoves us to seek abUity frora the Fffiness of strength, to make the free- wffl offering in this way ; so shaU we receive grace and glory, and no good thing wffi be withheld frora us. To THE SAME. Do, ray dear , endeavour to cast aU thy care upon Him who is always caring for thee, even when thou considerest thy seK the most abandoned from His presence. Wait upon Him in the sUence of aU flesh; feel after Him, thy Eedeemer, patiently and perseveringly ; so wffl He be found of thee in His own due time, even as a very present help ; and thou wUt clearly ffiscover that His everlasting arms are underneath ; that thy ffiooping spirit has been sustained by the invisible power of thy Eedeemer, thy Saviour 286 A SELECTION PROM THE LETTERS [1833. To . Lexden, 1833. Eor weeks past I have expected to hear sometMng of thee and tMne, but am stiU ffisappointed, which ffiduces me in tMs way to enqffire after your weKare. TMnk not that I can be wholly in- ffifferent towards those to whom I have once attached myself; this is not in the composition of my nature. Amidst the many and pain ful confficts which for months have been my experience, and even those soleran and weighty duties in wffich I ara engaged, ray mmd often, very often, turns toward thee and thy dear husband, with your interesting faraUy; wisMng you aU the truest happiness to be en joyed by probationers, and wluch I know is out of our reach, save as we corae to love God enthely, and so becorae coffiorraable to His blessed wiU : then they who have but little of this world's goods possess "the pearl of great price;" wMle the seemingly favoured ones, who may abound in the outward, prove, that without the one tMng needfffi, the soul wanteth ; yea, is in leanness, in poverty To A Family who lived near J. and S. Grubb, at Stoke Newington. 1833. Sarah Grubb takes the liberty, in christian love, tMough tMs meffium, to express her sincere regret, on hearing that her friends Glennie conteraplate removing to beyond the Atlantic. Much does S. G. desire that the famUy she now addresses may be rightly guided in so great and arduous an undertaking. The scriptures teU us that "it is not in man that walketh to ffirect Ms steps;" and in another place, " The steps of a good raan are ordered by the Lord, and He dehghteth in Ms way." Many are the unforeseen difficffities to be encountered by strangers in a strange land ; under the pressure of wMch, there is notMng so safe, so conKorting and precious, as an acquaintance vrith the Lord Jesus Christ, who was " raeek and lowly in heart," and has invited us aU to learn of Hira, that we may find rest unto our soffis in tMs wearisorae world. Thus parents being theraselves subjected to the Dirine wffl, are prepared to train up their dear cMlffien in the love and fear of Alraighty God ; whereby one is helpfffi to another, and fanffiies harmonize together; being endeared and united in that wMch neither crosses, afflictions, nor even death itseK can dissolve. iETAT. 60.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 287 The writer of these hnes heartUy wishes for her neighbours, to whom she sends tMs fareweU salutation, every blessing seen meet for them, by Him whose is "the earth and the fffiness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein;" behering, that as His counsel is humbly implored, aU vriU eventuaUy be weU. To ONE OF HER CHILDREN. Colchester, 1833. We have got tMough another public meeting, one having heen appointed here for last evenmg. It was very large, and we have thankfffily to acknowledge to the condescension of our gracious Master, ffi being renewedly a very present help in the needfffi tirae. Oh ! it was a good raeeting, crowned vrith a solemffity that I trust AriU long be remembered by many. I was very much exercised before the meetmg, and was brought low indeed, untU it pleased the Lord to raise me up once more, ffi His power and blessed authority. How I marvel that such a mere notlung should thus be constrained to engagements so trffiy awful ! Some remarked to thy father how much they wondered at the stUlness of such a congregation ; saying they never knew the like before. To ONE DEEPLY TRIED. Sixth Month, 1833. The state of the poor weak frame sometimes occasions those dispensations, sent in best vrisdom, to be in sorae sense mis understood. Now thou considerest that aU thy ffistress is in conse quence of unwatcMffiness. The grand accuser is not wanting in his insinuations, that he may prevail on us to despah of being found Worthy (through unmerited mercy) of the gracious care and safe keepmg of Him who wounds to heal, and in whom it is our duty and interest to confide ; even as one ffid who declared, " Though He slay me, yet wiU I trust ffi Him." Now it is not like a brave combatant vrith the world to sink so. Eise up nobly against the cruel assaffits of the enemy of peace. " Take unto you the whole arraour of God," saith an experienced servant and follower of our Lord ; even one who knew what it was to be pressed beyond strength, and out of measure. No strange tlung has happened to thee, my . These fiery trials are to fit us for the Master's use, by convincing us that the 288 A SELECTION PROM THE LETTERS [1833. trial of our faith is more precious than of gold that perisheth. Look at the text aUuded to above, wMch speaks of the arraour. And now I commend thee to Him who carried our sorrows and bore our griefs, in a body of flesh, and who loves thee, my dear and precious ¦ . To . Stoke Newington, Sixth Month 6th, 1833. If we had been much edffied together, the fatigue, &c., of such close work as our late Yearly Meeting might be thought httle of; but, on the whole, tMs annual assembly has proved more dis couraging, in the review of our state in this land, than I have ever known it. I am sorry to say that I fear raany of the most active among us, are going back into things wMcli our community, in the beginffing, suffered much in coraing out of. Where tffis wffi end tirae must reveal. Surely we sliaU yet be a distinct people ; at least this is my humble hope. The sarae testimonies wiU, however, be bome, and the same standard flocked unto, wMch have been upheld by this people ; for they are of the everlasting, immutable Gospel of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, We never had so much company before, which may be in part accounted for by the existing state of things, araong us : some came, I trust, as we read was the case form erly, when " they that feared the Lord spake often one to another ;" then again we are visited to be reprehended for our plain dealing in meetings, and because we cannot go with the present stream of com munication, which seems to us to carry off from that pure, dependent state, in which there is an abiding sense of the truth of that decla ration of our holy Helper, "Without me ye can do notMng." I have often thought, for weeks past, of poor Lady Guion, when people scarcely left her any tirae for rest and qffiet ; but we may retire to the raeasure of the Divine gift in ourselves on all occasions, and wait upon the " stffl, smaU voice " of truth, which is a great mercy. To Mary Capper. Stoke Newington, Sixth Month lOth, 1833. My dear Friend, Thy salutation of love by letter is precious to us, as the long-continued friendship thou hast evinced has always been ; and now I may say that tins address of tlune is reviring to our minds. How encouraging it is to see those who raade many sacrifices in early ^TAT. 60.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 289 IKe for the truth's sake, not rest in past experience, even of the Lord's goodness, but be as those who remember, that "he that tMnketh he knoweth anything, knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know ;" and even ffi old age, are concemed to go on learmng of Him who said, " I am raeek and lowly in heart." -Ah ! my dear friend, tMs Yearly Meeting has exhibited much thou wouldst grieve to see, and thy dear hnes to us convinced us of thy sense thereof. We have not indeed been able to see eye to eye, but we have vridely and maffifestly taken a different view of the state of our religious Society. Some of us tMnking with thyseK, that we see a sorrowfffi departure from primitive or goffiy simplicity, not merely in the external ap pearance, but also in that of higher iraportance, even cMistian doc trme, I am glad that thou canst so fffily subscribe. to the "anointing wMch is truth, and is no he ;" the unction frora the Holy One, as an internal eridence raanKested in the soffi. What shaU we do, if we suffer ourselves to be drawn from tffis blessed Spirit of the Sariour of men, or the measure of it which is given to aU, for our profit ? Where, but witMn our own hearts, shaU we find the Com forter and the safe Gffide ? Surely the holy scriptures ffirect us to Christ withm, the hope of glory ; but -now we are told, that in look ing for inward dhection, we subject ourselves to error; and that the Gospel is to be found in the scriptures, where there is " clear, comprehensible truth," and " a dhect message from God." Ti-ue, the scriptures come by insphation of God, yet, in my view, the same insphation raust be with us, to give us to comprehend their spiritual meaffing and apphcation ; because the natural man, by aU his head knowledge and finite capacity, even though he may com pare scripture with scripture, and acknowledge to theh harmony, is, nevertheless, the natural or unregenerate raan stffl, without the operations of the Spirit in Ms soffi ; even that VAffich is the Divine gift to aU raen, and wMch, I conceive, brings aU who adhere to it, into a converted state, whether they be favoured with the insphed writings, wffich teU of the blessed and holy Eedeemer, or whether they be ignorant of thera. Must it not be our experience, in order to partake of the benefit of the death and sufferings of CMist, to be brought into obedience unto righteousness? and what can do this for us, but the power of God, or narae of Jesus, which is immediately raade knovm to us by inward revelation thereof ? In short, my dear friend, I feel alarmed in seemg that we, as a cora munity, are in great danger of leaning to the understanding of u 290 A SELECTION PROM THE LETTERS [1833. man, in this day of the trffiy surprising " march of inteUect ;" and that, for want of trusting in the Lord with all the heart, we are going off greatly from first principles; interrainghng indeed vrith that which is not distinguished by gospel siraphcity, but wMch has a tendency to bring us to be satisfied with raany tlungs, out of which, as a people, we were brought by a strong hand and a stretched out arm, Avhich dehvered from the iron hand of cruel persecution, as weU as from aU false dependence in rehgion. All wUl not, however, thus return, either to the maxiras and custoras of the world, or to the beggarly eleraents, to be again brought into bondage ; a precious seed reraaineth, and wiU remain, however hidden, in wMch the real IKe of the crucified Immanuel wffl be found ; and who vriU by aud by come forth, and sMne as the cMldren of Hira who is hght, and in whora is no darkness at aU. Yea, I beheve it shaU yet be the earnest inquiry, relative to such as abide in the truth tMough aU, " Wlio is she that looketh forth as the morning ; fah as the moon, •clear as the sun, and terrible as an army vrith banners ?" Ah ! my long loved friend, I am persuaded that thou dost know what thou professest ; and the possession of the truth as it is in Jesus, has been thy primary concern in the dffierent stages of hfe : thou hast now, at times, the certain evidence of having been kept from foUovring "cunningly derised fables;" and I hurably trust that the saying of Him who enabled thee to separate thyself mito Him, from all that is found in the apostacy, will be reahzed to thee — "Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world." Amen, saith thy ever affectionate friend „ r\ Sarah Grubb. to one of her children. Eighth Month 13th, 1833. At Chelmsford I was disposed to be found simply attend ing to whatever nught be reqffired of rae, whether in sUence or words ; but the raeeting was not to the refreshing of my own soffi. At the close of that with Friends, a public raeeting was proposed and agreed to, which proved very reheving to my poor burdened spirit. The ancient, the everlasting power was trffiy in blessed and glorious dominion. The house was fffil: it is calcffiated to hold eleven hundred. I was fuU of heaviness before this meeting, but carae back to the room where, tMee hours before, I had groaned, and sighed, and prayed, with a heart now replenished with gratitude and praise ^TAT. 60.] OP SARAH GRUBB. 291 To . Lexden, near Colchester, Ninth Month, 1833. My dear Friend, Thy interestmg and sisterly commuffication of last raonth, merited an earlier acknowledgement. I am glad thou hast been enabled to fiiMl the prospect of religious service that was before thee. We shaU surely find our account in minffing that the day's work keeps pace with the day, that in the end we may be ready to enter into rest ; yea, a fixed, glorious rest from aU our labour. I tMnk I never knew such a trying tirae in my day as the present. Some of us seera permitted to find pecffiiar difficffities in pursuing our course I cannot close my eyes to the vride deviations from our ancient testiraonies, which is, I beheve, fast levelhng us vrith the world at large. I grieve, I raourn over these tMngs in secret. Soraetiraes I teU my sorrow pubhcly, under the constraiffing influence of gospel love ; and I have a word too, for the bowed down ones ; but I ara told again and agam, that ray views are not correct ; in fact that there is no occasion to take up such a laraentation for us in tMs day. Since I saw thee I have received ffivers visits, wffich have not been of that kmd most likely to strengthen my hands to do what they find to do ; but tMough aU, I coffid only endeavour to sink deep in my sphit, and seek to have my reasonings hushed, my painfffi cogitations sUenced, that I might ffistingffish the voice of the trae Shepherd Some of us see the necessity of being ranged conspicuously on the side of prinutive Quakerism, and warning faithfffily of the danger of things creeping in, that from theh nature and tendency must ffiride ; must indeed, separate, whether there be an outwarffiy drawing the hne of dirision, yea or nay. In fulfilhng the vriU of our Heaveffiy Eather, we must endeavour to leave consequences, and run the risk of "being ourselves wounded by the arrows of the archers, and perhaps even carry the marks of our engagements vrith us, hke scars from head to foot, to be seen to the end of our day. Ah ! that wMch is opposed to the trath soon gains ground, when at aU ffissenunated. Truth, however, vriU obtain the victory in the end, and triumph over aU. Oh ! that those who continue to hold it most dear, may never barter it for any consideration whatever. I am thy sympathizing and affectionate friend, Sarah Grubb. u 2 292 A SELECTION FROM THE LETTERS [1833. To . Lexden, Ninth Month 26th, 1833. It was peculiarly joyous to me to find, by thy letter, that peace and heaveffiy delight attended thee in resigning thy certfficate. How does even a short period of tlus Divine sense of consolation compensate for any sacrifice or suffering attendant on obedience to the wUl of OIU- Heaveffiy Eather, and inspire us vritli a desire stiU to run the ways of His requiring ! Mayest thou be strengthened to work the work of thy day as it passes; not procrastinating, lest weakness ensue. I find it very necessary for me to use dffigence stiU, for the Lord's own fit opportunity is not at human command, and it woffid be sad to die a fool at last, tMough neghgence. The meetings we have had with those not of our Society, have been trffiy unburdening to ray heavUy laden sphit. As for those we "have sat with our own dear people, but httle relief has been obtained. In the large Quarterly Meeting at Chelrasford I found my lips entirely sealed, and that at Bury was not like former times. I did speak, and found myseK constrained to aUude to the occasion for sorrow, because of great departm-e from prinutive purity and sim plicity, &c. ; warning of the consequences hereof; speaking also of the incalcffiable mischief already produced Thou mayest see how hard it is to get along now, in the line of service aUotted me. Sometimes my nerves are much affected, so as to deprive me of rest, which thou knowest to be extremely distres sing. My husband and I returned yesterday to tMs place, after attend ing London Quarterly Meeting, to which I felt attracted. In that of Ministers and Elders, I was enabled to declare plaiffiy what the fasMonable doctrine now preached araong us, would lead to ; and to warn us of the danger attached to leaning to our own understanding in sphitual things, &c. This great Quarterly Meeting looked avrful to ray mind, but I knew it was to foUow my Master I gave up to go so far in order to attend it, which was every way a sacrffice. As regards the Women's Meeting, I have brought the burden of the word back again, although I felt like a vessel wanting vent ; yet I do feci conscious of having endeavoured to stand faitMffi. . -STAT. 60.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 293 To . Lexden, Tenth Month 2lst, 1833. Some do indeed appear to be followed by trials and crosses attendant on a state of probation, much more closely than others ; and exactly ffi the way too, wffich theh natural feehngs most sMink from ; but we find it a vain effort to desire the choice for ourselves, Arith respect to those tribffiations that we do know are to be met with in our pUgrimage ; neither can we conclude on what is best for us; so that after aU, our offiy refuge is the eternal Eock of salva tion, m every exigency; and yet we find it frequently extremely diificffit to flee there, away fi-om aU the extreme sensitiveness and disqffiet of the poor, fraU creature. Nevertheless it behoves us to seek tMs " shadow of a nughty Eock," in the weary land where we sojourn; tffis covert from heat and from storm; even He who is also " as rivers of water in a dry place ;" for shoffid we not otherwise perish ? I hope nothmg wffl be able to raove you or us fi-ora our stedfast ness as to the faith in the revelation of our holy Eedeeraer, by His Spirit in our soffis as an abiffing principle of hght and hfe ; and oh ! may nothmg be able to prevent our increased acquaintance herewith. I am indeed made abundantly sensible of the very great frailty and weakness to wMch I am subject ; yea, which for the raost part en compasses rae about ; yet to whora shaU I go, or to whora shaU any of us tum, but to Hira who carried our sorrows and bare our griefs in a body of flesh ; and who is in us, our aU-sufficiency, although He often appears for a season to be deaf to our cry ; and when the vessel is tossed on the raighty bffiows, and we are doing all in our power to help, is, as it were, " asleep in the Mnder part of the ship." Ah ! He wffl in due tirae " arise," and evidence that the cry of the poor, and the sigMng of the needy, is not in vain. To ONE OF HER CHILDREN. Sudlury, Eleventh Month I9th, 1833. No doubt you reraerabered us and our solemn engagement. It was a very crowded meeting, and it is thought hundreds went away. It proved a time of labouring in the Gospel, and I beheve may be acknowledged as a season of renewed favour. I remarked to this family that my work had been puffing down old bffilffings;. 294 A SELECTION FROM THE LETTERS [1833. that the dust was choking, and the crumbhng waUs in some apparent danger of breaking the head : thy dear father rephed, " Thine was not broken : it was a good meeting, and ended weU." They say the states of the people were remarkably spoken to, wMch they knew to be the case from their acquaintance with chcurastances. The meet ings at BardweU and Bury proved solemn times to my exercised mind, but hoping so soon to see you, I need not now enter into particffiars. As for , it is very remarkable ; but I rejoice that you are favoured vrith a just sense, that aU these tMngs are under the control of that vrisdom and power that is inscrutable to us. To THE SAME. Stoke Newington, Twelfth Month, 1833. This day, on returning from a meeting by , like a conclusive Quarterly Meeting, your joint letter lay on the table in the parlour, which of course I was ready to open with eagemess ; and may now assure thee you need not suffer a moment's anxiety about us Yesterday we gathered in about as large a body as I have ever seen at the Quarterly Meeting here. First kneeled. After this offering, Ehsha Bates stood up as soon as appeared sffitable. He spoke nearly aU the rest of the time we were together, which was untu about a quarter past twelve. He is indeed mighty in the scrip tures, beyond any one that ever I heard. Oh the eloquence with wMch he spoke ! EeaUy it did seem to bear down all before it. I never, in my hfe, witnessed the hke. There is, nevertheless, a lut in my mind. I have heard the most decided applause and approbation, and I have not heard anything else. A coffierence such as I wished for, is proposed by Thomas Shfl- htoe, and I hope will shortly take place. The meeting to-day was very large : it held two hours and a half : the vocal engagements were chiefly by and . I have been whoUy shut up except in the Select Meeting, but I qffite beheve I am in my place. To Stoke Newington, Twelfth Month, 1833. I fear, lest by the powers properly belonging to the mere man, attempts shoffid be made to work the works of the Holy One, who, we may recoUect, said to His foUowers, " Without me ye can do iETAT. 60.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 295 nothing." Oh ! my dear, there seems but httle now to be raet with, of that pure, siraple, deep waiting for, and raoving in the ancient and everlasting power, wMch was so eminently our dependence once, and our glory too, as a people. The work of new modeffing us by huraan efforts goes on, and the cry of peace and prosperity is loud. Safety appears to rae to be proclairaed in the raidst of danger In the country where we have laboured of late, I have found some considerable enlargement among those out of the pale of our com muffity ; and at the Quarterly Meetings for Essex and Suffolk, sorae way was raade for me ; in Essex, to caU from a worlffiy spirit, and warn very forcibly against the approaches of that which woffid de ceive "with enticmg words of man's wisdom," vrith which I ffid beheve they woffid be assailed beyond what they yet had met with ; but in Suffolk I found a strong opposition to the simplicity of the pme Gospel, and had to go forth, as it were, sword in hand, against this subtle sphit. Oh ! it was a sore combat, yet I found that there was a gaiffing ground more and more, until at length victory was indeed obtained, and truth triumphed gloriously : stiU I had to say that I feared there woffid be a raUying again in the camp of the enemy, because of the pride of man ; but oh ! the sweet peace that, after this engageraent, flowed into my heart ! It was indeed more than a compensation for aU I had suffered ; and early next raorffing that declaration of our dear Lord was hvingly apphed to my soffi, " Your joy no man taketh frora you." In the Select Quarterly Meeting ffi London, I felt constrained to speak of our dangerous state, and caU from that which, however specious, was making the head sick and the heart faint, in our body as a Society. I felt a mighty current agamst my testimony, but was enabled to dehver it faitMffily, and to invite frora all that woffid insinuate itseK as an evU ffisease, yea, a noisorae pestUence walking in darkness — ^raore to be dreaded than that wffich laid low the eartMy tabernacle, and brought it to the sUent grave. To ONE OP HER CHILDREN. Stole Newington, Twelfth Month 29th, 1833. Poor Daniel Wheeler has been tossing about with con trary vrinds for many weeks, near Spithead. He has written some very instructive letters to ffifferent friends, and sent them from the ship. He seems to be in a raost desirable frame of mind. What a 296 A SELECTION PROM THE LETTERS [1834. brave tMng it is, ray dear , to be entirely resigned and de voted to the Divine wffl, as is the case vrith this dedicated servant of the Most High. Be assured I bear thee on my heart continuaUy. I much hope thou waits upon the Lord. It is good to retire every day, once or tvrice, and prostrate ourselves in secret before Him who sees froni the beginning to the end of aU that relates to us. His creatures, and I ara persuaded designs to overrffie all for the ffitimate good of those who seek His guidance, and who love Him as thou deshest to do. Farewell for the present. To ONE OF HER CHILDREN. Stoke Newington, First Month, 1834. I hope in two or three weeks to be wdth you again, and take my pleasant walks with my precious — . Thy dear brother has our sympathy and our prayers. Let us not give way in the least to a disposition of discontent, or as tbou properly styles it, " mur muring :" who knows, but if we do so, the savae fulness may be dis pensed, which was the case with the ungratefffi and impious people who hardened their hearts in the wUderness travel ; even notvrith stanffing they had seen the Lord's wonderfffi works; and so it pleased Him with whom nothing is irapossible, to bring upon them great abundance, and with it great cursing ; for wMle in the midst of tffis plenty, death came over thera. How far preferable is it to have the best life preserved in the trial of faith, than to become carnaUy rainded, and without tMs holy keeping ; although we might accuraffiate wealth, and therewith feed the sensual appetite. Oh ! I ara glad in the assurance that none of us are craring after great tMngs ; and I do humbly trust that the Most High wUl appear on our side one day, and convince us, one and aU, that He giveth to those who love Him, " grace and glory, and doth not vritMiold any good thing " — anything that is really good for us. Let us, as thou sayst, "nuraber our reraaining blessings;" yea, may we not forget — " E'en crosses from His sovereign hand. Are blessings in disguise." I shall be glad, I tMnk, to get to .quiet Lexden ; hoping we may be comforted in each other. I tMnk of you indiriduaUy, and with most tender interest; and I do ask a blessing for you, my dear chUdren. .2ETAT. 61.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 297 To ONB OF HER CHILDREN. First Month Oth, 1834. Yesterday was our MontMy Meeting. I think the meet ing for worsMp was a good time. I was glad to be there, although I had been but middhng since Eirst day, with something of a cold. I tMnk a deal of thee. Surely thou art under the pecffiiar care of thy Heaveffiy Father, who raarks thy sincerity and love to Hira, and who hath raade thee raeasurably acquainted with the coraing and power of thy Eedeeraer, even in thy own heart. I would have thee seek to strengthen thyseK in His raighty Narae, and do His wffl faitMuUy ; then aU vrill ultimately be well with thee. I fear poor Daniel Wheeler cannot yet get off. I heard a beauti fiU letter from him the other day, and as I have thought much of Mm, it seeras to rae that he is a chosen vessel unto the Most High. They are greatly to be felt for : they live on board the vessel, and are often ffienched vritli rain, and the sea fmds its way into the lower parts of the ship ; dasMng with violence from end to end of the vessel, so that they cannot keep ffiy, nor use exercise. We ought to wait upon the Lord on their behalf, in whom dear Daniel resignedly places Ms whole confidence, while yet he is much ahve to Ms situa tion. To . Stoke Newington, First Month I3th, 1834. My dear Friend, I scarcely know how to think that thou wast refreshed, and thy faith confcmed, by what was dropped this moming in the miffistry. It was the language of my heart, "TMs wiU not do;" for it appeared to me to be a cry of peace, peace, where no trae peace is. I coffid not subscribe to the coraraunication as being " heaveffiy," yet it seemed to me to be the exact semblance of it. Is there not a danger of endeavours being used to gain over a champion to that which is estranged from the cross of Christ, and the commonwealth of Israel ? I was reminded by what occurred in meeting to-day, of what feU to my lot to express in the Yearly Select Meeting ; that there might be so fine an imitation of precious gems, that none but connoisseurs could ffiscover the counterfeit. Oh ! the depth of tMs 298 A selection from the letters [1834. species of Mystery Babylon's devices. It seeras to surpass in sub tlety almost anytMng that has ever tried our Society, and is calcu lated, in a wonderfffi manner, to begffile the unwary. What need we have to dweU where the spirits can be tried, whether they are of God, and where our own spirits can be kept subordinate to the pure, meek, yet stedfast principle of truth. Ah ! it is indeed an awfuUy trying time, but " the cup of trerabling " vriU one day be taken out of the hand of an affhcted reranant, who are wiUing to be " of no reputation," that they may stand ffim to the immutable testimomes of the Gospel of our dear Lord and Master; continuing to "fight the good fight " of faith ; to profess a good profession before many witnesses ; laying hold of that which sees to the end of aU darkness, sorrow, and perplexity ; and is the eternal recorapense of those who grow not weary in weU-doing. So mayest thou, dearly beloved friend and brother, be kept by, and fare well in Him whose thou art, and whom thou dost serve ; even the Lord God and the Lamb ; to whom be ascribed aU raight, majesty, and renovra, for ever and ever. Amem Sarah Grubb. To Henry Hull. Lexden, near Colchester, Second Month 2nd, 1834. My dear Friend Henry Hull, My husband's sight having failed a good deal of late, he wishes me to take the pen and assure thee, that it is very pleasant to receive from thy hand sorae testimonial of continued remembrance and brotherly love, after a lapse of time nearly amounting to three and twenty years, when we had the pririlege of thy company, and coffid exchange sentiraent, or compare views in the freedom of cMlffien of one famUy. Not less gratefffi to our best feelings is the sense wffich covers our minds, whUe enjoying thy communication, that the unchangeable power of the Most High has kept thee in a state prepared to sympatMze with His Church railitant, and to travail for the preservation of our poor Society ; that it might not slide frora the sure foundation unto which it was originaUy gathered, and on wMch it stood safe and strong, through the &e of persecution in the days of our forefathers. We do not raarvel that thou shoffidst besth thyseK to inquire concerffing the ruraour of something hke schism amongst us in tMs MTAT. 61.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 299 land. The testiraonies given the people caUed Quakers to bear, have long been too hghtly esteemed by many under our narae ; yea, by some ffihng very conspicuous stations in this coramunity. And now there seeras to be no inconsiderable leaning to that, out of wMch the sons of the raorning of our day as a people, were brought by the strong hand and mighty arm of Jehovah. Alas ! alas ! we are fast going back to Episcopahanism ; httle being wanting, with many, to range on this side, except partaking of the outward orffi- nances of that Church. Eaith in the atoning sacrifice is abundantly enforced, while there is httle said inriting us to yield up the will, with the affections and lusts, to le crucified. But without this knowledge of the power and Spirit of CMist, what wffl a literal faith do for us ? or how can we learn dffiy to appreciate the adorable love and mercy which brought the Son of God among men, in a body of flesh, to live a hfe of sor row, and die in ignominy and in agony for siffiffi man — the just for the unjust ? They teU us that we are come now to the ffispensation of reconcihation, and to that wffich speaketh better things than the blood of Abel; &c., &c. Yes ; but how can we, as inffividuals, expe rience tMs ; or how receive the miffistration of justffication, save as we know the day of the Lord to be corae to our soffis, which burneth as an oven, even inwardly and powerfully ; wherein all the proud, and aU that doth wdckedly, is as stubble, and the root and branch of the corrupt tree is destroyed ? Trffiy some of us have not so learned Christ, as to conclude that He doth the great work of salvation for us vrithout us, or that we have notMng to do wdth co-operation. But flesMy indulgence is what we naturally wish for, and here is a newly devised bait of the serpent to ensnare us in tins country ; for he knew that the sarae raake and shape in the way of teraptation, wffich laid waste in America, woffid not aUure here just now, and he has succeeded in a sorrowfffi degree ; so that there are those in the ministry who appeared to be established in the true faith of the Gospel, who, for want of dwelling deep with the humbling power, preach up a literal Gospel, as weU as a hteral faith, to be corapre hended by the huraan understanding alone ; at least this is what I gather from their serraons; but soraetimes it is the case that the most orthodox among us can by no means object to the doctrine held forth, and yet the life seeras wanting, even " the demonstration of the Spirit and of power." Thou wilt beheve that it is a very trying tirae, and has occasioned 300 A selection from the letters [1834. the lowly, the faithfffi ones amongst us, to go mourning on theh way. Tffis hath been the case for a long while past, yet there are those who, trusting in the Lord, and not leaffing to their ovra un derstanding, are indeed " stedfast, immovable." I have a fcm hope that a remnant wiU be found adhering, through all ffifficffity, to the mrincible Eock, against wMch, the very Mghest authority declares, " the gates of heU shall not prevaU." But oh ! how is the innocent life now trampled upon ! How is the mystical body of CMist de spised vritMn our pale ! Surely if the merabers are set at nought, so is the Head ; and I ara persuaded that the true CMist is crucified afresh, and put to open sharae, under the very pretence of extoffing Hira. We have indeed the " lo here," and the " lo there," come vrith power, but concernmg wMch, we had need attend to the warn ing and proMbition, " Go ye not forth to raeet thera." Whether these tMngs vrill bring to any outward line of separation or not, is yet to be proved. Great want of uffity is apparent. We who do not profess to see further than our &st Eriends ffid, and who consider that the boast of greater hght on gospel truth than they were to speak of, is not safe, I say, we are styled "ignorant," " prejufficed, and " uncharitable." But is not the straitness in that which thinketh it knoweth anytMng vrithout the Spirit that searcheth aU things, even the deep tMngs of God ? And is not that out of the true charity, which denies "CMist within, the hope of glory?" It has been my paiffiffi lot, from year to year, for many years past, to utter a waming voice in our annual assembhes, and at other times, against the very things that are come upon us; but I was told again and again that I must be mistaken, and recommended to endeavour to look on the bright side of tMngs, &c. ; and even now, in effect, the cry is, " Prophesy peace ; prophesy smooth tMngs ;" or else keep silence. My dear husband and I, with our famUy of tMee clffidren, re moved to tlus country in 1818 ; residing at Bury, in Suffolk, five years ; at Chelmsford, in Essex, six years ; and smce at Stoke New ington, about four miles frora London, where we have hved four years, and which is stffl our home. The motive for leaving Clonmel, in Ireland, was no other than to be found foUowing our dear Master ; nor have we taken any fresh steps of the sarae kind in tffis land, without the same thing in view. It has not been very pleasant to our nature to be thus thrown about, nor to relinquish my husband's prospects in business, yet we must iETAT. 61.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 301 acknowledge to a portion of that peace in making the sacrifice, which is of more value than outward- ease, or than aU the treasures of- tffis world. Many, very many, have nevertheless been our trials of various kinds. We are now in the last stage of IKe, stffi moring about a httie in rehgious service; holding at present a certfficate for ap pointing pubhc meetings in tffis county and Suffolk. We have never been long at a tirae A\dthout active engagements frora a sense of duty, since we last saw thee. We are much pleased to find thou hast teraporal as weU as spiritual blessings bestowed upon thee and tlune. May He who has been vrith thee to tffis day continue near ! May He who has re deemed and dehvered thy soffi out of all adversity, stffl prove thy sufficiency; guiffing thee ffi the remaiffing steps down the Iffil of IKe, even by His counsel, and afterwards crown aU thy labours and sufferings with ineffable and eternal glory. So fareweU, saith Thy affectionate friend, Sarah Grubb. to one of her children. Fourth Month 29th, 1834. I sympathized wdth the state of thy dear mind when we parted. Oh ! my dear , what is hke the tendering influence of truth on our hearts ? I had rather that my dear chUffien were favoured vrith this than vrith thousands, yea, hundreds of thousands of gold and silver. Do thou be encouraged to conclude that aU tMngs relating to thee are ordered in the vrisdom that cannot err ; so wUt thou marveUously be dehvered from perplexity and woe, and the Lord vriU be magnffied through thee, as well as in thee, more than has even yet been the case To Mary Capper. London, Fifth Month 21th, 1834. Dear and precious Friend, Thy lively communication, received a few days since, has done me good. How sweet is the sympathy of a mind regffiated by the pure principle of Divme grace placed in our hearts ! Few letters that corae to ray hand are fraught vrith so much encourageraent as tMne ; so genffine is the desire breathed by thy expressions for our preservation every way, and that the good cause may prosper in, by, and tMough us ; and so erident is it, that He who was thy mornmg 302 A selection from THE letters [1834. light is now thy evening song ; as weU as that He remains to be hke dew wMch keeps thee fresh and fruitful stffl. Yes, thy address to my dear husband and me seems to invite us forward in the race set before us, whUe we often feel far from either svrift or strong. Soraetiraes I cannot run, offiy wade tMough difficffity and much impeffiment ; yet so far my poor raind can acknowledge that they who wait upon the Lord renew their strength ; that herein abUity is received to mount upward too at seasons, even with wings as eagles ; to run, and not be weary; to walk, and not utterly faint. The present is a time pecffiiarly calcffiated to depress some of our soffis; for yet, within the borders of our religious Society, we find there is too generally a shding frora that situation ffi which Inimite Wisdom and Power placed our early predecessors ; when theh hght shone as from the MU of the Lord, and raen, seeing theh good works, were induced to glorify our Heaveffiy Father. Oh ! we are indeed sadly mingled as with the crowd, and it looks as if tffis might be more the case. , We have heard a great deal of preacMng aheady during this Yearly Meeting, but reaUy we can select but httle that has been like the old sort ; even as an Apostle spoke of the true gospel miffistry, when he said, " Not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power." I could say much more in a plaintive strain, but forbear — ^let me watch well over my own heart. Besides there is room, amidst aU our occasions of sadness, to be humbly thankfffi that the sme foun dation is kept to by a hving remnant, and also that a httle, yet ffi-m faith is vouchsafed, that the ancient testimoffies of the irarautable truth wiU continue to be upheld by at least a few, and the standard raised in its own dignity and simplicity ; for let the great and the leamed araong us say what they will, of further hght being mam fested to them ou gospel truths, than was known in former days, surely, as there is notMng beyond the meriffian brightness of the Gospel, and that it was long since proved the sons of the morning of our day as a people, were brought to tMs, that wffich has stood the test of ages will stand through all, being truth and righteousness uffiaihngly ; and it reqffires not the torch of human reason to search it out. I remain, I trust in that which knows no change. Thy affectionate friend, Sarah Grubb. MTAT. 61.] OP SARAH GRUBB. 303 My dear To ONE OF HER CHILDREN. Stoke Newington, Fifth Month 29th, 1834. I have to acknowledge tMne written on Fhst day, wMch was indeed truly gratefffi. I know you aU think of us, and I trust desire om- help in the spirit of true prayer. As for me, until tMs day, ray moutli has been sealed in silence in our Women's Meeting ; but at length " the word was hke a ffi-e in my bones, and I could not stay;" and tffis I was engaged to teU them. I had a brave tirae of unburdening, wMcli I ara sure you wffil be glad to hear. Not withstanding I feel that I have not lost raore than a part of my load vrith respect to tlus Yearly Meeting, and whether any further way may open or not, raust be left. On Ehst day our raeetings here were very large. In the morffing I had to IKt up my voice hke a trumpet for perhaps nearly an hour, which brought considerable rehef to my exercised and oppressed sphit. I certaiffiy do not see that tMngs are any better vrith us tffis year than last, although there appears to be a ffisposition to accommodate the mode of expression to the wish of those of the old school ; but however cloaked up, the same tMng exists which prevents our being united in sphit, and feehng that we are each other's joy in the Lord. Sixth Day. — Now I have to acquaint my precious chUdren with further rehef being mercKffily granted me, by a risit to the Men's Meeting, in wMch I had to allude to forraer raessages being dehvered there in the Great Narae, wamffig against that which has aheady in part corae upon us, and mviting from the subtlety of the serpent, &c., &c. Oh ! what a mercy to be enabled to do the Lord's work without deceit, or keeping back part of His counsel, however httle may be reqffired, or however mean the one employed ! Oh ! my loved chUffien, aheady I feel as K an alraost intolerable weight was laid down araong ray ovati dear people, to whora I have often been sent, and they wiU not hear ; for they wUl not hear Hira who sends by whom He wffl send — sometimes the tMngs that are not (like my self) to bring to nought tlungs that are ; but I find the uffity of a precious few amongst us, who are glad that I am enabled to speak loldly. And I do beheve there wffl yet be those preserved who wffl eridence that they are kept by the power of the Lord on that foun dation that cannot be shaken; and that the same testimoffies given to our early predecessors to bear, wffl be upheld and flocked unto. 304 A SELECTION FROM THE LETTERS [1834, even though many among us raay be of those that were ffist, but shaU be last. I had to speak of the holy propriety of keeping to plain ness of language, dress, &c., as weU as of doctrine ; wluch those who do the vrill of the Eather becorae acquainted with, beyond aU read-^ ing, hearsay, or study. I raust conclude, as we are going to the last sitting of the Yearly Meeting. The Select Meeting to-morrow I tremble to tMnk of. t ™ j. j. .3 a I ara, most tenderly. Thy affectionate mother, Sarah Grubb. To . Stoke Newington, Sixth Month 3rd, 1834, Many now see their mistake ffi supposing that we only imagined causes of uneasiness in our Society, for tMngs are mam- festing themselves more and more; and yet there is every effort made to put a covering over the false spirit, so as to render it like what it professes to be. The mask, however, wiU and must faU off; and I think is removing already, in sorae instances. Oh ! I have suffered much since I saw thee last ; and during tMs annual assembly my bonds were great and heavy. I thought it uffiikely that they woffid be loosened at aU, until Eirst day week last, when I had to stand fortii in our Eirst day Morning Meeting, and then again in the Women's Meeting, the day before it closed. Next day I was under the necessity of avowing a concern to risit the Men's Meet ing, and also I have found ray way to obtain sorae rehef in the Select Meeting ; so that ray spirit has been rauch eased in an en deavour to speak the word faithfffily It was upon ray spirit to propose, once raore, that Eriends should hold a conference, which I ventured to do ffi the Divme fear : it was, however, rejected. My husband revived the words of scrip ture — " SanctKy ye a fast ; caU a solemn assembly," &c AU the error of those who oppose the true ministry of the Gospel can be met, with the humble boldness wMch the Gospel furmshes ; but I confess to discover a jealousy in some quarters, with respect to one's being rightly influenced and gffided, is hard to bear; after having, through much suffering, endeavoured siraply and singly to foUow the Shepherd's voice; however, in waiting stffi upon the Lord, " as a servant's eye is to his master, and that of the hand maiden to her mistress," I was favoured with this intimation, to ^TAT. 61.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 305 remember that one is our Master, even CMist, and that all we are as bretMen ; therefore it was for me to mind my Master, while I may hear the bretMen ; and I was to be deaf and bhnd, save to the hght that is seK-evident, and to the voice from heaven. To ONE OF HER CHILDREN. Sixth Month I8tl, 1834. TMne by yesterday's post is very interesting to us ; and the way in wffich thou speaks of meetmgs, &c., differs not at all from my own views of tMngs. It is for us to dweU deep in our spirits vrith that wMch is of the truth, and it wffl preserve us every way, and give us to try the spirits whether they are of God. Let us humbly trust that aU tMngs vriU be for our ffitimate good, as our hearts are reaUy given up to the Lord. To ONE OF HER CHILDREN, Lexden, Sixth Month 21th, 1834, Thou vrilt not be in any doubt of my bearmg each of you npon my heart continuaUy, nor of the earnest deshe I feel that you may know a blessing to be stamped upon your present visit to the land which gave thee and thy dear sister birth It is an unspeakable favour from the great Head of the Church, that true, liring Gospel ministers are yet raised up in that land, and sent forth in the High and Holy Name. I raay now teU thee that we came dovm here under feehngs of qffiet, having, I hope, endeavoured to be faithfffi to maffifested duty, both in the Select Quarterly Meeting, and at other times. I stand no Mgher in the estimation of those who have long opposed me, for these late effusions of my heart, which have gone forth, I humbly trust, with innocent boldness. Dear Thomas ShUhtoe looks poorly and low. I ahnost fear his days may be shortened by the present state of tMngs, he suffers so much. To THE SAME. Lexden, Seventh Month 6th, 1834. I have tried how far I could visit you in nund, from time to time, in Clonmel; and often say ffi my heart, that were we poor mortals gifted with second sight, we might sometimes be glad ; but X 306 A SELECTION FROM THE LETTERS [1834. with a mind of my complexion it would, I fear, greatly increase the propensity to sohcitude, already too much ahve. Thou and I must try and not feel tMngs too keeffiy. I have fancied you much grati fied by the society in wMch you have been, and with the views you have seen — ^those of simple nature; some of them bold and grand I apprehend there are inward and nearly indescribable sensations and emotions, occasioning no fficonsiderable conflict ; and for wMch there remains to be no repository like the bosom of Him who was, in all points, tempted as we are, yet vrithout sin. Oh ! raay my be loved cMldren flnd rest and consolation in Him, even by leaving all to foUow Him. One said, "let rae &st do tMs," and another " that ;" but we may instructively take into account that the present time only is ours ; and the reply to these excuses evinced ^ihsui prompt obeffience to the caU was reqffisite, and this remams to be the case. I write between meetings. We have been favoured vrith a hving, powerfffi raeeting tffis morffing. I went there devoid of every sense of good. Since the Quarterly Meeting at , I spoke to a friend or two of the Morning Meeting; suggesting the propriety of theh interference ; but it seems tMngs are stffl to be let alone I Where are our judges and counseUors ? To Lexden, Seventh Month 21th, 1834. Oh ! my dear , I feel good for httle ; but such a one is nevertheless often raised up in the mighty power of the great and awfffi " I AM," to declare His truth : latterly this has been the case with much humble boldness. I feel clear and eased in my sphit a good deal, with respect to London, &c. Many are sadly beguUed, which it pleased the Great Master to enable so mere a worm to point out clearly, and with almost invfficible authority, before we carae down here. I had, at Yearly Meeting, ffivers Mnts to keep "in the qffiet," after the Captain of the Hosts of Israel had put weapons into my hands (aU weak without Hira), and strengthened for the battle. May Heaveffiy Goodness keep Ireland from the grievous snare that hath caught and entangled so many in this country ! MTAT. 61.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 307 To . Lexden, Eighth Month lUh, 1834. My love flows freely to you, our dear friends, and I thought to have corae and communed a httle with you, but have been prevented. I qffite anticipated taking the comer seat by dear ¦ , and that we nught together feel abUity to rise above all transitory tlungs, for a short time ; and I hoped, be bajitized in His presence, who remains to be as " a place of broad rivers and strearas." I may teU thee, my true, sympatMzing friend, that I never expe rienced more of the living power of truth, in the exercise of the gift bestowed, than smce conung down here tins time ; from meeting to meetffig it has been so, with scarcely an exception. I have indeed been a wonder to rayseK ; for no one coffid sit down more empty, or a greater blank : and oh ! the word woffid corae, like the bubbhng up of a weU of hring water, or hke the flowing tide; and then again, when it receded, I was dry as the sand on the sea shore. I have been very abundantly convmced that the authority and heart-melting mfluence of the Divme Sphit is indeed ffistinct and separate from aU that is of the mere man ; and no raore at the cora mand of even the best iffiormed and most sagacious human being, than the descenffing of rain, or the flowing wave. I tMnk we are not Arithout feUow-feehng with those who reraain on the invfficible foundation, who raust in this day find the bffildmg tried indeed ; and must, K faitMul, suffer with that wluch is oppressed, wMle the sphit of Gohath vaunts itseK. I cannot but secretly raourn at what seems to me to be holding back among you, instead of, as it were, " coming up to the help of the Lord against the mighty." To . Eighth Month 2Uh, 1834. How vain are aU human efforts that are now making to give people faith; a literal faith it is, which we find so much recommended as essential to salvation. Sm-ely true faith is a gKt from the Highest, and must be waited for vrith dihgence, and creaturely abasement. X 2 308 A SELECTION FROM THE LETTERS [1834. To Elisha Bates. Near London, Ninth Month I2th, 1834. Dear Friend, As I mentioned to thee after meeting last evening, I feel much regret, that during thy visit to this nation, some of us have been shut out from thy society. As an inffividual I can trffiy say that my heart has been, and stffl is, sensible of tender love toward thee, and interest in thy passing along, as a brother, and as a min ister. Thy often interrupted health has given me affectionately to sympathize vrith thee, knovring from experience how trying tMs is ; and perhaps increased by the remembrance of the wide separation frora horae. 1 am, however, aware that those of the social chcle in wMch thou hast moved, are not only disposed to aUeviate the suffer ing permitted, but abundantly calcffiated to do so. Now suffer me to pen a httle of my sense of deep interest respect ing thy engagements in word and doctrine; having never before adffiessed thee on paper, and fearing there wffl be no opportumty for verbal communication. Perhaps both thou and I think that we speak under the sarae influence that enabled our ffist Eriends, caUed to the rainistry, to preach Christ : we do, however, differ vrith respect to our views, if I gather what tMne are frora thy conunuffications in the gaUery ; for it seeras to me, that while thou recommends and effiorcest faith in the outward coraing of the Eedeemer, and in aU that He did and suffered for mankind, in that prepared body m wMch He offered Hiraself up a propitiation for the sins of the whole world, thou dost not caU us unto His inward coming, by which all may partake of salvation tMough Him, even those who are vrithout the privilege of the Holy Scriptures ; and unless we who have them, and profess behef therein, come to this revelation of the Saviour in our hearts, we are yet in our sins. I have never once heard thee preach universal grace, and I coffiess, as an individual, I caimot recognise thy miffistry in the anointing ; for it does not seem to me that the power of God and the wisdom of God is eridenced therein, wlule exposition of scripture, in the " wisdora of words," is largely set forth. Oh ! my dear brother, I am sorely grieved for thee. Was it always thus with thee ? I know not how to rest in my sphit, vrithout acquainting thee vrith the pain that I feel, lest thy best judgment shoffid be warped. Great is the influence of one chcum- MTAT. 61.] OP SARAH GRUBB. 309 stanced as thou art : woffid it not be sorrowfffi to become the in strument of bringing any to rest in that which is short of the gospel ffispensation ? I am, in a sense of travaU of soffi for thy truest mterests, and with sincere affection, thy real friend, Sarah Grubb. To ONE OP HER children. Stoke Newington, Ninth Month, 1834. We have been at the Morning Meeting : I had abffity to dehver what was on my mind both yesterday and to-day. I have not been once at meeting since coraing, vrithout being perraitted to unburden. Thy account of the mcrease of disease at Colchester is affecting. I expected sometMng would come there, and a year ago was led to say so in pubhc. How glad I am thou couldst keep in view the notice and care of Him whose tender raercies are over aU His works ; vrithout whom even a sparrow faUeth not to the ground ! It is, as thou reraarks, very awfffi indeed ; and we can offiy flnd rest in cora mitting ourselves into the Dirine Hand. It is thus, that come what vriU come, we need not be afraid for ourselves with any araazeraent : no, not " for the pestilence that walketh in darkness ; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noon-day." Many rather gay Friends seera glad to shake hands vrith me, although despised by some who make a very Mgh profession as Eriends. I think of being at the General Meetffig at Hereford, and have obtained credentials from the MontMy Meeting yesterday. To . Lexden, Ninth Month I3th, 1834. I ara glad to flnd the disposition aUotted thee of late has been so peacefffi. It made me think of poor John Bunyan's " de lectable mountains," which, though the pflgrim might not stay there always, were no doubt the means of strengtheffing his faith for cfter difficulties, as well as present rehef Many are my probations, but I wish to find, that to be in that work aUotted me is my element, as it were; in my measure, to say, as George Fox did in Ms greater measure, " I ara in ray holy eleraent in the Lord's holy work." Oh ! I do dehght in being despised and 310 A SELECTION FROM THB LETTERS [1834. rejected by those among us, to whom the stone laid in Zion is a " stone of sturabhng, and a rock of offence." I have much to share of that which sets at nought the simplicity of CMist, and yet in word effiorces faith in His blood ; but it feels to me there is a tramphng under foot His lowly, innocent IKe. To . Sudlury, Ninth Month Uth, 1834. If the love of father or mother, &c., more than CMist, renders us unworthy of Him, surely the preference being given to our own reputation, and ease of the natural mind, must indeed render us utterly unworthy of the love and favour of Him who, for our sakes, became a man of no reputation ; being as He was, " de spised and rejected of men ; a man of sorrows, and acquainted vrith grief." To HER Husband. High Wycomle, Tenth Month 2nd, 1834. I thought thy letter breathed a sweetness wMch notMng short of the heavenly dew coffid produce — ^that tffis vriU never whoUy be withdrawn from thee, I fffily beheve. No, no. The same blessed iiffiuence that has been with thee aU thy life long, wffl stiU preserve the immortal part in a state in wMcli the Lord smeUeth a sweet savour ; even as the same integrity of heart is stiU maintained, which hath Mtherto been mercifuUy thine. The Quarterly Meeting in London was very formidable m pros pect. My spirit was bowed down greatly on second and thhd days ; and I rose on third day morning with an awful weight upon me. Under tMs I went to meeting, where I sat in great exercise of sphit before the Lord. It was long ere I found my way to utter anytMng. W. E. and W. A. both spoke. My way being clearly raade straight for rae, I stood up soon after the latter Eriend took his seat. It was trffiy awfffi work. I had to lay things open, as they were opened to me, in the freshness of the Dirine hfe. It seeraed to me that the authority of truth was ahnost invincille. Error was detected, and Mystery Babylon's derices set forth ; and her deceivableness of un righteousness, her making likenesses of aU that is found in the true Church, and her artfffi contrivances to pass for the Lamb's Bride, were aU described (as I beheve) in the demonstration of the etemal .ETAT. 61.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 311 Sphit. My mind was abundantly reheved — ^yes, more than for a long time past ; yet a remaining sense is vrith me, that few coffid go aU the way vrith me; but K ever the Captain of Israel's host gave the rictory in ray experience. He gave it that day. AU the praise and the glory be ascribed to His adorable Name. Amen. My physical powers were so exliausted after tffis meeting, that I was not able to attend that for ffisciphne ; and missing dear Thomas Shffiitoe from the gallery, walked slowly to P. B.'s to enqffire for him. He had been iU ffi the ffight, and was then asleep; so I waited sorae hours, and after seeing Mm, went to my lodgmgs. Yesterday mornmg B. Eeed brought us to Uxbridge to meeting. It was a remarkable time vrith Eriends, and I could see no way rightly to escape a pubhc meeting in the eveffing. TMs also was much favoured, and very large. We came here to-day. WiUiam HuU, and John Hffil's VAdfe, accompaffied us. The raeeting has been to rae truly wonderfffi, as hath now been the case in every opportunity for speaking in the Great Name, since I parted vrith thee. I have ventured to appoint another meeting here for the people this eveffing, under wffich I now he again very much bowed. To THE SAME. High Wycombe, Tenth Month 3rd, 1834. The pubhc raeeting yesterday was long gathering, and I ffid not see my way to stand up for a considerable time, which I afterwards attributed to the chcumstance of all not having arrived whom I was to adffiess. In the end the meeting proved very large. Many respectable inhabitants were present, as weU as others of dif ferent classes ffi community ; and once more " my soffi did raagnify the Lord, and my spirit rejoiced in God my Saviour," who, I humbly. trust, led rae safely tMough the engageraent, to the exaltation of His truth, wMch again was over all. Oh ! what a hring sense of the power of the Most High, and of His infiffite love, covered that large mixed assembly, as weU as the previous one at Uxbridge ! I ffid not know that these fornudable engageraents were hkely to fall to my lot on tMs journey, which always plunge me into baptisra pecuhar to the service. May I be enabled to stand faitMffi ffi domg or suf fering the vriU of my Great Master ; and oh ! may He keep rae from aU that woffid in the least degree dishonour His holy, exceUent Name I 312 A SELECTION FROM THE LETTERS [1834. The two meetings I have yet had vrith Friends were remarkable for an opening into the ffifferent conffitions of soffis present. They each held long, and although mine exercise was deep, and sometimes sore and painfffi, I have found great rehef in being mercifuUy enabled to mind my Gffide, in the trffiy dangerous stoppings in the hne of miffistry. Oh ! how fearfffi a thing it is to be led clearly to speak to the state of tlungs amongst us in this trying day. I lodged at Anna Hffil's at Uxbridge. After visiting Friends at meeting, the young men called on us so kinffiy, and appeared so vriffing to assist about getting the pubhc meetmg, that I felt glad, not merely for my own sake, but likewise for thehs ; as theh takmg interest in these things looks weU with respect to some religious sensibffity. The fanffiy where we now are, are as kind as possible. My com paffion is a very agreeable Friend to travel with. I qffite hope Ms coming is in right ordering. Evesham, First Day. — TMs moming the meetffig here was, I tMnk, as those I have before mentioned: various states were ad dressed. A public meeting is appointed for tffis evening in the town-hall. Friends' meeting-house being far too hmited for the nuraber who wish to attend. Thus, from time to time, I do not escape these trials of my allegiance to our Immortal King. Very far from what woffid be my own choice are such concerns, as thou well knowest. The meeting hes heavy upon my mind. Oh ! may Dirine Good ness be a very present help in the moraent of extremity; and may the sarae precious influence accompany thee and our dear cMldren ! To ONB OF HER CHILDREN. Evesham, Tenth Month 6th, 1834. I seem to feel it so long since talking to thyseK, that I embrace an hour for this employ — it seeras more hke a raonth since learing you than scarcely ten days. E. and A. B., as weU as many others whora I meet, welcome me most cordiaUy within theh borders. We had a very, very large meeting ffi the tovm-haU, or shire-haU, at Evesham on First day ; concerffing wluch I have to acknowledge to the raercy of our Alraighty Helper, who was eminently with us, after all my previous suffering, and deep sense of the fearfuMess of these steps, even under the fffil conriction of duty. MTAT. 61.] OP SARAH GRUBB. 313 Eoss, 1th. — ^The dear old woman Eriend here received us vrith joy. The pubhc meetings exhaust me a good deal, but what coffid hfe be spent in to so rauch advantage, as being given up in body, soffi, and spirit, to the Dirine wffl ? Surely it is tlus that produces real comfort now, and enables to lay up a good foundation against the time to come. Oh ! that my beloved may more and more be put mto a capacity for adopting the poet's holy resolution — " My life (if thou preserv'st my life) Thy sacrifice shall be." Thou hast felt the loring-kmdness of the Lord, and knovra His caU, " Give me thy heart :" let all thy affections be centred in thy dear Sariour. 8th. — ^WeU ! the ffieaded engagement of last eveffing was got tMough vrith safety, the great Captain being the bow and the battle axe ; yea, the sMeld and buckler ; blessed be His Name ! Oh ! I humbly trust truth had the donuffion. To. HER Husband. Hereford, Tenth Month 8th, 1834. I closed a letter to thee at Evesham on Fhst day, before going to the great meeting there. My soffi was under baptism and exercise for the service when writmg. It proved a time of renewal of strength in the Lord's work, for I humbly trast He raised the power of truth into domiffion. I had thought of getting tMough Eoss without a meeting vrith the inhabitants, but found it woffid not do ; ray mind being made sensible of the secret intimation to seek an opportuffity to invite the people unto Him who is " the way, the truth, and the life." They were long gathering, but I believe the Lord was eminently present ; opeffing, through a mere notMng, the truths of the Gospel, and dravring the congregation to the blessed influence of the spirit and power of CMist in them, that there raight be the hope of glory by and tMough Hira. The Eriends here (many of them) are so loring, and seem so thankfffi that we have met, it is contriting to ray mind. Yesterday ffid indeed seem to be " a day that the Lord had made." I could not fimd my way to stand up early in the raeeting, but seemed to myself like a vessel heavy laden, waiting for the tide to get under weigh safely ; and at last rose, and was helped wonderfully to declare the trath, to my ovra great relief, and, I beheve, to the arousing of 314 A SELECTION PROM THB LETTERS [1834. the careless, and conKorting and strengthening the precious seed, that felt unspeakably near to my IKe in Christ. The meeting held nearly tMee hours, and closed very solemffiy, after near access in prayer and thanksgiring : many not Friends were present. Perhaps I never felt more exliausted than when tMs great meeting was over, nor more as K I had been taken into the hand of the Great Master for His ovra purpose, as a mere channel, and was now again qffite empty, and poor, and weak in my own eyes. I had thought that it might be enough, so that I looked toward being excused from holffing a pubhc meeting ; but no — I must have one this evening in the sMre haU. Oh ! I harffiy thought that so much of tMs was in store for me ; how shoffid I have been able to support the weight aU at once ? To THE SAME. Worcester, Tenth Month I3th, 1834. We had a very great meeting on sixth day evening at Hereford : I found it rather laborious, but we had best assistance, and a sense covered the assembly of that influence wMch is stronger than aU that gainsays it. I was under the necessity of appointing a meeting for the inhabitants here last eveffing : it was crowded to excess, and as at Hereford, many went away for want of room. Here also I found it soraewhat laborious, the people's riews being very much outward; yet, tMough Divine mercy, I seeraed led safely tMough a long testiraony to the spirituahty of the gospel ffispensa tion, &c. We had here likevrise a precious covering, wMch mcreased, and the meetmg closed ; prayer and thanksgiving haring been offered up to Him who remains to be the Helper of the helpless. I have been this raorffing to visit dear old J. P., who is ffi Ms ffinety-ffith year. He seeras in a heavenly state of nund, and appears so patriarchal, that he quite resembles the ancient Jacob, according to the account of Mm left on sacred record. Yesterday we dined at T. B.'s. They have a son who is greatly afflicted, but oh ! my mind was led to behold transcendent lovehness ffi Mm, wMch ffid enhven ray soffi, and I had to teU hhn so. To ONE OF HER CHILDREN. Uxlridge, Tenth Month I8th, 1834. We had a crowded pubhc meeting at Charlbury, wMch was a remarkably impressive, indeed I may say awfffi time. The MTAT. 61.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 315 people were mostly of the peasantry, but were very quiet. The meeting closed vrith prayer and praises to the Most High. At yesterday I thought the hfe of rehgion was very low : had to caU the people to more dffigence in the great work of salva tion, I felt a deal about a pubhc raeeting there ; it, however, seeraed clear to me that there was no auxiliary, and that, for want of tlus, I might be excused ; as K a meeting was appointed, there seemed no probabffity of sufficient notice being given. 20^^. — The meetmg at Jordan's has been much ovraed and favoured. More came than coffid get ffi, and they stood outside with their umbreUas up, for it was wet. To THE SAME. Stoke Newington, Eleventh Month, 1834. We went to Croydon as proposed. Our quarters were at 's '. her house is hke a model of what belongs to seK-deffial m furffiture, &c. There seems to be much genffine humffity in her character : she is exceeffingly kmd to us. We began the risit to the families on fifth day (at DevonsMre House) ; are going on ffihgently. Your dear father generaUy speaks in the fanffiies TMs is thy time of hfe to mingle in suitable society ; it improves the nund, and opens the way for acquaintance vrith passing events, wMch cannot faU to be usefffi, both as to the present tirae, and also m regard to the years to wMch hfe may be lengthened. We are in usual health, but begin to feel rather exliausted, and look toward gettmg to you soon. If it please the Great Master to give us a httle rest of mind and body, we shall be thankfffi. Per haps I never paid a rehgious visit anywhere, that occasioned rae more deep exercise of mind than this in wMch I am now engaged ; mdeed I do not recoUect any qffite so laborious, for the hfe of re hgion is very low ffi famihes, and often in raeetings too ; but K we are getting on vrith our day's work, and preserved frora injuring the precious cause of trath, it vriU prove an unspeakable favour. To J. H. London, Eleventh Month I3th, 1834. More frequently than the returnmg day, do I reraember thee and thy dear family. I have looked for some account of dear, suffering , and your chcle generaUy, but have met with no 316 A SELECTION PROM THE LETTERS [1834. one to give me any iffiorraation, nor have I received any letter from Uxbridge since we parted. I do feel rauch interested respecting yon, and want greatly to be able to visit you in idea as you are situated. We know that the wUl of the Lord is best for us, and that it is not to be controUed, but submitted to ; therefore the more we seek resignation, the more vriU wonders be wrought for us ; our hearts being prepared to adopt the language, " Great and raarveUous are thy works. Lord God Almighty. Just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints." May the Most High be pleased to lend the aid of His Holy Spirit, by which hard things are raade easy, and the bitter cup is sweetened ; and oh ! may tie bless tribffiation to you, my long, tenderly beloved friends, and to your offspring ; accepting the travail of the parents' soffis for theh dear chUdreu, and the sigh of some of the chUdren for others of your fanffiy, whether under the same roof or not. EareweU. I am., in the bonds of the Gospel, and wMle sensible of weakness and much trembhng. Thy affectionate friend, Sarah Grubb. To — — . Lexden, Twelfth Month I2th, 1834. I thought the Quarterly Meeting at very exercis ing, and could not obtain rehef in the meeting for worsMp, where, after divers had spoken, my dear J. G. uttered a few lively sentences, wMch it seeraed right for me to aUude to, and a httle apply to the conffition of raany. In the Women's Meeting there was raore liberty. I shoffid have been glad K the shutters had been raised wMch sepa rated us from our brethren, but had not courage to make the request, after hearing in London that some disapproved of ray doing so, when there before. Please let our dear friends in know of this letter, and that the retrospect of our late engageraents in that quarter is not without a hurable hope that we were getting on a little with our day's work. I ara persuaded that such as you and must come in for the reward of ffisciples, in your wiffingness to assist those who profes sedly go fortii in the narae of the Great Master. As for me, I seldom am in any other state, on returffing horae, than under trial of faith, which is now the case ; and I feel deeply ray great unworthiness to iETAT. 61.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 317 rank among the soldiers of the Larab, or to be noticed, as I have recently been, by those whose ffist concern it is to honour His blessed cause. It does not appear to me that Essex Quarterly Meeting is whoUy clear of the mischief of novel doctrine. My spirit was sensible of its existence, and borne down under it, as well as vrith a great deal of the prevalence of the love of the world, and the tMngs of the world ; which, it is to be feared, with raany almost excludes the love of the Father. Oh ! how oppressed is the pure immortal seed ; and through what labour of soffi does the rightly exercised mind risit it ; and how long it often is before such rise superior to that which bears down the hfe of God in our meetings ! Yet is He, the Mighty One, stffi vrith those who wait upon Him ; yea, and He will be vrith them, to His own praise and the edffication of His people ; blessed be His exceUent Name ! The query naturaUy arises with me. Why shoffid I go to Suffolk ? but I desire to leave aU ffi the hands of Him whose right it is to dispose of us frora tirae to time ; and shoffid so poor a creature be caUed to suffer vrith Him who said, " The servant is not greater than Ms Lord," &c., and, " It is enough for the servant that he be as his Master," surely my soffi shaU rejoice and give thanks : ray wish is to be just what He pleases, no raatter how despicable. To . Lexden, Twelfth Month 2lst, 1834. If I never wrote thee a word, nor had verbal communica tion vrith thee, beheve me thou art engraven on my heart, aU trem bhng as it is in these perilous tiraes My dear friend is frequently in my reraerabrance, with rehgious and affectionate sohcitude that Ms race may not be rendered more difficult than ought to be the case, by any undue pursffit of things relating to the present life. Tirae is short, and the clay is clogging. Oh ! my soffi yeams towards tffis long-loved brother, -vrith tender and fervent de shes that he may " so run as to obtain." The Quarterly Meeting at Ipswich on thhd day was to rae a memorable time, for my Master raised me up in His ovm authority, so that I seemed, in my measure, as an adamant, harder than ffint ; or as a brazen waU before that wMch opposed itself to the truth : the rehef this season afforded may be better conceived than described. 318 A SELECTION FROM THE LETTERS [1835, It is, under any chcumstances, cause of true rejoicing to be brought mto the capacity to endure hardness, and suffer reproach for His sake, who, in adorable condescension, and love unutterable, became a man of no reputation, for a shKffi world. It is with feehngs of deep and tender sympathy, that I hear of the continued sinking of nature with respect to dear Mary HuU; but a humble hope attends my mind, that the purified sphit wings its way to those regions where temptation and sorrow are not knovm, StiU, who can but be moved at the ravages of sickness, of suffermg, even unto death ? It involves the affectionate parent in poignant grief; the brother, the sister, the friend, in the sense of a mournful chasm, not to be ffiled by any eartMy gift ; for whatever blessings may be added to a famUy, " that wMch is wanting cannot be num bered." May the Etemal Fffiness HimseK be graciously pleased to sanctify the trying ffispensation to dear WUham Hffil's famUy, and enable surrivors to rejoice ffi His mercy, and be glad in His salvation. My dear To one of her CHILDREN. First Month 2nd, 1835. I cannot help feehng the separation from thee just now a good deal, but apprehenffing it cannot weU be otherwise in right ordering for a few days, I must leave it. I have ventured to appoint a pubhc meeting for Ehst day eveffing, at Gracechurch Street ; thy sympathy vridl again be awakened : the expression of it ffi thy com- muffications aheady received, is sweet to me. May our loved endeavour to accept the gracious inrita tion, " Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I wffl give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me ; for I am raeek and lowly in heart, and ye shaU fitnd rest unto your soffis, Eor my yoke is easy, and my burden is hght." -Ah ! it is coming to Him, and learffing of Him true meekness and lowlmess, that renders hard tMngs easy ; for, in resignation of soffi, we are then able to cast aU our care upon Him who " hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows." Trffiy "in returning and rest shaU ye be saved ; in qffietness and in confidence shaU be your strength," amidst the many trials and perplexities of hfe, which none escape, however varied in form, or Mdden from mortal eye. iETAT. 02.] OP SARAH GRUBB. 319 -And now, hoping, trasting, expectffig, and behering we may very soon meet, I subscribe myseK Thy very, very affectionate mother, Sarah Grubb. To . Lexden, First Month lUh, 1835. I left London very much depressed. Perhaps it never feU to my lot to obtain so little substantial rehef in any previous going forth as a miffister ; notwithstanffing it cost me great conffict and suffering to leave home, and also again to show myseK in London ; but it behoves us to become wffling to endure the misconstructions even of those we greatly prefer to ourselves, when our words and conduct too, appear to thera to be erroneous, wMle we can appeal to the Searcher of aU hearts, that we have notMng ffi riew that is of a siffister nature, or that deshes anythmg contrary to His holy vriU. I suppose thou dost not tMnk that anytMng was ehcited at the Moriung Meeting, calcffiated to render Eriends of the old school less uneasy than they have long been, respecting the novel opmions that are afloat. I coffiess that my apprehensions were rather con&med, for there seemed to be a ffisposition to cover and gloss over the un soundness, so as to make it less tangible than when so much caution in expression was not observed : however tMs hkewise wffl, sooner or later, be detected, and made manKest by that Sphit wMch "searcheth aU tMngs, even the deep thmgs of God;" yea, "the hail shaU sweep away the refuge of hes, and the waters shaU overflow the hiding place," however we may fortify them ffi the strength of that vrisdom wMch is from beneath. To . Lexden, First Month 2Uh, 1835. How gratefffi it was to receive a letter from thee, just after my setting out on the journey westward : the encourageraent held out helped to strengthen my faith : what was expressed relative to my learing my dear family, at a time when pestUence was carrying off divers around us, was very striking, and thy words had been previously in my own raind. It ffid indeed please Infinite Kindness to spare us the trial of any " evU conung near the dweffing," wMch was left under an awfffi sense of the constraiffing influence of gospel 320 A SELECTION PROM THE LETTERS [1835. love ; and perhaps it never feU to my lot to obtam more rehef in any engagement of the kind, than was the case generaUy by my labour on that journey. On arriving in London, however, after the accomplishment of what had been before me, I coffid not see the way horae ; a field of further labour opened there, but how ffifferent have been ray feelings in getting tMough the service ! But little openness appeared in the minds of the visited, except in a few in stances, either as to famUies, or exercises of a raore public character. Oh ! I was greatly oppressed I felt rauch exhausted in coming back frora London. I fear the evU root is spreaffing and strengtheffing itseK in a hidden way. What the end wffl be time must reveal ; but certainly there seeras little roora now for the simple way of preacMng that Friends have always been distingffished for m theh ministry. I am glad of the extract from Wm. Law's writings wffich thou sent rae. I recollect being pleased with Ms sentiraents many years ago. He appears to have been a deep-sphited CMistian. I was greatly treated by the company of E. B. for some days, in my late journey to Hereford, &c. How sweet and refresMng it is to be able to recogffize the precious hfe of truth immutable, one with another. To . 1835. Mayest thou, and may thy dear wife be enabled to put on more and more strength in the name of the Lord ; to prove your selves faithfffi burden bearers in the present oppressive time ; that, as labourers in the Lord's rineyard, you may reap and receive wages, and gather frffit to hfe eternal ! It is not for us to seek obscurity when such raay not be our aUotment in Divine ordering ; nor to flinch from reproach and sharae for the sake of our dear Master, and His ever-glorious cause. WhUe writing I remember dear E. Eeed, and consider, that in her measure, she is given up to serve the Lord in solitude ; and although she may not conspicuously bear the burden and heat of the day, yet, in that way appointed (as tffis is held on in) the "penny" is made sure; even that wMch is soffi-satisfying, and more than wMch, who can obtain ? To . Lexden, Second Month lOth, 1835. You have both been feUow-helpers of us, from time to time, in our feeble efforts to fffiffi pubhc duty, in obedience to our iETAT. 62.] OF SARiVII GRUBB. 321 Dirine Master : may He be known graciously to recompense your labour of love, and may we be more and more united as children of the same spiritual family ; even in that aa hich knovA's no change, and which cannot be ffivided ! Do teU dear E. E. that she is often in my reraerabrance, and I feel for her sufferings, anudst my own pres sure, which soraetiraes seems almost beyond strength ; so that I fear lest the hold shoffid be let go, wMle striving to cleave to the invisible and invincible arm of Omnipotence ; but stUl, at times, there is a hope felt, sure and stedfast ; and I do conclude that we had better hope even against hope ; for vA'hen there seems notMng present with us to cheer our drooping minds, it behoves us to watch against cast- mg away our confidence, and so being beguUed of our reward I fear there is a confederacy among us, which hath not the sanction of His sphit, who stiU sustains the name of " CounseUor," Avith those who feel that without Him they cau do nothing. But surely " the Lord wiU do a marveUous work among tlus people, even a marvel lous work and a wonder; for the wisdom of the wise men shall perish, and the understanding of the prudent shaU be hid;" even when the siraplicity of truth, its vAdsdom, and its power, shaU be raised hito domiffion again. How shaU the raeek then rejoice in the Lord, and the poor know what it is to joy in the Holy One of Israel ! "for the honse of Jacob shaU not be ashamed," seeing that the dependance of this wrestling seed is in the Lord alone, ffi whom is strength everlasting. It is exceedingly gratifying to us to receive inteffigence of our dear bretMen and sisters, and to knoAV vA'lien and where the right thing prevaUs. To ONE OF HER CHILDREN. Third Month, 1835. I have but a short time to spend in this way, but am de shous of acquainting our dear chUdren with our welfare, durmg this Quarterly Meeting. Yesterday and to-day have been times of re newal of strength to some of us. I was favoured with a brave, courageous time, both days, in defence of our ancient principles; so that I feel easy, which is no smaU raercy to so poor a creature. My dear love is to and . I am glad m the hope theh simphcity ffi rehgion is blessed to them. May they mamtam it ! " The Lord preserveth the simple." It is a precious tlung to Y 322 A SELECTION FROM THE LETTERS [1835. be sincere, humble, and faitMffi, in the sight of Him who sees not as man sees, and whose ways are declared to be infimtely higher than the ways of man, even as the heavens are higher than the earth. To THE SAME. Fourth Month 1st, 1835. I have been with you in thought almost unceasingly, since we parted ; and often, very often, have my petitions been put up to the Lord on your behaK. No doubt, ray dear, it is, as thou art favoured to see, much better for us to submit to the vriU of our Heavenly Eather, than to please ourselves; for He does indeed know, and He only, what is for our real interest. "Ah thy clffidren shall be taught of the Lord, and great shaU be the peace of thy cMlffien." And if the teacMng is soraetimes by ffisciphne, severe to the natural part, seeing it is in vrisdom inscrutable to the under standing, but perfect in itseK, the " torment " is worth enduring. " Wisdora tormenteth with her disciphne." Your poor, insignfficant mother cau subscribe to this truth frora hving experience. I shoffid have had less peace now iu my old age, but for having been, in early life, and many a time since, disciplined under the cross of Christ Jesus, my dear Lord and Saviour. Neither can we make choice of our trials, but must endeavour to leave aU to Hira who, in His own body, "bore our griefs and carried our sorrows." To Mary Capper. London, Fifth Month 26th, 1835. Thy sweetly encouraging and instructive hnes must be acknowledged. How truly kind it is of thee thus to reraeraber us frora year to year; and how precious is this raaffifestation of thy continued sisterly, yea, christian love ! Here we are once more attenffing the Yearly Meeting. Our family are much struck vrith thy communication, so lively, and so adapted to our present circum stances. The thoughtfffiness wffich attends me has a tendency to irapair ray health : I suppose, however, that this shattered tenement will hold out just long enough. My dear husband heard thy letter with gratefffi feelings. Probably thou hast heard of his having nearly lost Ms sight, but the inward eye is not dim. He has nobly eridenced clear-sightedness durhig jETAT. 62.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 823 the present Yearly Meeting, and a trying thne it is ! Oh ! the want of true simphcity, of best wisdom, and of keeping to the power of truth ! It seems as if there was danger of idolizing the human understanffing now, and bringing aU tMngs to the test of reason ; so whUe we say we see, our bhndness increases to an alarming degree ; and not a few (it is to be feared) are sturabhng upon the dark mountains, having wandered frora the safe abiffing in the lowly place ; comparable to the situation of the people of the Lord form erly, when it was said, " As the vaUies are they spread forth," &c. Again and again has the right tMng been raised into the ascend ancy over that wMch woffid have taken its place, and wffich sought to keep down the lowly life of the Lord Jesus. We have been thankfffi in feehng that it was limited ; but oh ! there remains to be great occasion for lamentation. I was constrained to request a meetmg to be appointed for our youth, wMch the Yearly Meeting comphed wdth; and where, I humbly trust, we felt the gathering arm of Him wha is the good Shepherd, and who careth for His sheep. TMs concern, so trffiy formidable in prospect, has much relieved my poor, exercised mind. How happy for thee to be brought tMough the ocean of life to thy present calm haven ; waiting to be safely landed in those regions where aU is peace ; yea, joy unspeakable and fuU of glory. So fare weU in the Lamb, who doth hghten that country ; and who, with the Eather, is the everlasting hght and glory thereof. I remainThy affectionate friend in tribffiation, Sarah Grubb. To A YOUNG Friend. 1835. Divers ffi the last stage of hfe are removed from labouring in the sphitual harvest, who, I have no doubt, have gathered frffit to hfe eternal, and thus their works foUow thera. Now we look for preparation and qualffication in the rising genera tion, and in those of sorae raaturity of age; that they also may "reap and receive wages," even soffi-satisfying reward, wlffie em ployed by the Great Husbandman in the wMtened fields. The operation of that power that can fit for service has been known (blessed be the Lord) ; may this be abode with, and fffily submitted to! Y 2 324 A SELECTION FROM THE LETTERS [1835. To ONE OF HER CHILDREN. Sudlury , prolahly 1835. How very interesting is thy account of om- beloved friend. Oh ! it is indeed sweet and precious to be able to see a soffi sinking into the Source and Author of aU real, lasting enjoyment ! I have! long been without a doubt that this prepared spirit of hers woffid find "joy unspeakable and full of glory." A glory suited to the capacity of aU the Lord's redeemed is given them to ^efuU; and whether the five-talented, the two, or even the one, the joy of theh Lord is soffi-satisfying, is full of glory. I think I visited tMs congregation pretty thorougMy in the morn ing, standing perhaps an hour. I was marvellously helped — no merit of mine. To THE SAME. Prolally I83h. It is with thankfulness we receive the pleasing account of you wMch thy letter conveys. Oh ! may our Heaveffiy Eather enrich you vrith spiritual blessings, to His ovm praise, and your stedfastness in Him who is " Alpha and Oraega," in the experience of His poor cMlffien, as they seek to be faitMffi in His sight. So our dear aged friend has departed. Dear creature ! How sweet ! how happy ! No more sense of the sinking of nature under a wasting ffisease ; no more suffering of mind or body. My heart is ready to say, "Blessed be the Lord, who, in the fffiness of time, releases His dear children from the shackles of a raortal frarae." TMs morning, at ¦ 's, we met our friends and . The latter ministered to us aU. She spoke to my real conffition, and encouraged me to beheve that the arraour of right eousness, on the right hand and on the left, with which it had pleased the Most High to clothe, woffid stffl be the covering ; the weapons being " mighty through God, to the puUing dovm of strong holds," &c., &c. To . Lexden, Sixth Month 2lst, 1835. I want to know how it was with one, who at times felt the tendering influences of the love of a crucffied Sariour. How glad shaU I be to find that the survivors had the consolation of an assur- ^TAT. 62.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 325 ance that the spirit was mercifffily accepted in the Beloved; not that I consider such a manKestation necessary, nor that it is always given, when even aU is well, abundantly weU for ever ; but oh ! when the Comforter is heard to say, " iffiqffity is pardoned ;" the warfare is accomphshed, heaven is obtained ; how does this lessen the poig nancy of that sorrow wMcli the severing hand of death brings to a sympathetic, affectionate heart ! We have now passed much of our day, and in the retrospect perhaps we see that we might have im proved it more, and have spent it better. I know that it is so vritli me, that I am at times ready to be " ffismayed " at the seeing of it, and bowed down at the awful call, which even the in&raities of years proclaim, " Set thy house in order," kc. ; but let us be encouraged to press toward the mark for the prize ; hoping, that as we are so engaged, we may VAdu the crown that fadeth not ; for great and un fathomable are the tender raercies of Hira who is our Judge and our Sariour too. To . Lexden, Seventh Month Uh, 1835. Trffiy it is no hght thing to corae up to the great city, at least to some of us, who have found it a place of great oppression, and of combat, vrith very httle auxUiary ; not but what I appreciate the brotherly kmdness, the affectionate attention and help of which I have been, at times, an unworthy partaker ; but oh ! how few there are, wffiing to come forth nobly in the cause of our adorable Captain and CMef; hating theh own hfe for His sake and that of the Gospel ! There have long been wanted raore efficient arrangements in Lon don and elsewhere, for the sffitable care of traveUing Friends, in that way wMch woffid bring the expenses to the national fund. In ffivers mstances the expense of traveUers is too heavy, even to oppression, in poor MontMy Meetings. I wish, and have wished for years, that the subject nught claim the attention of the Meeting for Sufferings. To ONE OF HER CHILDREN. Sudlury, Ninth Month I6th, 1835. The Quarterly Meeting yesterday was very smaU. There seeraed a httle way to open for me to unburden, wMch I thankfiffiy embraced. I tMnk the meeting was favoured in degree. 326 A SELECTION FROM THE LETTERS [1835. Whether under any pecffiiar exercise of mind or not, my dear chUffien are present with me, in fervent desire for your preservation and establishment in the blessed, unchangeable truth : and I beheve that the raany confficts permitted to attend you, are surely designed to have so deshable a tendency, that you may be settled in that wMch outhves all sorrow and ffisappointment, and wffich certaiffiy renders hard things easy, and sweetens the most bitter cup To ONE OP HER CHILDREN. Tenth Month, 1835. It is when we are drawn from expecting to be satisfied vrith tlungs that are seen, and are teraporal, having our affections set upon tMngs that are not seen, and are etemal, that we come into the possession of substantial happiness, and a peace that remains, even under the tossings and trials that are to be met vrith in this chequered scene, and which we aU have to vritness in some way or other I have thought, how different is our situation from that of the imraediate foUowers of the blessed Immanuel, who were " in hunger and tMrst, in cold and nakedness," &c. : who went about in goat skins and sheep skins; "of whom" indeed, it might well be said, " the world was not worthy." To . Sudlury, Twelfth Month 6th, 1835. As for our beloved brother in another part of the world, D. W., it is reaUy marveUous how way is made for Mm, from time to thne, to bear testimony to the power of Ms Divine Leader, and to show the insufficiency of aU that properly belongs to the mere man. Oh ! it is tffis simphcity, tMs keeping to the wisdom and power of Christ Jesus the Lord, that wUl indeed proraote the Eedeemer's kingdom in the earth ; which kingdom must take the place of that of darkness, untU all is put down that opposeth itseK to the righteous government of Him, whose appearance among men produced the language, " Glory to God in the Mghest, and on earth peace ; good wffl toward raen." How I wish that aU who profess to be ambas sadors for the Immortal King, woffid " cease from man ;" but there seems to me to be occasion for jealousy, lest, acting out of the influ ences and movings of the anointing, some, even under our name. iETAT. 63.] OP SARAH GRUBB. 327 shoffid lay sturabhng blocks in the way of such as are enqffiring the way to Zion vrith their faces thitherward. I trust, however, (with thyseK) that wrong things are raore and more ffiscovered, and the subtlety of the serpent marked, so that Ms real character is not Mdden from many honest-hearted ones witlun our borders, who per ceived not, for a wlffie, that he was laying waste amongst us, as a religious Society. I observe thy reraark that our American bretMen have got before us — ^yes, because we closed the eye, shut the ear, and hung down the hands, as regards the miscMef which had so long been at work Many religious commuffities, as well as their inffividual raerabers, have not yet seen the fuMess of the gospel dispensation; and K these hve up to what is made manKest, in and by the hght afforded, I never coffid doubt either theh usefffiness, or their acceptance vrith Him who opens the mysteries of the heavenly kingdom to His httle ones, as they are able to bear them. To ONE OF HER CHILDREN. Sudbury, Second Month I2th, 1836. I have a letter from : she is rather low herself. and wKe have resigned theh membersMp Never fear ! there vriU be Quakers stiU. I hope, however, many vriU foUow the example of these Eriends, that we may remove what hath let, and vriU let, the great work of the Lord, wlffie it is raised up with the Society The Lord of glory bless you, my cMlffien; but &st, and above aU, with that which can alone give you to grow in grace. I often looked at you ffi ray mmd lately, as getting on weU, when I coffid be quiet frora the cogitations of ray natural disposition. What shoffid I do, were it not for the strong Tower, to which such a poor, feeble creature, may flee, and be secure, wMle the floods IKt up their voice without ? Oh ! what I feel about thee ! It seems to me it is indeed required to defficate the whole man to Him who is worthy of all; to bear the needfffi preparation, and to be found faithful in His service. He woffid indeed lead in Wisdom's ways, whose ways are pleasantness, and her paths peace. Yet this is that Wisdom which at &st tormenteth with her disciphne. It is aU in order that she may deal out her bread, which nourishes and strengthens the 828 A SELECTION PROM THE LETTERS [1836. inner man ; and that there raay be a partalring of the vrine that she hath mingled ; even for the replenishing and gladdening that part which cannot be satisfied with anything short of the uncreated sub stance To A YOUNG Friend. Second Month 21th, 1836. And now, my precious , let me charge thee to endeavour to get nearer and nearer to thy dear Saviour, who would increasmgly give thee to walk with Hira in the "fine linen, clean and white ;" the righteousness of those who resign theraselves to be sanctified by Hira. Ah ! this clotMng is worth having ; purchased for us by the blood of the Larab immaculate, who freely grants the lovely robe to aU who are wiffing to submit to the refiffing operations of His blessed Sphit. It is true that we must come through much or great tribffiation, to obtain the rich covering; and surely thy youthfffi days have been, often and raany, days of deep suffering : thou hast been as one that went down to the sea in sMps : hast seen " the works of the Lord, and His wonders in the deep :" thy bark, aU tossed and tried, has been like " a drunken man," who " reels to and fro ;" and again thine Almighty Helper dehvered thee. He de signs to show forth His own glory through thee, as weU as in thee. Oh ! stand at His disposal. He hath brought thee through a day of cloudiness and of tffick darkness ; of perplexity and treaffing down : sliaU He not be magnffied in giving thee now to stand on the "sea of glass mingled with fire;" (a state of danger) but where the harp of victory is found in the hand, with the song in the mouth, " Great and raarveUous are thy works. Lord God Almighty. Just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints;" who shall not fear thee?"&c. It is profitable to retire each day, and, in notMngness and in silence, seek the Lord. It helps us. It raay not seera to profit at the tirae, but it no doubt is praying in secret; and our Eather who sees in secret rewards us opeffiy, by correcting our proneness to trifle away the strength of the nund, and checking our natural temper ; for there is something in all which requires the regffiating power of Jesus Christ, who was raeek and low of heart. I hope thou art aware that my soffi breathes tlus advice in un speakable tenderness toAvards thee. So farewell. iETAT. 63.J OJ, SARAH GRUBB, 829 To . Third Month 20th, 1836. Oh ! the wisdora of this world ! what miscMef it does by meddling Arith that which it cannot comprehend ! but I do beheve that the rimphcity of the Gospel wiU yet prevaU over it aU, even witMn our pale ; and Babel buUders wiU be coffiounded, as mdeed they have ever been. I wish not to anticipate the coming Yearly Meeting : there is, however, a class very active at such times, who can accommodate themselves to circumstances and to persons too, so as to hold fast theh own reputation. These try my feelings greatly, for it is such who, not being decidedly and openly for the good cause, and that which changeth not, nor avowffig themselves on the side of those who have gone away from us, are secretly retarding the work that must divide and scatter, and reraove aU that AriU not bear the scrutiny of the light ; and many dear young people are staggered by theh means. To Sudlury, Third Month 2Uh, 1836. My hope is that the Lord is aheady beginffing to heal us as a people, and that He vriU speak to us " with stamraering lips and another tongue," than that we ourselves have chosen ; that all may fall and turn backward, that is in the contrariety to the Divine vrill, and oppresses the precious hfe. I cannot do VAdtli that spirit, too prevalent now in a sort of midffie rank, which tm-ns with the vrind, hke a vane ; not haring the stedfastness which is in Christ, but pleasing self; unlike Him whose cause they woffid fain have it beheved they espouse. If CMist "pleased not Himself," as the scripture testifies, how can we be His ffisciples, who woffid not risk the loss of aU tMngs, that we " may win CMist, and be found in Him?" Perhaps there is nothing that we fmd more difficult to surrender, than our esteem with those whom we reaUy prefer ; even as serving the Great Master VAdth manKold gKts bestowed upon thera, wMle our own appear to ourselves to be few, and comparatively very smaU; but I believe that it is essential to our acceptance with our Judge and Sariour, that we should be single-eyed, and K He caUs to it, fight His battles single-handed, like little David with Ms sling, and the smooth stone from the brook, " hastening and running " at 330 A SELECTION FROm' THE LETTERS [1836. the Lord's fit opportunity, without hesitating to ffiscover what such and such wffi tMnk of us. I ara longing to receive some intelligence of our dear tribffiated, yet ffignffied brother, Daniel Wheeler. Surely prayer, begotten of the Most High, has been and is ofteu put up on behaK of one so eminently endued with faith to persevere, in the deffication of Ms all to the promotion of that trffiy grand object, the reception of the kingdom of Jesus, by aU nations ; so that the vriU of God may be done on earth, even as it is done in heaven Since our MontMy Meeting, I have had sorae further engagements of tffis awfffi nature (holffing pubhc meetings) and through renewed mercy, to rauch satisfaction and abundant rehef; which latter con tinues but a short tirae. Oh ! the baptisms of my soffi ! I fre quently feel such suffering, and apparent desertion of aU good, that it is indeed offiy by endeavouring qmetly to keep hold of the sMeld of faith, that I dare to prosecute the view of meeting the people, an unprepared, unquahfied handmaiden, until the power arises, hke the bubbling up of a weU of living water, and reaches forth to theh conditions, even as streams, in the abundance of that love wMch woffid refresh and baptize, and gather aU to the " pure river of water of hfe, clear as crystal, proceeffing out of the tMone of God and of the Larab." It is very evident that, of rayseK, I am indeed but a worm ; and tMs worm sometiraes has the foot of man set upon it. To ONE OF HER CHILDREN. Sudlury, 1836. It gladdens my heart to peruse those hnes wMch acknow ledge to the insufficiency of seK, as to the performance of anytMng, however smaU, for the ever glorious cause of that truth wMch we (as a people) profess, and wluch vriU stand to the end of the world. If, m aU tMngs, we learn to have reference to our ovm Ahffighty Helper, we shaU experience Him to be a very present help indeed, in the raoraent of extremity. Thy poor raother can testify to that vrisdora, that power, that simphcity, in wluch we can do aU tMngs ; for it is not we that speak or act, but the Spirit of our Eather vritMn us. I was engaged in the gift committed to me yesterday, and in almost every meeting that has occurred since leaving you ; the Lord of the harvest being pleased to fiU the cloud, and command the rain jETAT. 63.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 331 To ONE OF HER CHILDREN. Fourth Month 3rd, 1836. Oh ! my dear , keep close to the power and the wisdom thy mind is instructed to revere, and which assuredly dweUs within. As for the tMngs appertaining to tffis life, no doubt aU Avffl be granted that is meet ; in seeking &st the kingdora of heaven (as thou deshest to do) aU other tMngs wffl be given ; for our Heaveffiy Eather knoweth that we have need of aU these tffings. We are rauch pleased vrith the reraarks raade by thee and dear , on the letter from [a letter from an inffividual ex pressive of disunity] : there appears to be no use whatever, in laying myseK open to controversy by reply, offiy siraply acknowledging the hues adffiessed to rae. TeU dear , that so far from being moved by thera, my nund was in sweet peace, sitting down in raeet ing to-day, and I was ^ed forth to raiffister to those present ; nor woffid I have you ffiscouraged at outward, any raore than inward crosses; for nothmg shaU offend those who love the Dirine law, wMch is of the Sphit of hfe in CMist Jesus, and wffich setteth free from the law of sin and death. I hope thou art designed to be one who " warreth," and who is not to be entangled vrith worlffiy cares, to the Mndering of pleasing Him who hath chosen thee to be a solffier. EareweU, ray dear and precious . To ONE OF HER CHILDREN. Sudlury, Fourth Month I3th, 1836. Sometimes, when I feel considerable depression, I tMnk surely there is no occasion to be "afraid vritli any amazement." We have a compassionate Judge, who is also our Sariour and Eather; and when I endeavour to flee to Him, away from paiffiffi coghations about tffings of tlus hfe, I find that, gathering near as wefl as I can. His Name proves ffideed a strong tower of safety, and my mind is at least in measure quieted We are indeed corae to strange times (as regards our Society) but of tMs I am persuaded, that the standard of truth, ancient and new, cannot be lowered by the wisdom of raan, or any of the devices of the serpent; though a disposition may prevaU and be operated upon, to square things to the notions of such as are "wise iu theh ovm S32 A SELECTION PROM THE LETTERS [1836. eyes, and prudent in theh ovati sight." Let us be simple and humble; keeping vrith the lowly hfe of Christ Jesus in our own hearts ; then vriU it keep us from all that coffid harm us. Be assured I bear you on my heart before Him who is omffipotent as weU as omniscient ; and of whose mercies, I humbly trust, you wdU partake as I have done aU my life long unto tMs day, a poor creature as I am. My dear, my very precious cMld, may it be shovm thee in due time, that thy labour to be faithfffi to thy soffi's Beloved is not in vain in Him, thy Saviour and thy Judge. To London, Fifth Month 22nd, 1836. I am glad of the clearness afforded thee in thy riews as to passing events among us as a Society, both in tMs country and yours. I am also made to rejoice that thou art counted worthy to suffer in advocating nobly the cause of truth ; a cause " ffigffified " mdeed, " vrith immortahty, and crowned with eternal hfe." I humbly trust that nothing wffl be able to move thee from thy steadfastness in " Him who was, and is, and is to come ;" but rather that, enduring the contraffiction of that spirit, opposed to the simplicity wffich is in the holy, heaveffiy anointing, thou wUt be endued more and more vrith wisdom and strength that coraeth from above ; " and so stand fast in the Lord, dearly beloved." In the prospect of finisMng our course, now so nearly run, it is consolatory to see a few of you, in the prime of hfe, giving up your names to be lastingly enrolled in the hst of those who fight under the banner of the Lamb, and to mark your wUUngness to endure hardness for His sake, even as good and vahant solffiers. Oh ! what sigffify aU our trials and buffetings, if we may but know a continu ing with our dear Lord in the teraptations which were His ; seeing that He appoints unto them a "kmgdom;" seeing He grants them " a crown of righteousness that fadeth not away." Yea, and during the stay of His devoted followers in a probationary world, I verUy believe that He gives them the doraiffion over the powers of dark ness ; " He sets thera upon tMones," and granteth gifts ; enabhng them to be judges in Israel, and counseUors among His people. ., . . In our Women's Meetings we have at times a stream from Baby lon's waters, wMch maketh sad the Lord's heritage ; but oh ! it never fails to produce its own deplorable effects iETAT. 63.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 833 says as much as that we have been wrong from our be ginffing; particffiarly as regards our views of placing the sacred writings secondarUy ; that is, as a rffie of faith and practice, but not theprimary rffie. But the long-disguised Episcopahanism is at last showing itself in its true colours ; and indeed aU tlungs seem to be searching out, that the way may be prepared to discern between that which serveth the Most High, and that aa Meh serveth Him not ; and aU these novel doctrines wUl, before a great whUe, be as a fading fiower, I do beheve. Oh ! some of us are prepared to have fellow feehng vritli you in your Yearly Meeting, if it were only from what we ourselves suffer at tffis I trust, tMough aU, that the immutable truth sometimes sMnes forth, as the sun ffissipates the clouds in the ffimaraent. To . London, Fifth Month, 1836. I had a very awful requhing, on fourth day morffing, of a visit to the Men's Meeting, where my Great Master opened the way for me to lay down a heavy load indeed ; and for which rehef I felt and feel humbly thankfffi. I stffl hope the httle humble ones wiU be conKorted and strength ened, by the aU-tranquiUizing influence of the Spirit of truth, spread ing over thera before tffis annual asserably closes [The foUovring is the substance of what was delivered by S. G. in the visit to the Men's Meeting, aUuded to in the foregoing letter ; and has been supplied by a friend who took it down shortly after.] "I am come among you, a poor, weak creature, laden with a burden, the weight of which cannot be expressed even by the tongue of the eloquent, much less by mine ; but I must endeavour to lay it down. "The time is now come, often foretold, when the Lord woffid descend amongst tMs people as the rain, the storm, and the over flovring flood. It must indeed be acknowledged that a weighty shaking has come upon us. There are among you those who have been as frffitfffi branches, but for want of abiffing in the root, and retaining the sap, are vrithering, and wffi wither. " The foundation of every inffiridual in tlus Society wiU be dis covered, whether it be ' upon the rock,' or ' upon the sand.' 'Who- 334 A SELECTION FROM THE LETTERS [1836. soever heareth my sayings,' said our blessed Saviour, ' and doeth them, I wffi show you to whom he is like. He is hke a man wMch buUt an house, and digged deep,' (Friends, you do not like the trouble of digging deep) ' and laid the foundation on a rock.' The Jews heard tffis saying of CMist with theh outward ears, but, having theh inward ears closed, they woffid not build on Him, the Eock ; and when the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew, they feU. " How paiffiffi were the sufferings of our forefathers in coming to this foundation ! Theh opponents were strong in the words of scripture, hke those formerly who thought that in them they had etemal IKe; to whom our dear Saviour addressed these words^ ' Ye search the scriptures, for in them ye tMnk ye have eternal Me, and they are they wMch testify of me ; and ye vriU not come to me, that ye might have IKe.' Thus, though they studied the scriptures, and iraagmed they were skffied ffi the knowledge of thera, yet, rest ing in their outward knowledge, they woffid not come unto Him of whom they testified, and in whom alone there is hfe. You, too, study the scriptures by the strength of your rational, inteUectual facffities, and doubt not you comprehend their meaffing ; and here you stop : you refuse to corae unto CMist in His inward and sphitual appearance ; you wffl not hear His voice speaking in your hearts, and are therefore rejecting Hira. " Man is a dark, beffighted creature. By Ms natural powers he cannot know MraseK; he cannot discover his way out of the faU, mto a lasting union with his Maker : Ms heart is deceitful above aU things, he must therefore come unto Him who searcheth the heart ; and how doth He search the heart ? by His Spirit ; ' for the Spirit searcheth all things; yea, the deep things of God.' 'For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him ? even so the tMngs of God knoweth no man, but the Sphit of God.' The light of Christ is iraparted to each of us ; a measure of the same Sphit that gave fortii the scriptures. When Adam had transgressed the commands of Ms Maker, he lost the Divine image in which he was created ; he died to the heavenly hfe he had in God; but our Lord Jesus CMist, in His infinite mercy, entered into his heart, as the true light, wisdom, and power ; and it is offiy in His light that we can see hght. " Oh ! my friends, there were some in ancient days who said one to another, 'Go to, let us make brick, and burn them thorougMy;' MTAT. 63.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 385 'let us bffild us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven.' Some of you are laying hand to hand, and shoffider to shoulder, to erect a tow^er whose height may reach to heaven ; beau- tifffi indeed to the eye, and of fair proportions ; and you are saymg to others, ' Come and behold what we are doing ; join yourselves unto us, and we wffl show you the gospel path unto heaven ; a path fffil of charity and love ; an easy and a comfortable path, wherein ye may avoid the cross ;' but ' say ye not, a confederacy, to all thera to whom tffis people shaU say, a coffiederacy.' Oh ! beware of that subtle spirit which woffid lead you from the pure truth, under such delusive pretensions ; for though these talk of the unity of the Spirit, it is not the cementing influence with wluch CMist uffites His ffis ciples in precious feUowship. And I am coraraanded to teU you that, as in the instance of the tower of Babel, the Lord carae down and coffiounded their language, so will it be vritli the Babel-buUders amongst us ; for when they corae together, they wiU not understand each other's speech; and their bffilffing on the sand wffi crumble to pieces, and they theraselves wffl wither, vrither, vrither ; and be scat tered to the north and to the south, to the east and to the west. " -And oh ! let rae earnestly entreat you of tlus description, in the love of the Gospel, to stand stffl and see what you are doing. I believe there have been times when some of you have seen, in the true hght, that you were wrong, but the pride of your hearts would not suffer you to acknowledge it ; but remember, it is an awfffi tMng to tempt the Lord your God : you know not how long these con rictions raay be granted you; and 'K the hght that is in you be darkness, how great is that darkness !' "And now, my beloved young people — you, dear children, on whose behalf I have often raised the secret petition in my chamber, and the raore public one in the asserablies of the people, be not ffis mayed at the prospect before you ; for I have to tell you (and I wish you to take notice of it, and to write it down) that all tins that now causes so ranch stumbling and perplexity, and produces such a sen sation, wiU fade away, and the autlRrs of it will go back to the world and the beggarly elements ; and on looking round, you wffl wonder and say, 'What is become of the great work that was doing, and where are the authors of it ? for we cannot ffiscern a trace of it.' " What became of those vvho, in former days, caused ffirisions in this Society ? Were they not aU bhghted and scattered ? "And ye, faithfffi ones, to whom the principles of truth are yet 336 A SELECTION FROM THE LETTERS [1836. precious ; who love the pure cause, and are often bowed down in sphit on its behaK, you have no cause to fear ; for though you be left as the gleanings of the grapes of the vintage, yet shaU you be planted on a very frffitfffi hill ; not one of seK-exaltation, but a MU above the level of the spirit of this world; and you sliaU spread abroad, and increase, and flourish ; for tMs Society was planted ' a noble vine ; wlioUy a right seed ;' and it is not , the wffl of the Almighty that this people shoffid ever cease to be a people. " I brought notMng with me into this raeeting, for I reraerabered our Saviour's command to His disciples, not to take thought how they might speak ; vrith the promise, ' for it shaU be given you in that sarae hour what ye shaU speak.' " To Mary Capper. London, Fifth Month 2Uh, 1836. My DEARLY BELOVED FrIEND, TMs day thy precious, sweet letter, was handed me. Oh ! how trffiy cheering it is to witness and contemplate the state in which Divine Goodness has kept thee to this day ! I can look back to my cMldhood, when I first saw with wonder the tears flowing from thy eyes in meetings ; when thou wast an example to many, of nobly denying self, taking up the cross, and foUoAring Him " that endured such contradiction of sinners against HiraseK," and who has been pleased to lead about and instruct thee ever since ; yea, He has kept thee as the apple of His eye ; and so I humbly believe He wffl keep thee to the end ; gffiffing thy feet, the few steps which remain, and ultiraately granting an entrance into those blessed re gions where none can say, " I am sick ;" where there is no more pain, neither any more sorrow ; but the Larab that is in the midst of the tMone doth lead to living fountains of water, and all tears are wiped from the eyes for ever and ever ! Some, in this our day, are almost ready to adopt the language, " Oh ! that my head were wdfers, and raine eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and ffight for the slain of the daughter of my people ;" for trffiy there is amongst us that which lays low the pure, innocent life, that ought to be in the ascendancy ; yet my faith is that better tiraes will come, even to this religious Society. There is, I do believe, a hving remnant left, who, in being preserved tMough the shaking which has corae terribly upon us, wiU sMne MTAT. 63.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 337 forth by and by, even as the light, and many will come to its bright ness, so that there wiU be Quakers stiU ; those who hold the precious testimonies of the everlasting Gospel in their primitive simphcity and unnuxed purity. And surely it is unto the truth as it is in Jesus, that the nations must come, in the fulfilment of the prophecy, " The kingdoms of this world shaU be the kingdoms of God, and of His CMist." We have had some favoured meetings, araidst the opposition to the first principles of Friends, at this our annual gathering. Yes, at seasons, the Lord's own blessed presence and power has been over all, to His own praise ; to whom aU honour and glory belongs, now and ever. Amen ! My husband sends thee rauch uffieigned christian love, in Avhich I tenderly uffite, and reraain Thy ever attached friend, Sarah Grubb. To Sudlury, Sixth Month lUh, 1836. Thy kind letter met me last night, on returffing frora our Ipswich Quarterly Meeting. There was also one frora M. W., ac- quaintmg me with the departure of our much loved Thoraas ShUhtoe. WMle I feel ft to be very moring, that we shoffid thus be deprived of a prince in Israel, in these times of dismay, I rejoice for Ms escape from aU suffering, and that Ms raeasure was fiUed up, not offiy as regards his own safety, but the good of the Church. Oh ! may Ms dear clffidren and grandchUdren walk in Ms steps. His example has said, and his memory wiU yet say, "FoUow me, even as I have fol lowed Christ." Ah ! he was a vahant man for the trath upon earth. As "the sword of Saul returned not empty, and the bow of Jonathan turned not back from the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty," so was ft with him : he was faitMffi also unto death, wffich coffid not be said of Saffi. How weighty, how glorious is the crown he wears for ever ! Blessed and adored be the name of Ms Divme Master on Ms behaK ! Amen. WiU those who have added to his bonds of later years, feel that they touched the Lord's anointed with unhaUowed hands ? Whether tMs be the case or not, I beheve that they, and raany more, wffl be obhged to know that a prophet has been amongst them. 338 A SELBCITON FROM THE LETIERS [1836. To . Sudlury, Sixth Month 21st, 1836. So our dear honourable elder in the truth, Thomas ShU htoe, has made Ms escape from this sea of troubles, into wMch we are introduced as a rehgious Society. It is cause of giring thanks on his behalf, yet he must be missed ; for he had attained to the state of "a piUar in the temple that shoffid go no more out;" and is it not lamentable to look around, vrithout being able to ffiscover the same preparation in others for upholffing the bffilffing, even as those formed by the all-powerfffi and skUfffi Hand to supply the places of such ? It is qffite my apprehension that dear Thomas's days were shortened, by what he had passed tMough for years pre vious to Ms departure, on account of the tffings that have happened to the chUchen of Ms people. Others are stffl mourffing out theh days, under inexpressible pressure of spirit ; yet I do beheve that, in this thing which has appeared amongst us, the head has aheady received a deadly brffise or wound ; for it is indeed of " the beast that goeth downward," although it hath caused so much wonder; and oh ! it wiU corae to nought, insiffious as it is ; strong as it makes itself, or may yet show itself; for I fear it wffl spread further, and, having " a mouth speaking great things," prevaU much, where it is not seen in its own character. To ONE OF HER CHILDREN. Sudlury, 1836. My mind is just now at liberty to enjoy your society, and for anytlung of this world that is truly enjoyable ; for although I had a deep baptism about yesterday's engageraent, the meeting was so good, the blessed, eternal power of truth was so gloriously in domiffion, that I feel alraost like one who was loosened from fetters of iron, and dehvered frora the dark dungeon. Oh ! my dear clffidren, there is nothing that gives capacity for knowing, in expe rience, the definition of the term felicity, like being wholly devoted to our God and Saviour ; to le, to do, or to suffer His will. His ways are not our ways, nor His thoughts our thoughts ^TAT. 63.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 339 To A YOUNG Friend. Seventh Month, 1836. There reaUy is notMng in this world so precious as the union granted to redeemed soffis with the Lord of glory, the Spouse of His Church. Oh ! I know thou wUt subscribe to the truth of all tMs, therefore wait upon that power wluch can enable thee to talte unto thee " the whole armour of God," that thou raayest be able " to stand in the evU day, and havmg done aU, to stand." Stand therefore, having the loins girt about vrith truth, and haring on the breast-plate of righteousness, and the feet shod with the preparation of the Gospel of peace. Above all, taking the shield of faith, where with the fiery darts of the vricked are quenched; and take (in the eternal power) the hehnet of salvation, and the sword of the Sphit, which is the word of God: praying always, with aU prayer and supphcation m the Sphit, and watcMng thereunto wdth aU persever ance. Thus, my dear , mayest thou be put into the blessed capacity to stand fast ffi the Lord, as dearly beloved of Hhn, and in His family ! Oh ! I know that, when thy heart is tendered by Dirine love, thou art aware of the comparative insignfficance of every mundane thmg : keep vrith that wffich contrites : this is vris dom, Dirine wisdom ; a fountain of hfe, preserving from the snares of death. Let her not go, but hold her in thy right hand. " Her ways are ways of pleasantness," (true pleasantness) " and aU her paths are peace." Yesterday I avowed ray concern to have a raeeting at Boxford on Ehst day : it is in preparation, about seven raUes from hence. Oh ! that notMng may ffishonour the immutable truth ! To ONE OF HER CHILDREN. Sudlury, Seventh Month, 1836. How desirable it is, and how essential to our peace, to corarait our way to the Lord, and that our wffl shoffid be conforraed to His blessed raind ! Much as there may be yet to do m any of us to attain to such a condition, surely it behoves us to seek earnestly after it, as our offiy safe state. Yes, this is the way to have peace in the midst of trouble, finffing the soul anchored in the Eternal Eock. Life is compared to the ocean or sea, where are many dangers ; but if we have Him abiding with us, who can do aU things, though our bark be fraU, He will, in our rehance on Him, z 2 340 A SELECTION PROM THE ;,ETTERS [1836, conduct us safely tMough aU, and land us on the shores of uffinter rupted repose, and dehght ineffable. What a pity to venture on steermg our own course, by which folly we are sure to be much injured and out of the way ! WhUe I think I could suffer anytMng for others, stffl I know that, to be happy, we raust each suffer for om*selves ; even enduring the cruci fixion of the wffl, with the affections and the lusts, that we may no longer hve to ourselves, but to Hiffi who died for us ; whom the grave could not hold, but who rose again, displaying His omnipo-' tence ; who remains to be the resurrection and the life, to aU who are wiUing to be buried with Him, by baptism into death. • The meeting was held at Melford on Eirst day. It was very large" and qffiet. Thy dear father says, " If there can be a good meeting,' it was one." I found, in my labour, that no fountain rises higher' than its level. There was not an elevated sense among the people, of the beauty and splendour of the religion of our Lord Jesus CMist,- and I had to be where they were ; yet was it " a good meeting."' I have thought of a viUage about five miles from Bury, for next First' day, where the sign of " The Manger " is attached to a smaU pubhc- house, and where I beheve James ParneU was refused admittance.- I forget the name of the place. To . Sudbury, Seventh Month 2lst, 1836, My DEAR Friend, It is much to be regretted that E. B. is not arrested in Ms course, appearing as he does, to wish to pass for a minister araong us as a people ; whereas he and his adherents are at complete variance with our principles. NotMng coffid be more straight- forward than for the Morning Meeting, or Meeting for Suf ferings, to correspond with America, and have the great apostate ffisoAvned as a member of our Society. I am grieved beyond what I can describe, at the apathy wluch seeras to pervade us as a body, while truth is trarapled upon, and laid waste in so great a degree. We have few indeed, who appear to be so accoutred with the whole arraour of light, as to be valiant in its cause, and able to stand firm against the attacks of that spirit which hath "a mouth speaking great tffings," fiUed vidth the deceivableness of unrighteousness ; but surely there is a remnant of the true seed, who vriU shine forth by iETAT. 63.] OP SARAH GRUBB. 341 and by in the kingdora of their Father, even as the light which is terrible to darkness, " as an army vrith banners." May we not hope that the darkness wiU flee before it, and that the language vriU be produced, frora blessed knowledge of the power which is above every power, "Thanks be to God, who always giveth us to triumph, through Jesus CMist our Lord !" May we both hope and qffietly wait for the period when tins sliaU be given as a song of victory ; at the sarae time attending to aU the raotions of the Divine life, in our Mgh caUing of God in Jesus Christ our Lord. FareweU my dear friend. -r ¦ i n I am, in much tender sympathy. Thy affectionate friend, Sarah Grubb. To Sudlury, Seventh Month 22nd, 1836. Great hath been my exercise of mind lately, in various -ways. I am hberated by ray MontMy Meeting, to hold raeetings with the people at large. There is one irapending about six mUes from hence. No Friends hve near, nor in the other places we have risited. It is trffiy awfffi work, yet Mtherto the Lord hath helped us. And is it any wonder that the feet of the messengers should be turned from those who have persisted in quenching the Sphit, and despising prophesjdng, unto such as are glad in the Gospel being sounded forth to thera ? I know not how long tffis engagement may be fiUing up, but thou vrilt beheve me when I say, that as soon as the motion of hfe ceases therein, I shaU be glad to resign the work into the immeffiate hands of Hira whose own cause it is, and not raan's Oh ! the unwiffingness that judgment shoffid be laid to the hne, and righteousness to the plurab-hne, in discriminating between truth and error, hght and darkness ! but the Lord wUl eridence that He is turning His hand upon us ; and I trust that, as a people, it wiU yet be known that the dross, the tin, and the reprobate silver, are taken away. Do thou, my dear , be encouraged, in the hope of witnessing the ancient lustre to return upon the gold that has become dim, and the fine gold that is changed, tMough corrup-. tion and neglect. 342 A SELECTTON FROM THE LETTERS [1836. To ONE OF HER CHILDREN. Sudlury, Ninth Month, 1836. The evening Meeting at Halstead was crowded to excess : I beheve as raany went away as were in-doors. We met the people turffing back as K the meeting was over, when we were going ; and we coffid harffiy get to the gaUery. -AU the passages, &c., were qffite fffil, and once more, I humbly trust the power of the unchangeable, eternal truth ffid rise into doraiffion, to the honour of the Great Narae : but oh ! it is fearfffi work in which I am engaged. I come to nothing in myseK tMough deep baptisra, but the Great Master gives me to be bold as a hon in His cause, where the people are prepared to receive the truth. TMnk what a poor timid creature I am naturaUy, and adore the aU-sufficient One, who is mouth and wisdom, tongue and utterance, at seasons, beyond all gainsaying. That at A. was not so large as woffid have been the case in fine weather. Many were on their way frora Boxford, where we had had a meeting, and were obhged to turn back, it proved so extremely wet ; but the meeting ffid tend to my rehef. It seemed to me that the nunds of the people were very shaUow, and even ignorant, as to religion ; but as more came in, and I endeavoured to do as well as I felt able, things improved ; the hfe of truth seemed to me to reach to the hearts of many, and I was hke a vessel that got off safely wdth the flovring tide. I had to offer up thanksgiring and prayer near the close : the dear creatures assembled attended to my request (as in other places) to keep solemn on my taking ray seat ; and I humbly trust aU was well. The person who let us have the barn was very ciril to us : he also said he ffid not care K both squhe and parson took him to task for it. I am glad thou adrised to employ herseK; anytMng else is injurious to both mind and body ; for, as thou sayest, it is not the design of Hira who has bestowed facffities upon us, that they shoffid not be used. I ara pleased you have read the life of that great man, yet humble CMistian, WUhara Penn ; and raore pleased that it inter ested you so much. Oh ! for our dear young people daring to le right ! then we shoffid soon have a precious rerival in our rehgious Society, and it woffid sMne forth in ancient lustre and beauty; the gold that has become dim woffid resume its true brightness, and the fine gold that is changed, its original splendour, to the praise of the jETAT. 63.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 343 great and everlasting Narae of Him, who was raagnified over all amongst our forefathers. I am not surprised at the inteUigence of — '¦ and others. Yes, it is " aU in the confusion," as thou expresses it ; the very coffiusion of " Mystery Babylon." To THE SAME. Sudlury, Ninth Month 2lst, 1836. We had a meeting, as proposed, on Eirst day, at Laven- ham. It was large ; very many went away for want of room, and the place being much crowded, some at ffist were not so qffiet as coffid be vrished ; but the authority of truth rose Mgher and Mgher, untU it reigned over aU. I had to stand long ; afterwards to kneel ; in the close of wMch -AUelffias were sung, yea, even sung to the Lord God and the Lamb. I found the people so gathered under the power, that although the meetmg had held more than two hours, they were by no means glad to be told it was concluded, and sepa rated ffi a solemn, maimer. I was abundantly reheved, for great and deep had been my con fficts and baptisms previously : yet the peace, in due season, flows as a river, ffi fulfiUing the Divme wdU. It is as the " pure river of water of hfe, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb," aU refresMng and sweet. It is here that those who foUow the Lord Jesus CMist he down ; even resting by the stffl waters. I had not long to enjoy tMs qffiet : tlus Quarterly Meeting came on, and its accompanying exercises. Yesterday I could not hold my peace : was led forth and rauch effiarged. Once more it seemed to me that the seed of hfe everlastmg was set over the heads of aU who opposed it, and the Mdden works of dishonesty shown in the hght ; and the youth inrited, and warned to be separated from aU that coffid keep them from theh Saviour, and so destroy their peace. To A YOUNG Friend. Ninth Month 2lst, 1836. Oh ! there is notMng hke hring under a sense of our own insufficiency, and looking to that unction from the Holy One which teacheth us aU tffings, and wMcli, as thou observest, is " truth, and is no he;" is, in other words used by thee, "the unflattering wh- 344 A selection prom the letters [1836. ness." Where thou hast suffered loss has cMefly been in concluding too hastUy or readUy, that others were as ingenuous as thyself, and so trusting theh professions beyond what they deserved. TMs has brought thee into trouble again and again, but the gracious eye of Israel's Shepherd has watched over thee ; He has reached forth the crook of His judgments, and raised the voice of His love, and I believe has not had to deal with one wilfffily wandering ; one whom, I hurably hope. He yet cares for in the sheepfold, and whom He vrill feed in the pastures of IKe, making strong for HiraseK. Thy tender and humble expressions put me in mind of what the cMldren of Israel were given to understand, when Moses addressed them in the language, " Behold I set before you this day a blessing and a curse : a blessing if ye obey the commandments of the Lord. your God, and a curse if ye will not obey the comniandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside out of the way." I hurably trust the ffist wiU indeed be thy happy experience, and I would have thee thank the Author of all blessing, as I know is thy deshe, and take courage ; committing thy way to Hhn thy Saviour, who will dhect thy paths, in the eye being tumed to Him ; yea. He wffl guide thee by His counsel tMough every intricacy in hfe, and afterwards receive thee into glory. To the same. Ninth Month 30th, 1836. Just now I recal to raind that Christopher Healy, frora America, told us in the Select Yearly Meeting, in a very im pressive manner, to " let notMng move us from our stedfastness in CMist Jesus." And oh ! my loved , instead of anytMng moving thee, may thy stedfastness increase ! for surely "flesh and blood hath not revealed to thee " that to which thou raakest so fuU an acknowledgraent, but our Eather who is in heaven; and who, I trust, designs to accoraphsh His own work in thee. He has already brought thee tMough many painful feelings, like the furnace being heated to try and refine, and now He woffid choose thee. Be faithfffi to every raaffifestation of His wffl, who woffid thorougMy sanctify, yea, who would dignify with the blessed gifts and graces of His Holy Sphit. I have often thought that thou hast been privi leged in having dear, affectionate , with thee in thy conflicts ; and may you be bound up together in the Divine IKe and love ever lasting. iETAT. 63.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 345 To . Sudlury, Ninth Month 30th, 1836. How brotherly it is of thee to reraember my dear J. G. and seK, among those AAffio continue to feel interested in knowing how the Yearly Meeting's Comraittee fared in the late corabat ! Yes, it is a warfare to those who vrish to be found having theh loins girt about with truth ; and indeed they flnd the necessity of talring to them the whole armour of Hhn who is hght, and hi whora is no darkness at aU. Such as these, deputed by the Society in the ira portant business aUuded to, must have proved that they had to "wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rffiers of the darkness of tMs world, against spiritual vrickedness in Mgh places." We have not heard if all attended who were under appointment, nor K aU were of one nund and of one heart ; but K this is happUy the case, I am persuaded a great work raust have been effected in some individuals of your number, smce your last visit to LancasMre, and this change is raore than I dare hope, as relates to ffivers ; but surely the great Head of the Church doth eridence that He is not umffinffiul of the labour of love, as it regards those who, ffi integrity, have done what they coffid. Nevertheless it is a grievous thing and bitter, that so much weak ness and indecision shoffid pervade us as a community ; that even those who have, for years, shown themselves not of us, but have gone into thmgs, which it cost the sons of the morffing of our day, their liberty, theh property, their health, yea, sometiraes even hfe itseK, to testKy against, are stiU retained raembers of our Society. Where is the ancient zeal for " clearing the truth before the eyes of the people?" We have held a good many raeetings in the country, raostly occu- pymg barns for tlus purpose. Sometiraes these have been as much as a mile from any viUage, but the people have shown great readiness to come. I think it may be said that in each of them the power of the Lord had the dominion, sooner or later ; and although many of the poor dear people were whoUy unacquainted with Friends' meet ings, they behaved very becomingly. Oh ! the love that overflowed towards those who assembled ! I have thought I coffid be wUhng to suffer with and for them, coffid it avail, or coffid ft raise their minds at aU np to Him, who would have all to come to the know ledge of Himself, and be saved. 346 A selection from the letters [1836. Alas ! for and a few more, once effiightened ; for they wUl not see from whence they are fallen. Oh ! ray poor heart seems soraetiraes alraost agonized, in tMnking of sorae ; but let me look weU to myseK, for I know there is need. To one op her children. Sudlury, Tenth Month Uh, 1836. Oh ! the darkness that must have taken the place of light, with poor E. B. and a few more ! It is trffiy awful. Yes, I shoffid like, with thee, that Ms own conviction of the inutUity of ceremonial performances in rehgion should be placed before Mm, and the pure views he has expressed in his " Doctrines." How trffiy lamentable are these things ! Thy letter, received this morning, has excited fresh, or rather increased sympathy vrith thee. Eemember what George Fox says — ".Art thou in darkness, heed it not, or it wiU increase upon thee ; but wait in that which brings up into the hght," or to tffis effect May you be estabhshed upon that Etemal Eock and Foundation, against wMch aU the combined powers of darkness can never prevail ! Mutable as is tMs world, and strong its temptations, as are those of the flesh and the CAdl one, grace ffivine is stronger than aU. To THE SAME. Sudlury, Tenth Month I8th, 1836. Thou vrilt be pleased to know that the Quarterly Meeting at was raeraorable, for the Lord's power, and His immutable truth, were set over all opposition ; and yet inffividuals are just in the same confusion they have long loved; professing and recom mending charity, while out of its sphit ; and seeking to uffite hght and darkness, yea, CMist and Behal. They must be let alone, as to any conference with them now; there remains no roora. Our MontMy Meeting at Bury was favoured with life, in a renewed inri tation to the different states present To . Lexden, Tenth Month 26th, 1836, It woffid be sad to me, coffidst thou suppose thy old friend had forgotten thee and tlune. No, I stffl continue to feel an affec tionate and religious sohcitude in your weKare; and much do I JETAT. 63.] OP SARAH GRUBB. 347 deshe that each of you may be laying up a good foundation against the time'to come ; that so, when notMng vriU stand any in stead but an mterest ffi the Lord of glory. He raay be found " a covert from heat and from storm, an Mffing-place in the day of trouble ; as rivers of waters in a ffiy place, and the shadow of a great rock in a weauy land." Since the Yearly Meeting I have had to endure much aflhction of body, and- inexpressible exercise of mind; for ffivers tlungs have pressed rae down, so that I frequently reraerabered the expressions, "pressed out of raeasure," &c. ; but stUl, when it has pleased the Lord to make way for me to lay down the burden of the word of Me in meetmgs, either among raffie own people or others, my spirit has been eased ; and for a httle whUe I have found what it is to "mount upward with vrings as eagles ; to run and not be weary," &c. Oh ! it is indeed a day ffi wffich we must, at least ought to be wUhng to mourn and lament in secret for the desolations, and even abominations that there are vritMn our borders as a people ; the scat tering, the outgoing on every hand ; and, what appears to me worst of aU, the ffisposition of some to temporize stffl, and shake hands vrith that wMch shoffid be testffied agamst, for the clearing of truth, , and yet woffid also make a fah show as to maintainmg the principles of Eriends. Surely such a spirit holds the truth in unrighteousness ; and, for seK-reputation, there is dissembhng; but it must all be searched out, for the controversy of the Most High is vrith every thing that cannot bear the light ; and I do believe that when we are thorougMy sifted and cleansed frora the chaff, it wffl be seen that " not one grain is faUen to the earth ;" and all wffl redound to the honour of His Name, who remains to be the strength and salvation of His people ; and He wffi eridence that they are " a people near to Him, the Lord." To A YOUNG Friend. Twelfth Month 2nd, 1836. Frora the improvements in navigation, and other chcumstances, I have often been irapressed vrith the idea of the nations of the world being brought into raore intiraate acquaintance vrith each other, and, as it were, blenffing their interests ; so that possibly, one day, mankind may become more fuUy sensible of what it is to be one famUy. And oh ! how ffice the thought of being one fold, and having one Shepherd ! M ! this woffid make the globe a 348 A SELECTION PROM THE LETTERS [1836. paraffise ; and I beheve men would not have to contend vrith con fficting elements then, and that there woffid be notMng hurtfffi nor destructive. But I had no intention of writing thus when I began, but to encourage thee to be very inward with that wMch (thou weU knowest) is alone able to preserve thee on every hand. I humbly trust thy sincerity in the Dirine sight vriU be accepted, so that, as thou art watcMffi every moment, notMng wffl be able to mfluence thy dear, tender mind, to thy hurt. My heart commends you to the care of Israel's Shepherd. To Lexden, Twelfth Month 29th, 1836. My spirit is made raeasurably glad in the persuasion con- ffiraed, that the Lord is with His people ; that He wffl " turn theh captivity ;" that " Jacob shaU rejoice, and Israel shaU be glad," even in that wMch His own holy, oraffipotent hand createth. Oh ! now I trust sorae of us, who have seen many days, and much ricissitude, . may lift up the head in hope, as regards the people (whom I think I feel near to Hira) frora whom so many of us have nevertheless raost grievously departed, that the time wffl come, when the language of the prophet shaU be fulfilled, where, speaking not Ms OAvn words, he saith, " Thou shalt be a crown of. glory in the hand of the Lord, and a royal ffiadem in the hand of thy God," &c. Since the text occurred to me, I have looked for it. Only tMnk what blessings are pronounced upon the true Church, in its visible and gathered state araong raen. Eead the sixty-second chapter of Isaiah. Smely the least of the faraUy, the abased ones, who are made vriffing to own their Lord, when in the character of a man " of no reputation," may " thank God and take courage," as dear said. It was rauch my deshe, in your corapany, that, in the dignity of the truth unchangeable, you may each stand with increased strength, against all that shows itseK, or may yet be ffiscovered, as out of the precious unity, held in the life, in the light, in the love everlasting. May I say, that really it was my hurable belief, while with you, that, in waiting upon the Lord, you are individually made to partake, at times, of His gracious promise to such, even to " mount upward vrith vrings as eagles;" rising above depressing thoughts; finding the soffi in the Mgh rock, that is out of the reach of the troubled MTAT. 64.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 349 sea. Here is the secure hiding-place, knovm to those who are given up to suffer for Jesus CMist's sake. So in Hira, ray dear friends, I bid you fareweU. To ONE OP HER CHILDREN. Second Month 20th, 1837. Thinking that thou woffidst vrish to have sorae inteUigence of us after the journey to Bardfield, I take the pen to-day. I am thankfffi to say that the meeting (though very close and warm, being much crowded) was an open, good time. The Lord's power did seem to be over us : great attention was mauKested to what was delivered, and we separated under a hvely sense of Dirine goodness. It was haK-past ten AAffien we got home; a very raooffiight ffight; and when the people were dispersing and going horae, the rain had ceased : afterwards it came on again. I shaU continue to bear thee and my dear upon my heart, as our Almighty Helper may enable rae ; that I raay travail for you, desiring your preservation and furtherance in the way so clearly cast up before each of you — a Mgh and holy way, raised above the wU- Imgs and runffings of the natural man, and in which the raind is sensible of a holy indffierence to both the frowns and the laugh of tMs vain and delusive world ; accounting it tme honour to suffer shame, and even be persecuted for CMist's sake, who promised that those- who left what was dear to them for His sake and the Gospel's, should receive an liunffied-fold of the conKorts afforded in time, with persecutions, and in the world to come, hfe everlasting. I was concemed to hear that was going to take Ms fanffiy to London. They may possibly receive a httle more money, but I fear theh teraptations wffl be much increased, and the induce ments strengthened to barter the weU-being of the soul, and aU the best interests, for the sake of this present world. Shoffid they not be gone, teU them that, in the love of God, I charge thera to live in His fear; for "the fear of the Lord is a fountain of IKe, preserving from the snares of death." If they value true happiness for themselves and their poor dear little ones, they wiU seek the approbation of Him who can bless a httle that a man hath, and blast a great deal. I cannot but feel much about them. 350 A SELECTION FROM THE LETTERS [1837. To . Sudlury, Second Month 21st, 1837. I have wished once more to send thee a line expressive of my remembrance, and also of ray syinpathy in the late chasms wMch have been permitted to be made in your chcle. Poor dear Ann Cruikshank and Eebecca Christy being snatched away from aU they held dear in tMs world ! Yet these are not times to lament the safe departure of our friends ; let us rather take the injunction formerly given, " Weep not for the dead, but weep sore for Mra that goeth away ;" and it is to be feared the annexed VAdU apply, with reference to sorae taken captive in our day, "for he shall return no more, nor see Ms native country." I suppose dear .Alexander Crffikshank bears this severing stroke with cMistian resignation, in the fffil persuasion that the Judge of aU the eartii doth right. I fancy him saying amen, under the dis pensation, and maintaining that meekness and qffietness of mind which so pecuharly distingffishes Mm in Ms walk through IKe. I feel much for Thomas Christy in Ms bereaveraent. Dear man ! how sohtary he must feel ! It was a comfort to me to hear of Ms late loved compaffion expressing herseK as haring a clear prospect in the awfffi hour of separation, and of the testimony she bore to the evfl effects of a too ardent pursuit after the tMngs of time. How many around us have been summoned of late to give in the account of what they have done with their talents ! I do not re member the hke. We are every few days hearing of sorae in our rehgious community, about to be interred ; and our feUow-mortals at large, how are they swept away ! The prevailmg epidemic has been an awful Arisitation, sent, no doubt, as the rod of correction, for the great departure of heart which too generaUy has caused that good to be withheld from us, which an aU-beneficent Creator designs for us, as we love Him entirely. To ONE OP HER CHILDREN. Third Month llth, 1831. To-morrow we tMnk of going to Colne, to hold an evemng meeting vrith the people at large. Perhaps, when that is accom plished, I can more clearly ffiscover about Coggeshall; but I am iETAT. 64.] OP SARAH GRUBB. 351 persuaded that aU my own mere striving to know what is right avails notMng, SO I offiy lend an ear and eye to the gffidance which does not fail to attend the watchfffi soffi To Near Ipswich, Tliird Month 20th, 1837. My dear, Friend, It is no easy matter to learn the lesson of being " carefffi for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and supplication, making the requests known unto God ;" or learing all to Hira in waiting for resignation under every trial. I observe thy concern respecting our present conffition, araidst the conffict and sohcitude felt in consequence of thy sister's severe iU ness. It is trffiy painfffi to witness those we tenderly love, sinking under disease : these things are, however, attendant on a probationary state of being, and no doubt the righteous find that for ever, as their joyous portion, wffich makes IKe worth liring, vrith aU its siffierings, in every shape, ffispensed by Hhn who " affhcts not wUhngly, nor grieves the chUdren of men," but sends just what we need to fit us for uffion vrith HimseK. What a mercy that all thffigs, without exclusion, " work together for good to thera that love God." Let us then, ffi the abffity vouchsafed, however sraaU, ghd up the loins of our nunds, and " hope to the end." As regards the sad scMsra within our borders, I trust that wMch openly and vauntmgly declared itself against the principles of Friends, has already begun to wax feeble ; but what is to be done with that spirit that is stiU temporizing, and standing between the decision of truth, and that wMch seems to expect to be made perfect in the letter, after having known what it was to begin the great work of salvation in the spirit ? I cannot think that tMs midffie rank wffl be able to escape the scrutffiizing power of that hving word, which is qffick and powerfffi ; sharper than any two-edged sword ; dividing asunder even with such accurate ffiscriraination, that it is corapared to separating between the joints and the marrow. I was at the last Quarterly Meeting in London, and enabled to clear my mind once more, both in the Select Meeting, and that at large. It seemed to rae, that although soraetMng had been done, in a Society capacity, to -put down that which defies the armies of Israel, yet that "the lest of the sheep and the oxen" were reserved; 352 A SELECTION FROM THE LETTERS [1837. and there was Agag in his gorgeous attire, saying, " Surely the bit terness of death is past." And although ray soffi heard the plead ing, " Yea, we have fulfilled the Lord's coramand," yet had I to declare that raine inward ear was assailed with " the bleating of the sheep, and the lowing of the oxen ;" and to say, " What meaneth it ?" I do not know how far I may be excused being at theh next, but I ara not aUowed to be much at rest, as in my ceUed house. I was last week at Essex Quarterly Meeting — have held a great many meetings with the people at large, in that county and this. A very great one was here last evening, which was to me a time of renewal of strength indeed, and wherein the immutable truth was largely and powerfuUy declared. Oh ! the seed iraraortai did reign, to the glory of Hira who told His disciples that they could do nothing without Hira. I am here to attend our Quarterly Meeting to-mor row. My dear husband is not with me, being very feeble and dim- sighted; but I trust the inner man is renewed, and that Ms spiritual" facffities are clear and vigorous. I am Thy affectionate friend, Sarah Grubb. To HER Son. Fourth Month 8tli, 1837. Thou and thy dear sister have my sympathy, as weU as tender love ; and often does my soffi breathe to the Father of mercies for you, that you may still be led about and instructed by Him, and, like Israel of old, taught to soar aloft as upon the eagle's vrings. Do read the text, " As an eagle stirreth up her nest," &c. How pleasant it wiU be when we can see the advance of summer ! We have now passed six months since the comraenceraent of winter, and reaUy I think these few last days exceedrin severity of weather; but let us reraeraber the covenant with the seasons, and look forward to the flowers appearing on the earth, &c. I seem wonderfuUy spared going out to meetings these few months. I cannot expect the exemption to last much longer, but hope to be kept in a waiting state, even " as the eye of the servant to his master.' We are reading the hfe of Wilham Penn : it is what my J. G. much likes to hear. We have got as far as Ms recal from Ireland. Dear young raan ! what true cMistian fortitude he possessed, and what devotion of heart to Ms Maker ! iETAT. 64.] OP SARAH GRUBB. %Q To . Sudlury, Ffth Month lllh, 1837. I am led to enrol the prospect of recovery among the many mercies of a gracious God, Avhich have been made known to so unworthy a handmaiden, from tirae to time. It is not but what I was favoured with a sense that, as related to myself, it were better for rae to depart ; for I did beheve that I shoffid be for ever vrith Christ my Eedeemer, who hath washed me in His oavu blood. Oh ! eternaUy magnified and praised be His adorable Name ! He woffid have aU come to the knowledge of HimseK, and be saved. . . . To ONE OP HER CHILDREN. Fifth Month lUh, 1837. I am constantly thinking of thee and dear , much desiring your progress in the way cast up for you ; the path of the redeemed of the Lord. They " sliaU come to Zion with songs and everlastmg joy upon their heads." Yes, for they deeply experience the judgments of the Most High upon the transgressing nature, and also His adorable mercy and loving-kindness ; so these leam in the school of CMist to sing the song, " wMch none can learn but the redeemed from the earth." Do thou, my dear ¦ , dweU under that power wluch, in measure, yea, a precious measm-e, bas aheady been so dispensed as to work redemption to a certain degree for thee. To be created anew in Christ Jesus, and established in the righteousness which is His own, often proves a work of considerable tirae ; of years told over and over; but do not grow weary nor faint under it, for its blessed effects and precious frffits are worth waiting for wdth all per severance To THE SAME. Fifth Month 23rd, 1837. Yesterday I was very much discouraged about stopping from home, feeling quite as if my health would not admit of ray attending the Yearly Meeting, but was favoured to rest last night, which appears to have bffilt me up again, so that I have sat through tMs morning's meeting of nearly four hours. Yesterday I A A 354 A SELECTION FROM THE LETTERS [1837. found my way to express, in the first meeting, what appeared to me to apply to our state as a part of the body at large ; and then I met our friend — , but did not go to the second sitting To THE Yearly Meeting of Friends now assembled. 1837. Beloved Friends— Brethren and Sisters, Being prevented by fflness from mingling with you at the present time, I take tlus method of evincing the interest my heart is sensible of, for the prosperity of truth, and the raaintaining of our ancient testiraonies in their own character, in that hfe and wisdom wffiich is eternal. Ehst, I would address those who endeavour, in the fear of the Lord, to uphold that standard which may not be lowered to meet the views of such as do not come to the fffiness of the Gospel of CMist. Deep is the sorrow, and mauy are the baptisms and suffer ings of the faithfffi, in the present day; but the Great Head of the Church will bless their exercise and travaU, to theraselves, and to the edification of the body ; therefore " let nothing move you from the stedfastness which is in Christ." These will be enabled to adopt the language, " Our feet shaU stand within thy gates, oh Jerusalem. Jerusalera is bffilded as a city that is corapact together : whither the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord, unto the testiraony of Israel, to give thanks unto the name of the Lord. Eor there are set tMones of judgment, the tMones of the house of David. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem : they shall prosper that love thee. Peace be within thy walls, and prosperity witMn thy palaces. Eor my bretMen and companions' sakes, I will now say. Peace be witMn thee. Be cause of the house of the Lord our God I wffl seek thy good." And oh ! may all beware of choosing a path that looks pleasing to the unanointed eye, and as though it raust end in IKe and salva tion, but not being straight and narrow, to the aspiring, unsubdued mind of man, will, sooner or later, be found to diverge into the broad way that leads to destruction ! An insiffious spirit, ready to draw from the true fold, is still araongst us in dffierent degrees ; but the Lord wiU more and more discover it, by that wffich searcheth all things ; however secretly, and with whatever subtlety it may now be at work. It hath done, and is still doing great injury to the rising generation of tffis people ; " a people near unto the Lord." iETAT. 64.] OP SARAH GRUBB. 355 Its voice is cauring raany of them to go from hffl to mountain, as scattered sheep ; and great wiU be found to be the responribUity of those who have induced them to turn a deaf ear to the monitions of the Good Shepherd in their ovm hearts. And now, dear chilffien, do j-ou turn inward to Christ your Ee deemer, who died for you, that you might have blessed union with Him, and be vahant for the truth upon earth ; and ffitimately find an interest in Him, which brings to the full frffition of eternal glory. The Lord hath not cast off His people, but is stUl Avilhng to gather and to OAra thera araongst the nations ; and the " GentUes shaU yet come to His hght, and kings to the brightness of His rising." In that love VA'Mch hath, during my day, enabled me to give up my httle aU, for the sake of Christ, and His everlasting, immutable Gospel, I tenderly salute every one of you, and bid you fareweU. Sarah Grubb. To one of her children. Sudlury, 1837. Finding myseK in much need of daily rethement, and fuU prostration of soffi before a raercKul and all-sufficient Helper of the helpless, and so often experiencing much composure of mind and temper, frora w.riting upon Him in secret, I MgMy recommend the practice to my precious cMlffien. The Quarterly Meetmg was to me trying. I had to speak a con siderable tirae in testiraony — others foUowed. The meeting had then held pretty long, but it seeraed right for rae to promote silence again, and then kneel ; when I was longer in that posture than ever I reraeraber to have been without utterance. At length I had to break forth, "What wUt Thou do for thy Great Name?" asthe language of some baptized sphits ; and to allude to those who had aheady perished " between the porch and the altar ;" crying, " Spare thy people, oh Lord ; and give uot tMne heritage to reproach ;" and to ask a blessing on the travail of the true servants and handmaidens left, as well as that those who were dead, might yet speak to the hearing ear. The youth were hvingly brought into remembrance, and tMs So ciety (Eriends) were aUuded to as the visibly gathered Church, &c. In my offerings I seemed to have abihty given from the Fulness of Strength, but stffl I came home with a heavy heart, finding little to console me. A A 2 856 A selection from the letters [1837. To . Sudlury, Sixth Month 2Uh, 1837. My dear Friend, I was so ill, both in London and smce, as scarcely to be able to put pen to paper ; indeed it was under much weight of inffisposition that I left home, but ray mind being dravm to the Yearly Meeting, the attempt was made. On second day morning I attended the Select Meeting, and commufficated what was on my mind ; after wMch I was not able to stop, and did not get to the afternoon sitting. Had an interview that day with our friend , and managed to sit pretty nearly tMough the truly fearful meeting of third day, where I was the &st to express anytMng but uffity with the concern laid before Eriends, Many foUowed me in the same strain I was not at the adjournment, but understand that more objected then. However, the prospect was ffitimately encouraged, and a very fffil certificate issued. I may say that ray place seeraed to be that which I stood in; in decideffiy giving ray judgraent, as an indi vidual, that it would be best to lay the concern aside at present. I fffily concur in the belief of some valuable Eriends, that the disaffec tion in this country arose out of the unsound writings, &c., of the Eriend in question. I confess that nothing short of an acknowledgment of error, and deep sorrow for the past (though done with good inten tions) appears sufficient to satisfy ray tried raind, with respect to one so influential, and whose sentiments on things of great importance to us as a body, are published to the nations What occasions me the most sorrow is, that in this day of sifting as from sieve to sieve, we have, in a Society capacity, retarded the great work, and ovmed much wMcli the Great Lord of the heritage has appointed should be winnowed away. Oh ! the consideration hereof weighs down ray spirit ; and because there appears at present no remedy, ray soul weeps in secret places, and I go raourffing aU the day long; yet there is, at tiraes, a hurable but sure hope, that there wffi be a discerffing raore clearly between thing and tMng ; between the cover ing that is not of God's Spirit, and that which He prepares and grants to those who are truly watchful, and dependent upon Him alone. I trust that, araong our youth, some see with an evidence hidubitable, that notMng wiU avail but a new heart ; which cannot ^TAT. 64.] OP SARAH GRUBB. 357 be effected, save by the inward operations of the hand of the holy Eedeemer, who sitteth "as a refiner with &e, and as a fffiler with soap." I was particffiarly struck with thy allusion to my not being vrith out knowing tribffiation; for at the tirae I received thy letter, I was pressed down vrith painful feelings, which increased untfl what I had to suffer (particularly in the great city) becarae fffily equal to any capacity afforded to sustain it; but my poor nund was mercifffily favoured to witness, that such a helpless worra was under the notice of Him who " weigheth the raountains in scales, and the liffis in a balance ;" so that not an atom too much is pernutted to come upon us. I shall be glad of further mformation from thee of how thou fares, and whether thy dear sister is stffl a sufferer or not. I trust that K patience has aheady had her perfect work, or stffl a httle may remain to be effected, as the service due to a Master ricMy reward- mg, the imraortal spirit triuraphs over aU, tMough Him who con quered, and stffl is known to conquer, death, heU, and the grave. Beheve me to be, very sincerely. Thy affectionate fiiend, Sarah Grubb:. To Lexden, Seventh Month llth, 1837. We do continue to love you, and desire an increase for you in that which makes strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might. Few there are who seera, in this day of perplexity, of darkness, of cloudiness, and of treaffing down, to be prepared to put on strength in the narae of the Lord; to take indeed the whole armour of God unto thera; being girt about vrith truth, haring righteousness for a breast-plate, the helmet of salvation, the sword of the Sphit, and above all, the shield of faith, whereby the fiery darts of the vricked are quenched ; nor do many among us know what it is to have the feet shod with the preparation of the Gospel of peace ; for how do a multiphcity of things, pertaining to the present life, prevent a fffil deffication of aU to the Most High, that He raay work both to wiU and to do, of His own good pleasure. No doubt the disposition is feft with more than a few, which led one to enqffire, "What shaU I do, that I may inherit eternal IKe?" but when it is found that the purchase-money is theh all, then comes hesitation 358 A SELECTION FROM THE LETTERS [1837. and sorrow. But why do I write thus ? It was not premeditated ; yet I often look round in ray mind, and am ready to query. Oh ! where sliaU we go to find valiants in Israel ? or where may we hope that, in a rising generation, there are those so humbled under the -Almighty hand, as to promise a restoration of judges as at the first, aud counsellors as at the beginning ? But enough of tffis plaintive song. I know that the seven thousand shown to the mourrful prophet of old, were only seen in the hght of truth ; and may we not hope that the same Power wffich preserved them, has raany Mdden ones now reserved to Himself, that may yet shine forth as the light, in the kingdom of their Father ; evidencing that they live under the government of His Holy Spirit. I wish your visit to Ackworth may be productive of satisfaction, and encourage a prospect of usefffi and trffiy baptized members of the Church of Christ, from among the dear cMldren. Often do I desire that our little ones may be deeply irapressed with a sense of the necessity of having the heart tendered ; the living, etemal word, inwarffiy revealed as a hammer, to break the rock in pieces ; that so, in early life, the stony heart being removed, and a heart of flesh given, they may manifest a susceptibility as to the best feehngs, and be so wrought upon as evidently to become what they are, by the grace of God. This is superior to aU that can possibly be done by huraan efforts, in cffitivating the rational powers, and in storing the mind with outward knowledge and literature, however good in its place all this may be. My love is to dear and wife. I was conKorted in their simplicity, and desire after best guidance, when last with thera. May they keep near to that which can alone buUd them up in safety, and give an iffiieritance among aU them that are sanctified ! It is the simple whom the Lord preserveth through aU. And now, my dear friend, may I say that my husband and I do wish to sympathize with those among you, who desire to pray for the prosperity of Zion, and the peace of Jerusalem ; which can only be proraoted by judgment being laid to the hne, and righteousness to the plumb-line ; not by passing over that which meets not the hne measured out by the truth. What is your Monthly Meeting doing with delinquents ; with persons gone back to the beggarly elements, as if, having begun in the spirit, we coffid hope to be made perfect in the flesh ? Are these faithfully laboured with, in the love of .the Gospel ? and if they refuse to lend an ear to wholesome counsel, are their works testified against, to the clearing of truth ? Sometimes ^TAT. 64.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 359 I am ready to conclude, that if the retrograde steps of some are not reproved and condemned officiaUy, the hands of some AAho woffid have been made use of to this end, wffl be weakened more and more ; untU their holding back, frora what is termed charity and the hke, but what, in reahty, is slavish fear, causes them to be begffiled of their reward. Oh ! that, iu the Quarterly Meeting of London and Middlesex, there may be found such as, tMough deep humUiation, may be raised up in a righteous zeal, saying, " Here am I ; send me ;" even in handhng the disciphne, that it raay be put in practice, ffi the blessed authority of the Gospel ; and acted in, under the influence of that wisdom wMch is "fcst pure, then peaceable, gentle, easy to be entreated, without partiality and without hypocrisy, fffil of mercy, and fuU of good frffits ;" for in all this, there is nothing that woffid admit of bartering one of truth's testimonies for the ease of the flesh, or sparing that hfe which is to ffie by the sword of the Lord. No ; Agag raust yet be hewed m pieces, and there mast be no sparing the best of the sheep and the oxen, on any fah pretence whatever. May the great and mighty Jehovah arise, in His own time, and by the raeans vAdiicli He shall choose, for the deliverance of His people frora Avhatever brings into bondage, and oppresses the precious seed ! Araen. To . Sudlury, Tenth Month 16th, 1837. Now I beg the favour of sorae inforraation relative to thy health, and how both thou and thy wKe are getting on in yom- journey through a world of vicissitudes, in which it is very evident we have no continuing city, but are to seek one that is to come ; which indeed hath foundations, whose " buUder and maker is God." Yea, we are to prepare for an inheritance therein, as the ffist concern of hfe. Then wffl He who gave HimseK for us, be graciously pleased to "present us faultless before the throne of His glory with exceeding joy." Here is the recompense for aU our suffering, in resignation to the wffl of the Father. Surely the weight of glory that shaU be revealed to the ransomed ones, far exceeds that of sorrow and pain endured in tMs probationary state. The last pubhc meeting was a few mUes frora Colchester, for the cottagers scattered tMough that part of the country. Never ffid I go to a raeeting under more suffering, my mind havmg been for days bowed down. 360 A SELECTION FROM THE LETTERS [1837. as if the woes of the vricked were upon rae ; and perhaps never did the word of the Lord, through so raere a nothing, flow more freely to the people, nor reach to their states more fuUy, so far as I have experienced. The meeting was very large. They came several nffies in some instances. Many Avere outside the barn, very qffiet; and I really think it might be thankfuUy acknowledged that the power of the Lord was over aU — ^to Him alone be the praise, for indeed His own works do praise Him ! My dear husband and I attended the Quarterly Meeting at Bury, which was a time of paiffiffi exer cise, although I found the anointing with me, in the vocal labour that feU to ray lot. Few seera to rae to reraain amongst us, who persevere in the path cast up for the seK-denyiiig followers of Immanuel crucified. Few indeed, in this good old way, in which our forefathers were as a shining light ; and yet I hope we stiU have hidden ones secretly erabracing, yea, purchasing the ever blessed, immutable truth, on its own terms : not wishing to enter into, or repair to argument, to convince thera of that wMch is seK-evident, but simply submitting to Divine grace, that what they are, they may be by it. I humbly trust that the Great Head of the Chmch vAffi bring suoh a state more and more into view, to His own glory, and the effifying of the body in love ; even that love which is in Christ Jesus ; which " neither death, nor IKe, nor angels, nor principahties, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature," sliaU be able to separate those from, who trust in the Lord with all the heart, and lean not to their own understanding. I feel a jealousy lest truth shoffid stffi suffer, for want of clear ffiscernment in the leaders of our people ; and indeed, for want of that fervent charity, that would by no means compromise the prin ciples held so dear by the fcst CMistians, and by our early Eriends, after a long and dark night of apostacy. To ONE OF HER CHILDREN. Earl's Colne, 1837. We have enjoyed each other's company, and taken Isaac Pennington as a tMrd. Oh ! that dear raan ! Little did he dwell upon his bodily aUments, which were often grievous ; but Ms mind was over them in the Lord ; so that it might be said he hved above the sufferings of a delicate frarae, subjected to hardsMps iETAT. 64.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 361 and privation wluch looked likely to terminate his earthly existence. I hope to be instructed. NotMng can exceed the kind attention of ray dear friends of this house. May they be rcAvarded ; as I beheve what is done is trffiy in the name of ffisciplesMp ! To Sudlury, Tioelfth Month 23rd, 1837. In londs have I been most trffiy, and thou hast been lound with me, and I with thee. Neither of us are disposed to want sympathy towards such as are in adversity, not forgetting that ourselves are also in the body. Old and almost worn out as 1 feel, my sphit does yet travail with and for thee ; I trust in that wluch outlives aU pain and sorrow. I raay now adopt the language of the Psalraist, and say, " The Lord hath chastened me sore, but He hath not given me over unto death." I trust now the dispensation is changing. I had qffite resigned my child for a better inheritance than the present state of being affords. I coffid not deshe to hold her, if Inscrutable Wisdom saw meet that she shoffid raake her escape from all temptation and suffering : true, my heart was bleed ing, but I said amen to the Divine Avffl. I tried to be stUl in my spirit, and not to reason on my singffiar affliction ; so I hope the everlasting arms have been miderneath, invisible to rae Above aU have I sighed and raourned for the state of things among us, as a Society. I do beheve there never was such general falling away; such erring in vision too, and such sturabhng in judgraent : scarcely any true discernraent seems left us. The acts of the Society, in some instances, have been utterly inconsistent with our principles ; so that it may be coffiessed that, in our sanc- tioffing what is irreconcUeable wdth the truth, even in a Society capacity, we have given away our strength like Sampson, and we have surely " changed our glory for that which doth not profit us." Some teU me to recoUect "the cause is the Lord's." TMs I do not forget ; but sorae of us are coraraanded to sigh in raeasure, like the prophet, who was to sigh deeply; yea, to the "breaking of Ms loins." Others see notMng to sigh for I had a letter tlus morning from a friend, chiefly to enqffire what was my view of the text in Peter, " We have also a raore sure word of prophecy," &c. He mentions receiving a tract on " Misinterpre tation of Scripture." I shoffid just wish him to know that I have 362 A SELECTION FROM THE LETTERS [1838. seen it, and entirely differ, in ray vdews, frora the author. It is like the " Beacon." I often feel as K this tenement was giving way ; but still think, with thee, ray " strength raay be renewed " a little, both naturaUy and spiritually. Do thou be valiant, and fight the Lord's battles, in His ovra spirit and eternal power; all flesh being sflent before Hira. So dearly fareweU. To HER Son. First Month 2nd, 1838. WeU, my dear , I wish, with thee, that our late, and indeed present trials, may have a tendency to strengthen our best resolutions, as they have exercised our faith and patience in no slight degree : but what a raercy it is to be kept frora casting away the shield, or arraigning Divine Wisdora, even when without a living, sustaiffing sense of our painfffi feelings being noticed by our Heavenly Eather ; of w^hora it is said that His compassions fail not, therefore the sons of Jacob are not consumed — the generation of the wrestling seed. Jacob wrestled for the blessing of the Most High, through the night of darkness, even until break of day ; and to him the language of mercy and justice eventuaUy was, "As a prince hast thou power with God and vrith men, and hast prevaUed." How encouraging to perseverance ! To A YOUNG Friend. First Month lOth, 1838. I ara glad thou canst hope for a continuance of that pro vidence which has Mtherto been over thee in a remarkable manner ; so that though tried and tossed mostly for years together, the ever lasting arms have beeu underneath, invisibly sustaining and carrying through, to the fit tirae for deliverance. Do thou be indeed watch ful, as thy letter so sweetly expresses is thy desire to be, " over every word and thought, as well as deed." Nothing else will do for us, poor, erring creatures ; and this watching is the unceasing prayer, graciously regarded, and answered by preservation. So be encouraged in thy holy resolutions, and the Lord bless thee, to His own praise and thy lasting peace. No doubt He wffl order thy steps aright, in thy looking to Him. iETAT. 65.] OF SjIlRAH GRUBB. 363 To . Sudlury, First Month Uth, 1838. Oil ! that the young people woffid pursue ardently the tffings that are most excellent, aud as worthy of them, while theh energies are in fuU rigour ; for shaU we offer on the aftar of God offiy that wluch is as the refuse ? Oh ! raay it be forbidden ! As regards ray own state, it is rauch my desire that aU wluch may be stUl left rae of faffing and diraiffishing strength, may be first devoted to the Gffide of my youth, and Him who hath been pleased to permit rae to experience " great and sore trouble," but mercifffily kept rae frora making sMpwreck of faith. To . Sudlury, Second Month 1th, 1838. Truly thou art still disposed to act a sisterly part toward thy poor friend. Most of those with whom I have been intimate in my day have left rae : thou art not one of these. May it yet be proved that our friendsMp is on the basis which the vicissitudes of tMs hfe do not shake, rauch less destroy. I have long felt deeply interested in the best weKare of thyseK and famUy, as I trust thou art weU aware. Much do I desire that the thmgs which are of tlus world, may not be suffered to choke the word ffi the inward parts, and render unfrffitful toward God in any instance among you. How soon vriU aU be over vrith us here ! and then we raust give account of what we have done vrith the gKts be stowed ; and whether we have, above all, sought to glorify God vrith body and spirit ; remembering they are His — not ours It is no sraaU consolation to me to be assured that there are indeed a few amongst us as a people, who are precious in the sight of the Great Head of the Church ; spared in the day that He makes up His jewels, even as a man spareth his son that serveth Mm ; for " they shall be mine, saith the Lord." Of this number I trust dear is one ; and that there are others, in Scotland as well as here in England, and elsewhere likevrise. Notwithstanding the shaking of the earth, and of the heavens also, that we have felt and do feel, the righteous, who keep theh ranks under the banner of the Lamb, wiU " shine forth as the hght in the kingdom of theh Eather." 364 A SELECTION FROM THE LETTERS [1838. To J. H. Sudlury, Second Month 8th, 1838. Beloved Friend, Thy unlooked for testimonial of continued remembrance and love, received yesterday, clairas an early acknowledgraent. I assure thee it is no sraaU comfort to me to know that I share thy syrapathy, also that of my dear friend, thy husband. Many times does my raind recm- to years that are over and gone, when you kindly noticed the poor little messenger, who was running to and fro, in obedience to what appeared to be the vrill of my Heaveffiy Eather. I have never ceased to love you since, nor to feel my heart, at tiraes, glow with gratitude, for the trae kindness, help, and hospitahty met vrith at dear Uxbridge. Some who befriended me, are gone to receive a recorapense of reward for theh labour of love in raany ways ; and sorae who reraain, are fiffing up their raeasure, and coming tiirough great tribffiation, in, or for, the fffil preparation to be for ever clothed in the white raiment ; theh garments being washed indeed, in the blood of the Lamb. It is with much satisfaction that I find thee bearing testimony to the aU-supporting hand of the Most High, both as relates immedi ately to thyseK, and those nearest to thee, in tffis world of trouble : and most trffiy glad am I, that none of thy immediate fanffiy have departed frora the first principles of Friends. NotMng better vriU be discovered, wherein to partake of that rest wluch is prepared for the people of God ; and those who have gone from these prmciples, into notions and speculations, must, I am persuaded, feel at seasons, the want of an acquaintance with the leadings of CMist, the great and good Shepherd, who raaketh His flock to lie down in green pas tures, and leadeth them beside the stiU waters. Nothing, npthing wffl give true peace, but taking upon us the yoke of Him who, in that prepared body, learned obedience by the things which He suffered; who says, "Learn of me; for I ara meek and lowly in heart ;" with the gracious promise, " and ye shaU find rest unto your soffis." Thy account of dear (although affecting with regard to her sufferings) is sweet to me, as she seeras to increase in that which outhves aU pain and sorrow. How kind of dear E. E. to mention me, as feeling interested about ray health ! Ah ! she is a precious plant in the Lord's heritage, frffitfffi to His praise ! Thou reraarks, "What a smaU reranant we are likely to be, as a Society !" i^TAT. 65.] OF SARiUI GRUBB, 365 Yes, smaU indeed; but I trust that the scripture may yet be verified, in the httle few who keep to the ancient and abiffing foundation, " The remnant of Jacob shall be in the raidst of many people, as a dew from the Lord." I think, with thee, that amidst aU our defec tion, the principle of trutii is spreading in the world ; yea, it wffl gain ground more and more, although the various sects of CMistians are too showy in religion (if I may say so) — not enough concerned to feel after and embrace the substance, wliUe Mgh in profession. We have a tMrd class in our Society, who appear to me to stand at present in the way of our arising in ancient simplicity and bright ness, raore than those vAdio have separated theraselves, and even opposed the old school with much violence ; and that is the class who woffid comproraise, and K possible, raix up hght with darkness, that there raay be no 'breach of what they miscal charity, love, and unity. Oh ! tMs daubffig vvith untempered mortar ! It must aU be judged down, sooner or later, by the wisdora and power that is from above ; to make way for the imrautable and blessed truth, as it reaUy is in Jesus ! May the Lord be magnffied in all His works, for He puUs dovAn to bffild up, and He wounds to heal. I have not written so long a letter these many raonths ; the employ does not suit me weU. I Avffi now take leave, in the feehng that I am thy sincerely affectionate. Though deeply tried friend, Sarah Grubb. To Mary Capper. Clapham, Fifth Month, 1838. Dearly beloved Friend, Thy sweet and precious letter has done me good. Oh ! how dehghtfffi it is to see that sorae' hold on their way, in this day of grievous wandering and backshding ! This Yearly Meeting con- rinces us that we are stffl too generally a revolting people; and my portion of labour has been much in the hne of laying open our con ffition, and caUing back the wanderers, and the rebeUious ; for it seeras to me to be a day of renewed visftation. The heaveffiy wing is extended to gather into safety, wlffie yet many are not prepared to come under it, for want of being sensible of theh danger, and their 366 A selection prom the letters [1838. own helplessness. There is, nevertheless, a httle band of humble, simple ones, who feel their entire dependence upon the jUmighty Helper ; and these are very near and dear one unto another, whether gathered in one place, or wherever they are, and however circum stanced. -Among such is thyseK, kept, through Divine mercy, in the holy oneness ; raaintaining the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace : and although some of thy steps, now late in the race, may be very heavy and painfffi, I do believe thou wilt find the end to be crowned with peace and fffil satisfaction, in Him who giveth not the race to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, but sealeth the salva tion of the persevering, and rewards them vrith His glory for ever. So raayest thou be enabled to thank Him and take courage; for " say ye to the righteous that it shaU be weU with hira." My clffidren feel the tender regard expressed for them in thy conunuffications to me. We seek not great tffings for them, any more than for ourselves, either as to temporals or spirituals, but true Wisdom, whose ways are pleasantness, and her paths peace. Many are the baptisms, even in youth, known to such as yield to the pre paring power, which brings to a holy settlement on the sure foun dation. It is very sweet and confcming to some of us, as to our faith, to see Daniel Wheeler returned safe and sound in every sense ; and to hear Mm tell, in a few sentences, of what he has seen of the works -of the Lord, and His wonders in the deeps; and to testify to the sufliciency of Divine grace, as he has witnessed it in himseK and others. He says that K he had entertained any doubts before (wMch was not the case) concerning a measure and raaffifestation of the Spirit being granted to aU men, they would have been removed by what he has seen among those whose situation in the world left them in ignorance as to the outward, yet acknowledged to the reproofs of the great and good Spirit in their ovati hearts. I may now take leave of thee, my very dear friend ; and remam, I humbly trast, in the feUowship of the Gospel, and also as a partaker with thee in tribffiation. Thy affectionate friend, Sarah Grubb. iETAT. 65.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 367 To ONE OF HER CHILDREN. London, Fifth Month, 1838. There was corapany not of our Society at dinner yester day — ^five persons. I was constrained to address them and aU the rest present. This sacrifice brought much peace to my mind. I was led to declare how the people called Quakers had gone back again into the world, &c., &c. I have not yet found my way to utter a word in this great asserably. My state, as relates to the miffistry committed to me, has put me in mind, for these tAVO days, of Joshua, when he was to compass the walls of Jericho, but to do no more untu he received fresh command as to time, kc. ; then the waUs feU doAvn of theraselves, as the wiU of the Lord was abode in, and the fuMess of time waited for : so I trust patience wffl be granted rae, and a strict adherence to Divme dhection, in my httle way of serv ing Hira I have now, since writing the above, been to raeeting at Devon shhe House, where ray mouth has been opened in a rather short testimony, and to some relief to ray exercised sphit. I found it needfffi to be very careful to raind the right tirae, both in leaving my seat and iu talring it again. There is now a strong endeavour to bring us to uffite both in word and in thought. We have need to be " wdse as serpents," as well as " harmless as doves." There never was a tirae araong us, when things were just in the sarae state ; when nothing but stand ing single-handed seems at aU safe. We dare not look for that assist ance one from another, that used to be strengtheffing ; and yet no doubt those are stiU left, aa-Uo " raaintain the uffity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." To HER Husband. Near London, Fifth Month 23rd, 1838. Yesterday aftemoon it seemed required of rae to express humble thankfulness that, after aU, the -Almighty is wiUing to " cover us with His feathers," if we are but ffisposed to come under the extended wing ; but that He wffl have notMng thus protected, that feels not hs own helplessness ; notMng that has self-sufficiency, or sees not the danger of being away from the Heaveffiy Parent, even for a moment— repeating the text, " How often would I have 368 A SELECTION FROM THE LETTERS [1838. gathered thee," &c. ^en I had to declare that He who is a "jealous God, and wffl not give His glory to another," woffid yet send forth His word to sift us, and take away, and blow away the remaining chaff, by " speaking terrible things in righteousness ; " for " What is the chaff to the wheat, saith the Lord ? " Oh ! the .mixture, the raixture that is amongst us ! It is seen in our sitting together, it is painfuUy to be felt ; but how precious is the sense, that a living remnant is preserved on "the foundation already laid, another than which cannot be laid." How near and dear are these one unto another, in the everlasting love and life of truth ! Before I left the meeting, I feared to withhold a warning and caU to exanune our motives in attenffing these meetings, which we were privUeged to have the opportunity of doing ; putting us in the re membrance of the possibihty of partaking with the disciples out warffiy ; even dipping with them, in the presence of their Lord, in the same dish, and then going out for the purpose of betraying the innocent life, in the darkness, and with a kiss ; and how He who is truth declared, " It had been good for that man, if he had not been bom." TMs raorffing Daniel Wheeler's certificate frora the Moming Meet ing was read, and the Minute of same Meeting on Ms lately returmng it ; also testimonials from missionaries, &c., of his labours being most trffiy acceptable. D. W. then gave in a concise account of the mercKffi dealings of the Most High with Mm in his travels, and how he had been helped along tMough great difficulties; wlffie he often had to say to corruption. Thou art ray father; and to the worra. Thou art my brother and sister. There was a Minute made of the account rendered in by Mmself, and of Friends' thankful feel ing respecting him. It was all very beautifffi. That which dropped from Ms own lips was heart-tendering, and abimdantly satisfying. Oh ! the dear servant of the Lord ! He is as humble as a chUd; while capable of ascribing glory, and power, and domiffion to the Lord God, and the Lamb that sitteth upon the throne. To THE SAME. Stamford Hill, Fifth Month 21th, 1838. Feeling inchned to attend Newington Meeting to-day, I ara here. The meeting was very large : ffivers spoke. It was a very exercising season, but I felt relieved in some measure. D. W. came iETAT. 65.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 809 to me afterwards, and asked wdiere I was going to dine ; for, said he, " thy people are my people." We vvere led harmoffiously to labour. 28th. — ^This morffing, in Ejecting, my way opened to encourage Eriends who had the weight of things, to be hke those who bore the ark of the testiraony on their shoffiders, in the bottom of Jordan, untu the people all passed over, that we might be able to bring up the stones of memorial ; in the Lord's time raising our Ebenezer, &c. And before the raeeting closed, I laid before it my concern to see Eriends together (if practicable) both men and Avomen; also those who have lately gone off. I knoAV not how it may be : there is no house belonging to the Society large enough. The Men's Meeting is to be acquainted with it tffis afternoon. To A YOUNG Friend. London, Fifth Month 29th, 1838. Yesterday I was obliged hastily to close ray letter. There was a deputation frora the Men's Meeting, to teU rae ray concern was raost corffiaUy united vrith, and that the Yearly Meeting was disposed to do anything that might meet my views. I have had but one poor night, vrith all my fearfffi exercises in this momentous prospect ; for such indeed it is to me. I have often thought what a mercy it is to be thus cared for ; also that ray sufferings in the winter were trffiy perraitted in great wisdora, not merely for my own sake, but for the sake of the great and good cause. Indeed I believe that K we are enthely the Lord's, to be, to do, and to suffer AAhat He pleases, we sliaU all find that we have to experience something of what the Apostle spake of, when he said, " I ffil up that which is beMnd of the afflictions of Christ, for His body's sake, which is the Church." We used to speak of these tlungs together. Mayest thou be quahfied to promote the spreading of that kingdom which "is right eousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost." Let patience have her perfect work, and aU tffings vriU have a tendency to fit thee for the Great Master's use. His service, although very mortifying to the fiesh, is nevertheless trffiy honourable, and trffiy peaceful. Thou hast had much to pass through, and mayest stiU be plunged again and again into the deeps; and yet has not the Most High evinced His care over ihee, as a tender father careth for a precious clffid; B B 370 A SELECTION FROM THE LETIERS [1838. that, being rightly disciplined and instructed, abUity may be given to " bring forth things new and old, out of the heaveffiy treasury?" There is no chance of the woraen's house holding the nurabers likely to corae, for even to-day it was crowded to excess; but I desire to leave aU to the control and guidance of Infiffite Wisdom. I weU know that aU my own thoughtfffiness is unavaffing. Without Divine aid we can do notMng for His honour, who reraains to be aU-sufificient to those who hurably trust in Him. To A Niece. Sudlury, Sixth Month 20th, 1838. -Although I cannot doubt thy being assured of my tender sympathy with thee, as a mother watcMng the sick bed of a beloved chUd, yet do I wish to teU thee that my mind is indeed very much Arith you ; and it is my heart's desire that tffis very trying dispensa tion may be blessed to each of the family. Our Heaveffiy Eather sends afflictions in His love to us ; designing" to give the sense to our soffis, that we are trffiy adopted by Him ; and we read, that " as a father pitieth Ms children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear Hira. Eor He knoweth our frarae ; He reraerabereth that we are dust :" so then He will not lay raore upon us, than He giveth us abUity to support. I know thou and I both keenly feel ffiness visit ing our fanffiies ; but oh ! when it brings to the extreraity of suffer ing, in seeing one who made a part of our flesh and our bones, obliged to yield to the cold, relentless hand of death, this is indeed hard to bear ; and only mitigated by resignation being granted, and by the consoling' belief that that which is torn from us, is dearer to the Lord than it was even possible for us to witness, as regards our affectionate attachment. TMs, I trust, is thy consolation, and that of other near relatives of dear . Is he yet struggling with mortality? or has he dropped these shackles, and taken wing; soaring above every painfffi feeling, and resting for ever in the arms of his adorable Eedeemer ? Do let rae know how it is with you. I reraain thy affectionate, and feelingly interested aunt, Sarah Grubb. iETAT. 65.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 371 To . London, prolally Sixth Month, 1838. There appears to be far less disposition to oppose the right thing than for many years past. A restraiffing influence has been felt, as regards the vaunting spirit that showed itself so much lat terly ; and I do tlunk that I never knew more precious feUoAvship than was felt by the real Friends, one vrith another. These are en deared to each other, in a stiU greater degree, by what they have suffered, and continue to suffer for the truth's sake ; for tiiere reraains much to deplore, that has a tendency to scatter the flock, and to begffile such as look outward for instruction and satisfaction, instead of haring the eye to the heavenly anointing that is truth, and no he. Great has been the exercise of my miud, and the weight brought upon me ; but I have, tMough Divine raercy, been enabled to lay down my burden in two great meetings, one for the men, and the other for the women; together vrith those who have recently gone off from us. Oh ! it was an awfffi engagement. I had to lay tffings open, as shown rae, or as the gift led to it ; and to hold out an invitation to come to the pure, inexhaustible fountain, aAvay frora aU that is aS muddy waters ; declaring that the Great Head of the Church would render unavaffing every effort to new model us as a community, and renew us in the original character of our Society. I was strength ened to speak for four hours, AAdth but httle intermission. Thus ate we stiU foUowed ; the word not going forth, " Let EpMaim alone ; he hath joined Mmself to idols." I do humbly hope that better times vrill come to tffis people, to whom the Most High hath de clared, ." You have I loved, and you wffl I puffish." Thou seest I am raised up again in the serrice of my Great Master, to whora I desire to devote ray faUing energies, as I humbly trust the prime of my poor day has been His. To Sudlury, Seventh Month 23rd, 1838. The parcel from ray beloved friend came to hand on seventh day eveffing, in which was enclosed thy note, acquainting me with the dubious state of your dear son's health. My heart is ahve to sympathy; and how shoffid it be otherwise than pecffiiarly 50, as regards you— friends Mng known, and as Mng rendered dear b b 2 872 A SELECTION FROM THE LETTERS [1838. to rae ; I trust not from selfish motives, but from an interest which, on early acquaintance, was produced in ray heart, as to your real felicity. Kind indeed have you been to rae — ^particffiarly thyself; entering into my feelings of solicitude, excited frora tirae to time, by adverse circumstances, especially such as related to ffiness. How then can I but feel keenly the present anxiety, occasioned by the somewhat precarious state of a child claiming constant, tender atten tion ? Yes, I do indeed enter into the hopes and fears which must assaU the minds of the dear parents ; yet am I made thankfffi that the dear object of your care is endued with patience under suffering. Oh ! surely Divine Wisdom does indeed dispense that which is best for us, while we know not what is in store to be revealed ; only be lieving through His mercy aU wiU be weU with those who love the Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Often, very often do I remember your dear invalid, when prostrating rayseK and ray all before Him who chastens every son whora He loveth, and even scourgeth afl whom He receiveth. No doubt there is much to correct, much to be taken away, like being purged from dross, that the ear may be open to the disciphne of the cross of Christ. May patience yet have her perfect work, that the whole wiU of God raay be wrought out, to His glory who worketh all in aU, and to the peace of the soul panting after true rest. To Lexden, Eighth Month Oth, 1838. WiU ray beloved friend excuse my anxiety to know how you are getting on ? I want to enter into sympathy with , not offiy as the son of friends dear to me, but also as one for whom ray spirit has often been introduced into exercise and travail, that he raight so corae under the Divine hand, as to be forraed for the praise and glory of his Eedeeraer ; and possessing that peace wMch even the sufferings of the poor frame cannot deprive the Lord's dear chUdren ofi " Thou wilt keep Mm in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Thee, because he trusteth in Thee." What an uncertain world is this ! Is not Dr. S.'s removal truly awful ? Is it the case that our dear friend — , has avowed a concern to visit Van Dieman's Land ? I should be glad to hear more than the raere rumour. These are days of extraordinary occur rences, and times Avhen, from various causes, the nations of the earth .ETAT. 65.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 373 seera, as it were, to be drawing nearer to each other ; may we not hope, preparatory to there being " one Shepherd and one sheepfold." Oh ! that our chUdren may yet be instrumental to tlus great end and blessed derign of the ever faithfffi and aU-beneficent Creator ; not that I desire gKts for them othervrise than is altogether meet in the Divine counsel. I weU know that we may, and have no doubt many do, serve the Lord in obscurity, by submitting to His wffl, and in aU tffings having reference to Hira." Job Scott says, " Many serve the Lord in sickness, and death is a service we all owe to God." What remains for us is, that we seek " to have that raind in us, wMch was also in CMist Jesus." The dear Son of God, whUe in unutterable anguish, subnutted to the purpose of the Father; saying, " Not as I avUI, but as Thou wilt." Eesignation is a gift to be waited for, and is never withheld eventually frora the soffi that perseveringly seeks it ; and oh ! when obtained, how does it prove like a harbour of safe anchorage, after being tossed with tempest, and bereaved of comfort ; and how is the land that was far off, now seen with an eye of faith ! To . Lexden MiU, Ninth Month I3th, 1838- Day after day have I been engaged to seek the Lord on behaK of your son ; and while desiring sincerely that notMng may be spared that ought to be given to the hammer, the sword, or the fire, my prayer has been, that so far as consistent vrith His will who doth right, the sufferings of the dear invalid might be mitigated. Oh ! I have not forgotten that we have to do with a Judge who " vrill not contend for ever, neither wffl He be always wroth ; for the spmt woffid faU before Him." He reraerabereth mercy in the midst of judgment, to such as fear Hun ; may nothing prevent His great and gracious designs frora being answered in this sore trial. I look further than to the imraediate object of affliction ; I look round upon the dear and interesting family of which he is one. I want that the painful ffispensation shoffid prove a blessing to aU; that the-. things of tirae may not have more than their due place in the mind; that the things of eternity should be primarily pursued ; tiiat no pleadings of the flesh shoffid prevaU, to the retarding of the great work of redemption, but that frora hring experience the song may be sung, "wMch no man can learn, but those who are redeemed 374 A SELECTION FROM THE LETTERS [1838. from the earth." Oh ! for deepening in the root vrith thee, my dear friend, and vrith thy loved partner in life ; that your frait may more and more be unto holiness (uffiike the stffl unholy world) and the end eternal hfe. All helpless as I am, it is my concern to wait on the Fffiness of strength on my own account, and to be enabled, in the Divine vrill, to conKort them who are in trouble, with the same comfort wherewith my Heavenly Father hath comforted my seK. And it is ray desire to reraember such as are in adversity, being in the body hkevrise, and therefore continuaUy subject to adversity. May your dear chUdren, every one, be taught to look at our de pendent state as fiffite beings. We have notMng that we have not received. The ah we breathe is not our ovm, any more than the portion of health vouchsafed. How humble we ought to be ; how meek and low of heart ; and it is such who are trffiy exalted. Oh ! for your faraily being dignified vrith the gifts and graces of the Holy Spirit ; that every natural endowment being sanctffied, they may be found of the number on whose characters "Holiness to the Lord" is inscribed, by the Divine finger. I often tMnk of my last pleasant visit to you ; and how interest ing to me was the parting with sorae in particffiar. " TMngs most exceUent" were, I believe, thought of reciprocaUy; even things whereby one raay edKy another. May these things be more and more in the ascendancy vrith each of us ! To A NiECB. Lexden, Ninth Month 16th, 1838. It is with much concern I find thon art stffl disposed to dwell on the late trying scene of dear ^'s sufferings and re raoval, wdth glooray reflections ; and I now take the pen to say that I do believe the dear child is in as rauch enjoyraent as Ms innocent and purified spirit has capacity for; therefore do leave it as much as possible, believing in the mercy of Hira who saw raeet to bereave you of one He lent you for a season, and has fitted for an early exit from this world of teraptation and sorrow. Dear youth ! if, in the straggles of nature, he was as though pursued and worried, we may well attribute the distress to a weight of ffisease pressing on the affimal system, and by no means extenffing itself beyond the poor, afflicted frame. Surely he loved the Lord, and even longed to be iETAT. 65.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 375 vrith Him for ever : then he saw, beyond all his conflicts, into that kingdom, none of whose iffiiabhants can say, " I am rick ;" and where there is no sorrow, but aU "tears are vriped from the eyes." Do, my dear, wah upon the Source of aU consolation ; and may He enable thee with true cMistian confidence to adopt the language, "Why art thou cast down, oh my soffi ? and why art thou disquieted vritMn me ? Hope thou ffi God ; for I shall yet praise Hira, who is the health of my countenance, and my God." Trffiy my heart feels deeply for thee. Let me entreat thee not to ruminate on the painfffi past. Thy tenderness has been almost too great, and coffidst thou have known how to prevent anytMng likely to be injurious, thou woffidst most gladly have done it ; so now leave the subject, and tiun thy attention to present duties every way ; and may the trying , ffispensation be blessed to each of your circle ! The Great Superin tendent of the universe does not design our ruin, in permitting trouble to assaU us, but that, being " chastened and not kUled," we shoffid be the more prepared to cleave to Hira, as our Heavenly Eather, and cry to Him, ffi the language of "Abba;" being His adopted ones, and dearly beloved of Him. Thy truly affectionate aunt, Sarah Grubb. To HER Son and Daughter J. and E. G., shortly after THEIR marriage. Sudlury, Tenth Month 21th, 1838. My dear j. and E., Haring been but poorly since my retum home, and the complaint affecting the nerves a good deal, I felt alraost incapable of addresring you before. TMs day I am favoured with less of that disquahfying indisposition, and gladly take the pen to assure you that my raind has been rauch turned towards my dear chUdren at Lexden ; earnestly desiring the best of aU blessings may be afforded, now that I conrider you as entering together into the concerns of life; requiring the daUy, hourly guidance of an allwise Dhector. Oh ! it is like a vessel untried, launcMng forth on the mighty ocean ; unable of itseK to steer aright, or combat the difficulties ft meets; but as the great and good Master is on board, some confidence raay be humbly entertained; for even when He seemed not to heed the 376 A SELECTION FROM THE LETTERS [1838, conflict that His ffisciples experienced, when in danger. He was theh safety and their dehverer, in their caUing upon Hira. May you, my dear cMldren, never consider yourselves capable of steering your own course, but look to Him whose ways and thoughts are inflnitely Mgher than those of finite creatures, even as the heavens are Mgher than the earth. Yet is this the day of your nught ; this is the tirae to seek the Lord that He may be found of you, so as to put into a capacity to serve Him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind, in your day ; to give unto Him the glory due unto His Name. It is not with our failing energies that we are to expect so to walk worthy the vocation wherevrith we are cafled, as to be prepared for that happy testhnony as apphed to us, uttered by the great and just Judge, "Let her alone; she hath done what she coffid." The way to ensure Divine approbation is to hve each day in con formity to the holy raind of our Creator, as we may be favoured with His leadings, by a simple rehance on the grace mercifffily vouch safed ; making every sacrifice caUed for at our hands ; not despising the day of small things. I am alraost sure dear E. will (in ndnding the day of her visitation) see the necessity of self-renunciation ; wMch begins with a little, but which is not coraplete untU we come to adopt the language, "as having notMng, and yet possessing aU things." And dear J., has not the Lord permitted your union, that indi viduaUy and unitedly you may acquiesce wdth His wiU, and assist each other to ascend, the holy raountain, where He is not offiy as refreshing dew, but where He teacheth His ways, and strengthens the resolutions to walk in His paths — ^the ways of pleasantness and the paths of peace. I do not know if you were told of our being mercifully permitted to draw very near to the throne of grace in your dweffing, immedi ately preceding our leaving that dear spot ! Oh ! it was precious ! You seemed to be placed before the Father of raercies as chUffien for whom His blessed Spirit yearned, that you might be His in time, and for ever. We were made trffiy thankful for being brought as it were into a clouffiess atraosphere, in petitioning for you and for ourselves, under a sense that we are poor, helpless beings; that wdthout Christ we can do notMng ; but that nevertheless, tMough His strength, raade perfect in weakness, we are able to do aU things according to His wUl. iETAT. 65.] OP SARAH GRUBB. 877 All our dear love is to you. Do, my dear clffidren, watch over your own hearts and one another for good. And the God of Jacob defend and bless you, and the Ahnighty Helper of Joseph be with you. Amen, saith your affectionate mother, S. G. Without date. — It seems to me that our Heavenly Father has a grarious regard towards you both : the feehng was precious to me mider your roofi Trials we must aU have in tins probationary state, and they are derigned to work together for our good. Oh ! how sweet it is when the Most High smeUs a good savour in the dwel- hngs of His dear little ones, as I hoped yesterday was the case. EareweU, my dear cMldren. Your ever sympatMzing and affectionate mother, S. G. To Sudlury, Eleventh Month 20th, 1838. Many times, both by day and by ffight, my poor heart is raised ffi asphations to the Most High, on behaK of sorae of you in particffiar, and for the faraUy together, that the Divine visitations may be known ; and oh ! that they may be humbly received and abode under ; proving hke the refiner's &e, and hke fuUer's soap. The Great Hand woffid thorougMy effect the work designed; watcMng its progress HiraseK, and not perraitting anytMng to harm the soffi thus preparing for perfect union with Him : delivering, in due time, from the most pamfffi feehngs, and granting an entire fit ness for His own use. How gladly woffid I see or know, that every member of thy famUy were as the purffied and precious metal, bear ing the inscription of "Hohness to the Lord," in characters so legible that they might be read even by aU who may be conversant with you ; or how I should rejoice in vritnessing the blessed work of the "Fffiler with soap," making whiter than snow, even where, in passing along through hfe, and coming in contact with the sphit of tMs world, there may have been a partaking of its nature; for as it is hard to touch phch and not be deffied, so it is hard to raingle with that which is opposed to the true spmt of CMist, and not be corrupted. It is high time for some of us to see that, through adorable mercy, we have on the wedding garraent, the fine hnen. 378 A SELECTION FROM THE LETTERS [1838. clean and white, wMch vriU bear the scrutiffizing ^ye of Divine justice. And may the dear young ones be aware how it behoves them, as they value theh truest interests, to yield to that living power and influence which regenerates the soffi, and leads into a separation from conformity to this world, ffi its vain, yea, its evil customs, its friendships, and its foolish fasMons ; aU which, while they ahenate from the love of God, are themselves passing away, and wiU leave their votaries notMng but vexation of spirit. It is those who receive the Eedeemer in the way of His coming, to whom power is given to becorae the chUdren of the Highest ; born again of that which is incorruptible; for they can overcorae every obstacle, in believing implicitly in the appearance of Him who bade His ffisciples to be of good cheer, for, said He, "/have overcome the world." .... May we be kindred spirits in that world wdiere there is no groaning, being in bondage ! May we be prepared to rejoice in dropping these mortal shackles, and being for ever at liberty to praise and glorify the Lord God, and the Lamb, who has washed us in His own blood ! The like deshe lives in ray heart for all thine. I want such as your sons and daughters to range theraselves nobly on the right side of things in their day, tMough the preparing hand, wffich quahfied many in the early period of our Society, to show theh fervent love to the cause of trath ; in wMch cause they became, in some instances, " lion-like men." Eor although there are, I trust, in aU rehgious professions, those who are proraoters of the conung of the Eedeemer's kingdora on the earth, living up to the light afforded, yet does it seem to me that tMs people are pecffiiarly caUed to exalt the testi monies of the unchangeable Gospel, even in its meridian effffigence. Let not our children conclude, that K there ever was utihty in our plaiu and pecffiiar raanner of life, and uncereraonial worship, that has long since ceased; for surely the Lord wffl have a simple-hearted people stUl, and a people who hold cMistiaffity in its native purity : yea, our offspring are designed to come forward, and practicaUy adopt the language, " I ara the Lord's ;" glorifying Him with theh bodies and with their sphits; for He is worthy of their energies, while in their fffil vigour, to be sanctified for His ovati blessed pur poses, and that all His gKts should redound to His honour. Do give my sincere love to all, and say that I am persuaded there is no real peace, or lasting and solid satisfaction, out of dedication to Him to whom we owe our life and breath. So fareweU. iETAT. 65.] OP SARAH GRUBB. 879 To .Twelfth Month 30th, 1838. It is with much concern we find that dear ¦ . is so unweU. How abundantly inscrutable are the ways of Divine Provi dence ! and yet no doubt they are aU "just and true." Thou seemest to acknowledge this in thy affecting lines received last night. Amidst all my painfffi feehngs, it is no sraall comfort to me that you love the Lord, and can believe for yourselves, that He deals with you in vrisdom, which being infiffite, that wffich is fiffite cannot compre hend it. Thou, my precious , hast been again and again taught to leave aU in that Hand wMch Mdes the cMldren of the Heavenly Eather in the day of trouble. When Zion mournfuUy spake, " The Lord hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me," this was set forth as being utterly out of the case ; even more impossible than that a woraan shoffid forget her sucking chUd ; for He who is love itseK declares, " Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands ; thy waUs are continually before me." As for thee, thou hast been marked out, as it were, for disappointment and trial ; being agam and again thwarted in thy earthly pursuits ; yet do I believe that all thy tribffiations are to prepare the way for thee to hear the language, " I have refined thee, but not vrith sUver. I have chosen thee in ^e furnace of affliction." Here is where the most precious raetal undergoes the preparation for the service of the Great Head of the Church, or is made fit for being one of the vessels in His house ; bearing the inscription, in legible characters, " Hoh ness to the Lord." It is cause of rejoicing that thou hast reference to tlira who knew no sin, yet took our manKold iiffirnuties and transgressions upon Himself, that we might find rest and salvation in Hira. We cannot mdeed bear the whole weight. He knows it, and saith, "¦ Come unto Me, aU ye that labour and are heavy laden," &c. Oh ! what a mercy that His holy bosom is the reposhory of aU our sorrows and perplexities ! My prayers are to the Source of all strength and consolation, that He may be your sufficiency. 380 A SELECTION FROM THB LETTERS [1839. To A YOUNG Friend. First Month Uh, 1839. What thou hast, reraember thou hast received; K indeed, it be of that which is good ; for " every good and every perfect gift is frora above, and cometh down from the Father of lights;" and the strong are to bear with the weak, and aU are reqffired to be wUhng to compassionate the faffits of others, and even to suffer with and for such as err. Thus, my dear, vrilt thou be prepared for a piUar in the house of the Lord; able, through uprightness and hurable dependence on the Fffiness of strength, to support consider able weight in the buUding, the Church ; whose workraansMp is that of an aU-skiKffi hand, redounding to the honour and glory of Him who is raighty, and whose wisdora is consummate : who reqmres passiveness on our part, that He raay make us what He woffid have us to be. The groundwork of aU that qualifies for servmg our Creator is huraility. What a sad tMng it is, that in this day, some stars in the ffimament, even amongst us, a highly favoured people, are in a wandering state from their aUotted sphere. .AU this is for want of abiding in true humihty of heart, and is a great grief to the httle, lowly ones. to one who took a prominent part in the secession prom "Friends," at the time of Beaconism. Sudlury, First Month I3th, 1839. To Thou wast as a star in the firmament; not of the first magffitude, yet, in the aUotted sphere, promoting and ex hibiting the lovely economy of Hira who is the Author of aU true harmony and order in His own works. Oh ! that, if the things which belong to thy soffi's peace be not for ever Md from thine eyes, thou raayest receive of the true " eye-salve," and look from whence thou art fallen ; seeing clearly how thou didst lend thyself to the suggestions of a luciferian spirit, which fcst caused thee to become as a wandering star ; when thou never meant, in that early time of thy departure from the truth, to be brought so far off as is now the case ; but, strengthening thyself against the strivings of the seed of life within thee, that woffid have hurabled thy heart in a sight of thy outgoings, thou didst become more and more prepared iETAT. 66.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 381 for the attacks of the cruel adversary, who was watcMng thy un watcMffiness, and who at length assumed the forra and character of " the ffiagon," who is declared of, as drawing down sorae of " the stars of heaven to the earth." He has been but too successful with thee and others ; bringing into that which is of the eai-th, earthy, frora the Heavenly One, even CMist Jesus, the Heavenly Man; whora you extol in words, but whose government you deny in con duct ; and the spirituahty of whose doctrine you set at nought, as assureffiy as the wise bffilders ever did set at nought this very CMist, "the Head-stone of the corner," and the "Foundation aheady laid, another than AvMch no man can lay." Many professing the great and awful name of CMist, " who gave HimseK a ransom for aU," are now "worsMpping they know not what." Because of the hardness of their own heart, some, once enhghtened, are taking darkness for light, &c. ; for they knoAv not that they are glorying ffi theh shame, and that they are of those " who mffid earthly tMngs." Thy dear wife, as weU as thyseK, did walk lowly with the lowly Jesus once : then you walked safely. Had there been an abidffig with the crucffied Immanuel, He woffid not have faUed to declare unto you, as you were able to bear it, " aU tffings wMcli He had seen of the Eather." He woffid have deepened you ffi trae, vital rehgion ; and clothed you more conspicuously with " the garments of salvation," and the " robe of righteousness." Shoffid tMs expostffiation frora a trerabhng one be received, and the heavenly anomting, the unflattering witness for truth, answer, or be aUowed by you to answer to what I have penned, in tender travaU for you, then shaU I have cause to rejoice for aU the painfffi feelings wluch have long been raine, in raourffing over your state, both day and night, before the Lord; in whom I long that peace and rest may be found by each of us. Amen, saith thy true friend, „ r\ ' Sarah Grubb. To . Sudlury, Second Month 6th, 1839. We want often to pass through the fce, and tMough the' floods, that we may be fffily prepared to receive the blessed language, " But now thus saith the Lord that created thee, oh Jacob, and He that formed thee, oh Israel, fear not: I have 382 A SELECTION FROM THE LETIERS [1839. redeeraed thee ; I have caUed thee by thy narae. Thou art mine," &c. Such are hehs indeed of His promises, although they may wait for the fulfilment thereof, through many tribulations. It is no small joy to me, who am now much laid on the shelf, to fmd that the Great Head of the Church is raising up those whom I believe to have received from Hira, raore than ever were entrusted to rayself, of His gifts, for His own honour, and for the proraotion of the most glorious and worthy cause on earth. Oh ! may He prosper the work of the hands of all who wait for His quahfying power: living in Him sphituaUy; moving in Him; having their being iu Hira To . Second Month 16th, 1839. I feel much for ray dear husband and H., ffi concluding to leave thera for a season ; yet seeing rae daily drooping under in disposition, occasions great solicitude on their part; and what I labour under incapacitates rae for contributing to their comfort ; so that I hope, shoffid it please Divine Providence to restore me to a tolerable degree of my former strength, by the projected change for a while, we shall reciprocaUy find ourselves rewarded for giving up to a paiffiffi, teraporary separation. We are both feeble now, and likely to be subject to infirmity attendant on old age. It is often a consolation to me that I feel not reproached with a want of early dedication, few as my gifts have been, and little as I have done for the proraotion of truth and right eousness. It is, however, delightful to ray soffi to take a retrospect of the gracious deahngs of the Most High with a poor worm, afl wretched without Hira ; in whora I do stffl desire to hve, and move, and have ray being, in the raost exalted and iraportant sense. May you be qualified to serve the great cause raore effectuaUy than it has been my abihty to do ! May you be of those who abundantly labour; who receive wages from the aU-benefieent Eewarder, and who gather fruit to hfe etemal ! Amen. To HER Son. Second Month 20th, 1839. Having this morffing received rather a poor account of thee and E., I am inchned to send an early reply; feeling much with you, and desiring to minister comfort, if possible. iE-PAT. 66.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 883 What a worid of trial, what a fight of affhctions we have ! TMs warfare, however, wiU be sure to terrainate in victory, if we " cora mit the keeping of our souls to Him in weU-doing, as unto a faitlKul Creator." May it be each of your happy experience, as weU as my own ! We cannot do better; and there is, even in tMs present life, " great recorapense of reward," in not casting aAvay the confidence. We must endeavour to hope, as I perceive thou dost, that we are visited with trouble in mercy. It is ray faith that not an atom of the weight that presses upon us is unnoticed by Him who " weighs the mountains in scales, and the MUs in a balance ;" wbo, even when those great haUstones feU, spoken of in Eevelations, appointed to each its own proportion, not to destroy that wffich would redound to the glory of His narae, who is righteousness and truth, but to make way for the establishment of His own kingdora. Surely it seems to me that our Heaveffiy Eather has you under His pecffiiar care ; waiting to come, and to take unto Him His great power, and be known to reign over aU in your happy experience ; that so the song of praise may be received; even ".AUelffia" to the Lord God and the Lamb, who sitteth upon the tMone. Thank Him for past mercies, and take a httle courage. Wait daUy upon your Almighty Helper. Prostrate yourselves and your all at His feet. On second day I came here. Before leaving home my suffering was great from nervous pain, wluch continued most of the journey in degree : I am, however, better since ray arrival here, than has been the case for weeks back. Much do I hope that the change of air and scene wffl be of use. I ara told that enquhed after rae, and reraarked how grievous it is, that at my tirae of life, I shoffid be under such delu sion, and thereby deprived of happiness ; for that I could not le happy. Were I to consider it worth wlule, I nught let her know that, through my manKold and various tribulations, I do witness that it is a true saymg, and worthy of acceptation, which we read in scripture, "Thou wUt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Thee, because he trusteth in Thee." AU false peace wiU fail, and all false and poUuted rest wffl be broken up, wlffie that wMch is perfect remaineth for the people of God. I woffid not have thee be unnecessarUy cast down in the retrospect [of what thou aUudest to] but leaving the things that are behind, and reaching forth to those that are before, in the little strength 884 A SELECTION FROM THE LETTERS [183^. afforded, press tMough every ffifficffity toward the mark, for the prize of thy Mgh calling of God in Christ Jesus. So, ray precious J., fareweU. My dear and best love to E., who wdU take her share of this. To THE SAME. Second Month 21th, 1839. Eemember that my mind is constantly with you, and my consolation is that your Heavenly Parent is dealing vrith you in wisdom and mercy ; so do not be too much ffiscouraged. Eemember that scripture, " Why art thou cast down, oh my soul ? and why art thou disquieted AritMn me ? Hope thou in God ; for I shaU yet praise Hira, who is the health of ray countenance, and my God." What a journal is Thomas SMUitoe's ! I never found in any one, more of attention to Dirine gffidance in all things, and always; nor more plentifffi, blessed resffits and precious fruit, from being whoUy given up to the Lord, ffi body, soul, and sphit ; tMough aU per plexity, trouble, and sore exercise of faith and patience. How un speakably glorious must be the croAvn he now mherits for ever and ever, after bearing Ms cross so faitMully to the end of time ! To ONE OP HER CHILDREN. Clapton, prolally Third Month, 1839. I am much better, wluch, wdth other favours, demands gratitude to an aU-gracious Providence — " Good, -when He gives, supremely good ; Nor less -when He denies." My cMef prayer for myseK is, to be endued with a meek and quiet spirit, in which I can say, "Not my wffl, but Thine be done," oh ! my Heavenly Eather ! ^'s state interests rae much. May it not be possible that she shoffid feel it wrong to put the negative upon the proposed uffion ? and is it not better to hope she will be enabled to discern the wiU of her Heavenly Father ? Many thought I was under a cloud when we wished to leave Ireland, and see how it has proved otherwise I wish Eriends may be careful not to raar the work on the wheel, vritli any who may be newly convinced, but there is a disposition to caress too much. iETAT. 66.] OP SARAH GRUBB. 385 I hear the coffierence with Friends last eveffing was not to satisfaction, which I am sorry for. It was indeed a fearfffi con cern. They wanted a Fox, a Penn, or a Barclay. We shoffid surely depend on notMng short of what was, to the sons of our raorning as a people, tongue and utterance, mouth and wisdom, which none of the adversaries of truth were able to gainsay, when these vahants were caUed to controversy by the Great Master. We had, the other day, a visit from an extraordinary man, , wMch I wish to teU you a httie ofi At present he is without being umted to any sect, having given up Ms chapel, and ceased to preach publicly, tie appears to see vrith our first Eriends very much, as to the fundamental doctrines of Christianity. Some of Ms writings put me in mind of Isaac Pennington, so deeply spiritual. He took a seat by me on entering the room, and poured fortii the effusions of Ms heart hke a perpetual stream, for a length of time ; I never kaew the like exactly. Several times I Mnted that we raust again and again be eraptied, aU which he most freely admitted, but said that now he coffid not confess to any other than a fulness not his own. To me he said, on rising to depart, I was " older in the trutii than him self;" and repeated, "TMs God is our God : He wffl be our Guide even unto death," &c. " If," said he, " your Society does not rise up out of its present unbenffing state, and serve the Lord with holy fervency. He wiU shake you and shake you, until He bring you to notMng ;" to wMch I replied, " We have leen shaken and shaken, and the purKying hand is stffl upon us ; and it is my belief Are shaU not cease altogether to be a distinct people," &c. He expressed MmseK as bemg " very glad the Great Hand was felt to be upon us for good ;" and thus we parted. He appears to be about fifty-five years of age ; is a married man ; was, when abont twenty years old, an infidel; and became enhghtened by the iramediate iffiluence of the Sphit of truth in Ms own heart; and was kept from running after the "lo! heres," &c.; and is stffl afraid of looking to man, either by books or othervidse. To HER Husband. Clapton, Third Month \9th, 1839. On First day I attended Newington Meeting : was largely engaged in the miffistry, much to my rehef; a very soleran sense of the Lord's power and love beffig over the assembfy. tumed c c 386 A SELECTION FROM THE LETTERS [1839. to me when the meeting closed, saying, " TMs is marveUous." Ah ! it is when we are weak, that we are strong in the Lord, and in the power of His raight: to Hira be all the praise, saith my soul. Amen. It is indeed good to be " Worm Jacob," waiting, again and again, for the time when the joyf ffi language is heard, "Fear not, for I am with thee, to dehver thee." To ONE OF HER CHILDREN. Clapton, Third Month, 1839. I went to the Quarterly Meeting " in weakness, and in fear, and in much trerabling ;" and there have I been raised up this day, to speak " in the deraonstration of the Spirit and of power," for more than an hour and a half. It was a very extraordinary time. The standard of trath and righteousness becarae conspicuous before the people, and the gainsayers were much sUenced, as I felt to be the case. Towards the close I had to raake acknowledgment on my knees, to the dominion of the truth araongst us ; and to supplicate for the hastening of the day when all " nations sliaU flow into the raountain of the Lord's house; it being estabhshed on the top of all the MUs." This address was short and hving; ending in praises, yea, high praises ; even .AUelffias To . FouHh Month llth, 1839. Before receiving thy sorrowfffi letter of yesterday, it was in my heart to write this day. Although I ara constantly thinking of you, poor dear affhcted ones, such has been the exercise of my mind in a religious way, that I seemed scarcely quahfied to take the pen to you, especially as our arrangeraents were not qffite settled. Now we have concluded to hold a meeting here on Eirst day even ing for the people at large, and on second day to set out, hoping to spend third day vrith you. I wonder lioAv my dear is in health, amidst the cloudi ness, the storm, yea, the whirlArind which sometiraes surrounds ; and how dear is in mind, under bodily weakness. Nothing was withheld by me when last with you, for nothing arose to communicate in the anointing ; yet I felt deeply. Ah ! the ways of Infiffite Wisdom are indeed past finffing out. The Most High " maketh the clouds His iETAT. 66.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 387 chariot, and walketh upon the wings of tiie wind;" yet in the end. His dear cMldren, His adopted. His chosen seed and generation, are given to see that aU the wlffie He was coming for theh salvation, even when it raight seem to theh natural minds that certain destruc tion awaited them. How then, does it behove us to trust in the Lord vrith aU our hearts, and lean not to our own understanffing. We cannot but feel deeply interested about you, while we raay be ready to say, " If the Lord help not, whence shaU I help ?" Eut oh ! I hurably trust He does and wffi help — most effectuaUy. To . Fourth Month, 1839. I want to mention what is in prospect for me. I went to HaverMU yesterday, and, in attending the Monthly Meeting, in formed Eriends of a prospect of going to the General Meeting for Hereford, Worcester, and Wales ; also, shoffid strength be afforded, then to proceed to attend the Yearly ileeting in Dubhn. It is an act of faith. I have not felt the poor body in what might seem a fit state for such an undertaking, yet I weU know it can be made to answer the end by Him who can, in every sense, give power to the faint, and increase raight to thera who have no strength. It is now time to get ready for raeeting. FareweU, ray very dear . May the " everlasting arms " be underneath in aU thy exercises. To . Dullin, Fourth Month 30th, 1839. Oh 1 heaven is worth attaiffing tMough aU that prepares for an inheritance there ; tMough aU which purifies, and prepares to adopt the language, "Oh! death, where is thy sting? Oh ! grave, where is thy victory ?" ..... The meetings hitherto have been favoured tiraes, at least so far as I have witnessed. On Fhst day tiiey were solemn seasons ; that in the eveffing particularly so, and very crowded. I had five meetings on the way to Holyhead, which proved livefy opportunities, although some were very searcMng. Many of a more private cha racter have also faUen to my Mt, both ffi England and here. Some- thnes tffis poor frame is much exhausted, bffi on the whole, T get on with more strength than I could reasonabfy have expected. c c 2 388 A SELECTION FROM THE LETTERS [1839. F'lfth Month 1st. — ^We are just come from the usual meeting for worsMp, which was long, and frora some circurastances, rather try ing. There is, however, a weighty body of Eriends stffl in this land, who have at heart the prosperity of truth, and who are willing to suffer with the suffering seed, like being " grieved for the afflictions of Joseph," for that which is unjustly imprisoned, under, or by "the accuser of the bretMen." TMs grand adversary is attacking om Society in this nation with a bait entirely new, and not easily de fined; but I trust he vrill be "stiUed" before much devastation takes place. I feel a great travail and exercise on ray spirit vrith respect to it, and I believe others do the sarae. Oh ! that the heavenly ear raay be raercKuUy bowed to the sighing of the heavy- hearted. It may be that Friends had scarcely trembling enough mixed with their rejoicing, when they saw themselves spared frora that wluch prevailed so rauch to our hurt in England. If ever there was a time in wMcli "he that thinketh he standeth" shoffid "take heed lest he fall," it is peculiarly needful now. To A YOUNG Friend. Dullin, Fourth Month 30th, 1839. I feel sincerely for thy dear mother in her affhcted con dition of body, and for thy dear father, as the tender partner of her hfe with aU its probations. And you, theh loved offspring, partake, no doubt, according to your capacity, with them. What a corafort it is to have chUdren susceptible of affectionate interest in the feel ings of their parents, and in all that concerns thera ; and to see our dear clffidren alive to their best interests tob ! Tliou, ray dear, art favoured to choose the Lord for thy portion ; the God of Jacob for the lot of thine inheritance : keep this blessed inheritance by con tinually watching against aU that woffid beguile thee of thy reward, designed thee in this world measurally as a foretaste of an everlast ing possession, in store for such who hold out to the end. I trust and beheve that all wiU be well wdth thy mother by and by. That scripture presents itself, " Eor I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory wluch shaU be revealed in us." Our sufferings, wMle pressing heavUy on us, seem raore than raomentary; but wffl doubtless, when eternal joy and peace are about to take theh place, prove short indeed iETAT. 66.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 389 To HER Husband. Dullin, Fifth Month 1st, 1839. Eirst day was a raeraorable one, the evening raeeting being as open and as favoured as any I can reraember. On seventh day there seem.ed a qffiet over Friends in the Select Meeting, and I was engaged, both on my feet, and in a soleran address to the -Almighty One ; especiaUy begging that He would own us in the more general assembly. The meetings of Women Eriends have also been favoured, so far as I vritnessed. The kindness of friends is very striking ; I believe there have aheady been hunffieds to see me. Thy last letter is very precious to rae. I believe thy reward wffl be sure in thus giving me up. I do indeed bear thee on my heart, and hope thou vAffit stffl be comforted. He to whora we have deffi cated ourselves and one another, is the source of aU consolation and strength. He hath said, " I wffl never leave thee nor forsake thee." I have been rather hoarse since Eirst day wdth long speaking : it is a wonder ray lungs hold out as they do. It seems indeed, as dear S. remarks, as K Dirine Providence raised rae up for tMs serrice ; and He makes the way for rae. Cousin S. F. is trffiy hospitable and kmd ; we have every accommodation. To , A FRIEND IN IRELAND, WHO TOOK A CONSPICUOUS PART IN THE SECESSION FROM " ErIENDS " IN THAT COUNTRY, ABOUT THIS TIME. Dullin, Fifth Month 1th, 1839. Dear , How is it that we have not (as heretofore) enjoyed each other's company during tffis Yearly Meeting ? We used to " take sweet counsel together," and coffid rejoice in the aU-preserving power of truth, wlffie yet we were in trouble. Thou didst admit that I was the same stffl. I sent to thy lodging yesterday raorning, to ask thee to corae and take leave, but thou hadst left town. Ah ! I tMnk thou dost not feel towards rae as forraerly, and ray views are just those that I have always had in my rehgious profession, and in which we have been so strongly, and so long, sweetly united. Day and night do I travaU for thee, that thou mayest see how it is with thyself and others. There is at present a cloud over tMne understanding, and until ft be removed, thou canst 390 A selection from thb letters [1839, not admit of having faUen into error. Oh ! wait, deeply wait upon Him who is both able and willing to enlighten thee again: then woffid aU those who were tenderly united to thee in the tmth, re ceive thee vrith joy ; I for one. It woffid be like healing balm to be able to feel thee in the sarae precious nearness again; thou who stood so long as an upright piUar. What has warped thee ? There is a reraedy. There raay be restoration, if, without delay, aU is yielded up into the hand of Infinite Wisdora and Strength ; and K there be an acknowledgraent of having unguardedly given way to that spirit which is seeking to sever instead of ceraent. This noble confession wiU do rauch good, and may be instrumental to bring back wanderers, and to keep others from going out. Once more let me say, my loved friend, that which would inter rupt our wholesome discipline, is out of the life of Christ, who is Head over aU to His Church, and who loves His Church as His own body. Beware how thou lends thyself to anytMng out of the holy harmony, out of the blessed life, out of the true light, out of the inseparable love of God. Oh ! may He make raanifest to thee that this breach of unity in this nation is aU done, and doing in the dark, I thought of poor James Naylor, and the women's deceitful cry with Mm, when he was getting under that grievous delusion, con cerning which he owned he felt unable to come out ; but we see the hand of the Lord brought him out, as he carae to lean upon it ; his eyes being anointed to see hiraself in bondage and ffi error, and Ms heart bleeding with sorrow. He did not intend to do wrong wil- fuUy, but giring way a little to an unrighteous zeal, was led on until he came under a dense cloud. Ah ! dear , consider these awful things, and be tim'ely warned. Take not thyself away from us as a Society, but retrace those steps that have caused thee to turn thy back on the fold. So dearly farewell. I remain, with love unfeigned. Thy sincere friend, Sarah Grubb. To THE SAME. London, Fifth Month, 1839, Ah ! my dear , thou art indeed mistaken, I ffid the very reverse of lending my ear to reports calculated to impress iETAT. 66.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 391 me unfavourably, as regards thee or others. It was my care to be preserved from judging anytMng, until the Lord should be pleased to come. I can say that, before seeing for myseK how things were, my raind was rauch disposed to hope that thou wast as free from undue bias, as thou art frora insincerity ; but I became convinced, in the oppor tunity E. B. and myself had with thee and the other friends, who so kindly gave us your company, that there was a dimness, and a dis position given way to, which, if not checked, would lead from true meekness, and subnutting ourselves one unto another in love ; main taining the good order of society, vrithout wluch there must be coffiusion, and, instead of church government, anarchy. So then, is it not better to bear our burden patiently, even if aa'c see that, in some respects, acts of montMy or other meetings, are not in accord ance with our individual riews of what is right ? waitmg thus to know what interposition may corae frora the Great Head of the Church, to satisfy our exercised rainds. I am persuaded it is our place, as raembers of the body, to be subject to the body. Who ever prospered, in the best sense, by either going out, or acting in a way to be ffisuffited ? EspeciaUy, when did such as have once shown themselves deeply concerned for the upholding our prmciples, in theh native character of simphcity and purity ? There is, in this Yearly Meeting, much reraaiffing to be done away, before we are prepared to assume the lustre which attracted the rainds of raany in our early times, and induced men to glorify Him, whose workraansMp we were in our beginnings. I believe the Divine hand is upon us in this day, for the great end of again refining the gold that has become dim, and the most fine gold that is changed, that He may be honoured, and His own dear people made glad in Hira, and one with another. May we be wiUing to bear our aUotted portion of exercise and suffering ; keeping our habitations in the truth, and " coranutting ourselves to the Lord in weU-doing, as unto a faithfffi Creator." So farewell, ray long-loved friend, and beheve rae to be sincerely thine, Sarah Grubb. 392 A SELECTION PROM THE LETTERS [1839. To . Sudlury, Sixth Month 8th, 1839. I seera capable of little that is likely to interest others, and trffiy glad and thankful I am to learn that some, in the vigour of both mind and body, are prepared to advocate the great and blessed cause of truth, both araong us as a Society, and raore at large. Others, I hurably trust, are under the forraing hand, and wffl become overflowing vessels hkewise. It continues to be my lot to labour in the ministry of the word, both in ray own particffiar meeting, and in the general assembhes. How cheering is thy inteffigence of some of the engagements and dedication of divers gone forth on the most important errand, even that of inviting soffis to CMist. And again it is trffiy consohng to find that keeps his hold of that invisible arm, which enabled Mm to bear his testimony against the innovating notions and erro neous principles which tMeatened bhndness to hiraself, as well as scattering to others. May the Great Head of the Church abund antly bless the true raagnaffimity evinced by Ms confession of the " Son of man before men," and of Ms own imminent danger of de nying the inward and sphitual raaffifestation of this Saviour of raen. I wish that raany raay be induced to return, who have wandered as wandering stars in our day ; but oh ! the humffity, the great morti fication of the raere raan which becomes necessary, almost brmgs one to the mournful language of the prophet, as regards some, " there is no hope ;" and the wUfffi bhndness of others leads to the painfffi conclusion, that they are not hkely again to come out of captivity, or see theh native country. My spirit is raade sorrowfffi too, on account of the absence of tenderness in our youth. Where is the heaveffiy dew that ffid once descend on the branches of our vine ? To A YOUNG Friend. Sixth Month 30th, 1839. I think of thee as one moving in the sphere allotted in best vrisdora, and therefore, in thy yielding to the vriU of thy Heavenly Father, thou art, in thy measure, promoting and exemph- fying the beautiful economy of His governraent and blessed work ; and I would have thee encouraged in huraility and holy fear, where- iETAT. 66.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 893 unto thou hast already attained unto anything good, to raind that sarae thing wMch has so influenced thee, and waUc by the sarae rffie ; that so, holding out to the end, thou mayest receive the precious prize. How pleasant it is soraetimes, as in the sunshine, to see beyond this vale of tears, although as tMough a glass darkly, into the world of joy unspeakable, and fffil of glory, where aU tears are for ever vriped from the eyes, by the hand of the Lord God Almighty. EareweU. To ONE OP HER CHILDREN. Seventh Month llth, 1839. It seems pecuharly inscrutable to me that we should necessarUy be so vridely separated just now, but stiU there is sorae stay to the raind in the consciousness of doing as weU as one knows how ; and it behoves us to learn to trust ffi Him whose compassions faU not. I have dwelt much lately, with reference to thee, on the deahngs of the Most Higli vrith His people of old, when they were in the vrildemess, where they were so marveUously cared for. Oh ! the love, the gracious regard maffifested ! " He led him about ; He instructed him; He kept Mra as the apple of His eye." "As an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth thera on her wmgs; so the Lord alone ffid lead Mm, and there was no strange god vrith him." Thus is He waiting to do for us, ffi the wUderness of this world, as we are engaged to look to Him ; yea, to choose Hira for our portion, and for the lot of our inheritance. Be assm-ed you are not forgotten by thy tenderly and deeply in terested raother, b. G. To ONE OP HER CHILDREN. Brecon, Seventh Month \8th, 1839. The Select Meeting was held last eveffing. It was more of a searcMng time than I anticipated. Friends are very kind and attentive to poor me. I wrhe this with a trembling hand and heart ; the weight of rehgious exercise is awfuUy heavy. Hereford, I9th. — There were tMee rehgious opportunities at the inn, with the great company at Brecon : it was, on the whole, a time 394 A SELECTION FROM THE LETTERS [1839. of suffering to rae. There seeras to be cause for mourffing, within the corapass of tMs General Meeting. My spirit did not rise alto gether superior to the oppression felt ; yet there is a precious rem nant among Eriends hereaway, as weU as in other places. NotMng can exceed the kindness and attention of these Hereford friends. May they be recompensed frora on Mgh, for they are succourers of many ! Last eveffing a person supped here who attends Friends' meet ings — mayor of the town. Sorae of his faraily have corae among Eriends. I had a remarkable thne. I ara now writing in a very beautiful house, situated in a spot trffiy delightful, above the tovm ; coramanding a very fine view of both town and country. What rich scenery there is in tffis county of Hereford ! To THE SAME. Worcester, Seventh Month 2lst, 1839. At L Friends seera to be of the old school. I was much coraforted in the family where we lodged, to see them so siraple in every respect. They have four dear children. At the meeting at L there were; I understand, three preachers, dis senters ; and what is remarkable, without knowing that, I had to speak particularly on the ministry of the Gospel ; yet somehow I have not been able fully to lay down ray burden there or elsewhere, lately To . Sudlury, Ninth Month lOth, 1839. Great is my desire that the deahngs of Infinite Wisdom may be blessed to each individual among you, so as to induce more perfect dedication of the gifts bestowed by Him who grants five talents to sorae, whUe others receive but two, or even one. May we aU keep in mind that the period is approacMng, when the solemn query will be heard, "Wliat hast thou done with thy Lord's money ?" Oh ! that it may not be found buried in tbe earth, or othervrise than having answered the blessed purpose of the great Donor. Often, very often do I long to know K thy health and spirits are a little recovered from the depression unavoidable under circum stances such as thou wast long tried vrith ; and which termmated, as regarded the object of tender care and sympathy, with such a hvely iETAT. 66.] OP SARAH GRUBB. 395 hope of etemal rest and peace ; so that there is occasion to rejoice and give thanks, rather than lament the loss of Ms society, rauch as you raust aU feel it. I cannot fffily express the earnest deshe of ray heart for those who surrive their loved brother, that there may be a disposition cherished to pursue, in the first place, tMngs most worthy of tbem, and which make for peace. How does aU that is perishable and transitory, sink into comparative insignfficance, before the view of that which concerns the soul's welfare, here and eternaUy ; and how truly ffignified is the state of such as serve the Lord " with a perfect heart, and with a vriffing mind !" Without tffis devotedness to the Most High, what woffid even the vrisdom and greatness of Soloraon avaU ? It woffid not, it coffid not give raan to be found in the situation answerable to Ms high calling of God in CMist Jesus; even that of being "made a little lower than the angels, and crowned vidth glory and honour." TeU your dear chilffien the old woman they paid such kind attention to, when it was our lot to raeet, always thought as she now writes, since ideas were at aU forraed in the youthfffi nund. May they timely, yea, without delay, be so wise as to "lay up for theraselves a good foundation against the tirae to. come ;" that, shoffid they even hve to old age, they raay possess substantial happiness : that " when the grasshopper feels a burden," the intolerable burden of ffisobeffience be not theh portion. To Sudlury, Ninth Month I6th, 1839. It was very kind to address thyseK to me in an epistle calculated to raise the mind into a feeling of encouragement, that the blessed seed of the heavenly kingdom would yet reign within our borders; and that the true foUowers of our great and good Master raay hope, even now, that " the cup of trerabling " wUl be taken out of theh hand in the Lord's time, despite of aU that oppresses the Divine life. My faith, though one of " the least of aU," has been, from the comraenceraent of the terrible shaking we have witnessed, and which is stiU felt, that the "Most High" wffl yet show HimseK on the side of those who "stand stffl" from aU the efforts of the mere man ; that these shaU " see the salvation of God," being prepared to say "amen" to His pernutted, as weU as appointed dispensations ; ascribing unto the Lord God and the 396 A SELECTION FROM THE LETTERS [1839. Lamb, blessing, and glory, and vrisdom, and thanksgiring, and honour, and power, and might. Deeply interesting to my feelings are the contents of thy letter, and much do I deshe the interposition of Oranipotence, to stera the torrent which is laying waste the .Lord's heritage in no conimon de gree. Overturning raust come ; and again overturn He wffl, and stffi overturn, until He reign whose right it is, even the " King eternal, imraortal, invisible ; the only vrise God." Yet how mourffiul it is that, under the raask of proraoting the kingdora of Jesus, it shoffid be betrayed and ffishonoured, as in tffis day ; and the very IKe of Him who exemplified meekness and lowliness in a body of flesh, trarapled on and persecuted. Oh ! how delightful the thought that we yet have those among us, who are wUhng to be the companions of Him who, for the sake oi fallen man, made " HiraseK of no repu tation:" with Him they ascend Calvary's mount, and when, with Him also, they are foUowed and caressed, they vrithdraw and Mde themselves, as He set the example ; not striving, nor crying up their narae araong raen, but the very reverse. " He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause His voice to be heard in the street." I wish we raay be hurably bold in the Lord's cause. Were tMs more general, I think, with thee, there woffid be less of squeamish- ness, and that fear wffich is slavish; for "perfect love" casteth tMs out, while false love cherishes so great a bane to the edffication of the body, and the advanceraent of truth. To . Ninth Month, 1839. Thy letter received tMs morning, gives a more discouraging report of poor, dear . It would seem a favour if her suffer ings were not rauch further protracted, but how consoling it is that the mind can stay itseK on Oranipotence, and thus know a safe anchorage on the rock of eternal salvation. What thou writest of your state reminds rae of the scripture, " We glory hi tribulations also : knowing that tribulation worketh patience ; and patience, ex perience ; and experience, hope," &c. How wonderfuUy hast thou been sustained, ray dear ! Surely " this is the Lord's doing : it is marveUous in our eyes." May the everlasting arms continue underneath all the bfflows that pass over ; and I hurably trust this will be the case. iETAT. 06.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 897 Wliat a balm in life is true, vital rehgion ! To such as possess tMs treasure, the name of the Lord is indeed a strong tower : they run there in adversity, and are safe. Dear cMldren, raay this be your refuge from storra, your Mffing-place in the day of trouble. Farewell, my dear . I am, in tender feehng for thee and thine. Thy affectionate S. G. To Sudlury, Tenth Month Uh, 1839. In this dispensation of the Gospel of Christ Jesus our Lord, by whom is corae " grace and truth," we are convinced that tribffiation perraitted to the faithfffi, is no raark of Divine displeasure. We may even glory therein, knowing by experience, what great tlungs it worketh in and for the passive, resigned soffi. Oh ! it is an honour to be made mighty to suffer in the wdU of the Lord : we may be brought the nearer in blessed union with Him who " was a man of sorrows, and acquainted vritli grief;" and aU for our sake : yea, " He was cut off, but not for HimseK." Many wffl foUow the Great Captain of our salvation, whUe " Hosanna to the Son of David, hosanna in the highest," is sung vrith dehght and triumphantly, who nevertheless leave Him, rather than become of no reputation for His sake, and partake of His sufferings and angffish. There is no doubt rauch existing that calls for our " speaking the truth in love;" that love which breathes lasting "good wUl to men;" especiaUy to those araong raen respecting whora we cannot but feel much affectionate, as weU as religious solicitude. We are not to spare these any raore than ourselves ; and is it not the heart felt petition of aU who would be found eventuaUy in the holy like ness and blessed iraage of Clirist, " Let not thine hand spare, nor thine eye pity" that in rae, wffich railitates against the reigning of the seed immortal ? Thus it seems to me that true " charity begins at home," and in exercising it, we raay promote a " growth in the truth," in our own community ; even through Him who remains to be Head over aU to His own body; "from whom the whole body, fitly joined together, and compacted by that which every joint sup pheth, according to the effectual working in the raeasm-e of every part, raaketh increase of the body, unto the effifying of itseK in 398 A SELECTION FROM THE LETTERS [1839. love." Here is no preference given to "men's persons because of advantage," but a holy and precious oneness ; the real, not nominal unity, of the one Eternal Spirit. Oh ! how precious a bond is found in this I indissoluble by death itseK. To ONE OP HER CHILDREN. Lexden, Tenth Month, 1839. What a favour it wffl be if poor E. is but gently let dovra into the arms of the relentless, cold raessenger ; and this is what she asks in submission. Oh ! it is truly dehghtfffi to see her as she is, brought into humility ; that humility that goeth before honour, the honour frora above; a dignity beyond all the glory of a faffing world, granted in its various degrees, even as the soffi's capacity be comes fitted for its participation. Last evening, in sitting by the bedside, I was put in mind of the lark ascending, and still rising higher and higher ; singing as it goes, the praises of the Sovereign of the universe To THE SAME. Sudlury, Tenth Month, 1839. I had to exhort Eriends to-day, to mind and keep to the overshadowing of heaveffiy goodness, with which we are favoured, soraetiraes early on gathering ; and to express my behef that it woffid (as cherished) increase, even until we became baptized as one body, witnessing the Lord Jesus Christ to be our head and our hfe. Oh ! what should we do without religion ; the religion of the heart ; true, vital CMistianity ? wherein self becoraes of no reputation, and in which we really and sincerely hate that in us, which militates against our becoraing wlioUy subordinate to the Spirit of truth. I ara with out the shadow of a doubt, that this state of subraission to the Divine mind brings to the rest, to which we are invited by the blessed Son of God HiraseK — " Corae unto rae," &c. Watch weU thine own raind, ray precious child, that thou mayest be favoured with lasting peace I do not know but I may be prevented attending the General Meeting at Hereford ; and if this be the case, an incoraparably more exalted CMistian than myself experienced what it is to be "hin dered," before it carae to ray turn. MTAT. 66.] OP SARAH GRUBB. 399 To . Eleventh Month, 1839. At length the scene closed for ever, and the sffi- ferer * was released from aU her pain, and sense of oppression and sinking. The spirit seemed joyfuUy to take its flight to the happy regions of eternal IKe. Nearly the last word articulated was " glory." Ah ! ray dear, to part with those we dearly love, for even a better world, brings sorrow indeed; and the severmg stroke raakes the heart to bleed ; but how different the feehngs in seeing any dear to us wander frora the true sheepfold, and the pastures of Divine IKe, unto the dark mountains as it were, araong beasts of prey. Oh ! for these I raourn, as weU those araong you, as in tlus land : for some especially ray soul is very sorrowfffi, because they had known the protection of the Good Shepherd in no comraon degree, and were delegated by Him to encourage and ffivite others into the right way. Truth, however, knows no change, and its Author is " the sarae yesterday, to-day, and for ever." NotMng wiU do for any of us but to learn of Him. He teaches meekness and lowhness of heart, whereby rest raay be obtained, the " yoke found to be easy, and the burden hght," because it consists ffi taking the Dirine wUl upon us instead of our own. To . Eleventh Month llth, 1839. Your httle company are very present with me. Much do I desire that a blessing raay attend your present lawfffi and hkewise expedient pursffit of health. A privUege it is indeed to possess a tolerable share of that which, in ray estiraation, stands fcst on the hst of sublunary enjoyraents ; for without it we are rendered more or less incapable of taking pleasure in the creatures of God, while we may see much in His risible works to caU forth our adoration. TMs morning (as weU as many others) being early awake, I had my thoughts wafted to , with an earnest, rehgious, and affec tionate sohcitude that He might be with you, who ffileth aU space, and who taketh cognizance of us in every situation ; that He, I say, might be with you as Guide and Protector ; yea, as the pronused Comforter — ^the Holy Ghost, whom the world cannot receive, be cause it is not congeffial to hs spirit ; therefore the world knoweth * Her daughter-in-law, E. G. 400 A SELECTION PROM THE LETTERS [1839. not tMs ConKorter ; it doth not acquaint itseK therewdth, for it is opposed to its nature ; the one being heavenly, and the other eartMy; the one being of eternal duration, the other perisMng with the using. Set thy affections on things above, my dear , yet mind thy duty in temporals ; for a neglect of the latter indicates that dispo sition unto which a woe is attached — " Woe to them that are at ease in Zion." We have many calls on our energies, even from the sphere allotted us in best vrisdora; let us then watch, lest, whUe we sleep, the eneray sow tares among the wheat, and we be mixed up with what must be burned or consuraed. Oh ! ray dear, ray loved , I want thee to profit abundantly by the permitted, as weU as appointed conflicts and disappointments experienced. Thou hast been dealt vrith in no coraraon way, for the Most High has designed to refine thee, lut not with silver; to choose thee in the furnace of affliction, that thou raayest be as gold; as the gold seven tiraes refined, on which "Holiness to the Lord" may be inscribed, even in characters pecffiiarly legible. Now it seeras to rae that the grand adversary of our peace, and of the glory of the Lord, is watching for a moment when thou mayest be a little, a very httle, and inadvertently off thy guard, to succeed, K possible, in his attempts to bring thy poor dear mind into a de sponding state ; or, failing in that, to divert from the true centre, by aUuring and bringing to created objects, in which present relief may be experienced ; wMcli, K joined in with, woffid frustrate the will of Him who woffid that we shoffid know all tlungs to work together for our good ; yea, and for the promotion of His glory. To . Twelfth Month 19th, 1839. I do believe that, in thy bovring with subraission to the wiU of Hhn " who doeth aU things well," He wffl ffistingffish thee as one who fears Him ; and thinking of thee, the words that occurred to me on my bed yesternight were, " The angel of the Lord en- campeth round about them that fear Him." ¦ fears my name. I wUl care for him in this his extremity, as he is engaged to look for protection v/here thou hast ever found it. Thus ray mind has been stayed amidst much tossing as with terapest, even in sym pathy vrith thee, ray dear ¦ . Oh ! fall to the Eock that is iETAT. 66.] OP SARAH GRUBB. 401 higher than thyseK; so wiU ft prove a refuge for tiiee now, and in every time of trouble. It seems as K I coffid not give up the prospect of being in London at the next Quarterly Meeting. I commend thee in my mind to thy Heavenly Parent, whose watchfffi eye is not to be put in competition vrith that of the most tender earthly connexion. Trust thy Father above, I entreat thee; and try to leave all painfffi cogitations at His feet, who groaned, who sighed, who wept, who agonized in a body of flesh, in syrapathy with, and in a great degree even/o-/- suffering humanity. Ah ! He knows that we cannot bear the load aaMcIi presses on us soraetimes, Avithout being crushed, therefore a Avay is opened to come to Hira, when heavily laden, aud under great op pression, and to learn of Him meekness and lowliness of heart. Come, ray dear , corae to Him, thy SaATOur ; " a covert from heat and frora storra ; a Mffing-place in the day of trouble ; as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land, and as rivers of AA'aters in a dry place." EareweU. To ONE OP HER CHILDREN. Near London, Twelfth Month, 1839. I was very dffil and weighed down in raind : went to meeting heavy and sorrowfffi : I thought never was ray raind in a more burdened state, and sat under it a considerable time in sUence. After some time I stood up with a clear opening, but soon found my way closing up; and mentioned to the raeeting that, although the constraining mfluence of gospel love induced rae to leave my seat, it would not do to stand among them vrithout the abffity was given from above to deliver what was ray sense of things ; and I did sit down, in wluch my poor raind felt peace. I leave thinking how far any effiargeraent raay be mine; beheving that, K watchful enough, right gffidance wffl be vouchsafed : and shoffid it be my place to come horae even as I left it, I trust my mind will be enabled to exercise patience and faith too. I have felt leaving you very much indeed tlus time, yet am enabled to commit my dear family to the care of our Heavenly Parent, omnipresent and omnipotent D D 402 iV SELECTION FROM THE LETTERS [1840. To . Clapton, Twelfth Month 21th, 1839. Tlie interview with thee this evening has proved qffite a relief to my mind. How few there are with whom one can unbend, and speak freely to on subjects of great interest ; but there are a few who, in the Divine fear, take sweet counsel together in tMs day, as formerly, and feel the strength of true uffity. This is indeed a "good and pleasant tlung." May we be favoured to witness it through aU trial ! To • . Sudlury, Twelfth Month 3lst, 1839. In the midst of aU I have met with to try me, vritMn the last two weeks, " Jerusalera is found to be a qffiet habitation ;" re pairing to which, my soul feels abUity to praise the Most High, in permitting His poor handmaiden to be buffeted, and even grievea sorely; beheving all wiU work together for good. Farewell, my dear friend. The lang-uage of ray heart is, " Let the righteous sraite rae, it shall be a kindness : and let Mra reprove me, it shall be au exceUent oil, wMch shaU not break ray head." To A YOUNG Eriend. First Month 22nd, 1840. It is not well, my dear and precious , to dweU on little occurrences beyond theh due weight. Common-place and every-day matters are not to be overlooked, because in these we may find either doraestic conKort, or what I shoffid call the very reverse : then we are to know that it is binding on us to observe our greater duties in the first place — " doing the one, and not leaving the other undone." This is ray raotto tMough life. Let me entreat thee to reraeraber, that we are called upon to be prepared to say, frora living experience, " Faint, yet pursuing." It is offiy as we wait upon and obey Hira who waits to be the strength of Israel, that this can be the case. Israel is the seed or generation which did wrestle, and doth stiU wrestle for the Divine blessing, even through the darkest season, all night, until the " breaking of the day." My dear , believe it, " The expectation of the iETAT. 67.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 403 poor shaU not perish for ever;" therefore " Ghd up the loins of thy mind, and hope to the end." It is the girffie of truth we are to take, and that 1 know thou vainest and behevest in, as enabling to stand uprightly. Put on the whole armour of God. Eead of ft as set forth in the Holy Scriptures ; and may the ever victorious Captain be with thee, my dear : may He give thee to go forth against the vaunting Gohath, who has already enabled thee to be too strong in Himself for the paw of the lion, or that of the bear. Ah ! my dear, let notMng rob thee ; let nothing beguUe thee. " Be watchful, be vigUant, be sober." Be not too much depressed, neither give way to any presentation, proraising rehef to thy suffer ing mind, out of the will of thy Heaveffiy Father, thy Saviour and thy Judge. To ONE OP HER CHILDREN. First Month, 1840. Yesterday it seeraed best for me to attend the funeral at . At my request the corapany staid a few minutes after the meeting broke up, and I had to speak in a way that coffid not be done with propriety in a large, mixed assembly. Many tears Avere shed, although things were plainly set forth. As for the departed, I had to say that, " in fear and trembhng," it was Avith me to ex press my behef that the preparation for rest, yea, joy beyond all wMch tffis world affords, was mercKffily experienced, although un seen by mortals. I told the bereaved Friend there was no more for me to say to Mm (when he turned back to take my hand) except that I beheved I should reraeraber Mra before the Source of aU- sffificiency. To A YOUNG Friend. • Second Month I8th, 1840. I ara aware thou hast been singffiarly dealt with, yet the trials aUotted are, no doubt, such as, in Best Wisdom, are most adapted to work the end derigned. May patience have her perfect work, that thou mayest be brought forth, in thy Heaveffiy Father's time, as into a large place; partakffig of the glorious hberty of the chUffien of the Highest. My soffi does send up aspuations on thy behaK, to the throne of grace; deshing thy help and thy stabihty tiirough all. D D 2 401 A SELECTION FROM THE LETl-ERS [1840. Do thy best, my dear, and try to comrait the keeping of thy soul to the Lord, who graciously compassionates us in perplexity and tribulation. I had cherished sorae hope of being free to return horae, after the great raeeting on Eirst day in the City, but am yet in the bonds of the Gospel hereaway. Have been at Southwark Meeting this mom ing, which proved a fresh opportunity to relieve my mind a little of its burden ; yet do I feel that, in ray raeasure, I ara bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus ; craving that His hfe may abound also in tMs mortal flesh, to His own praise. It is not in meetings only that I have weighty exercise, but, with out rauch intermission, I do indeed go. bowed down in ray present allotment, and yet cannot desire it otherwise before the period arrive when my Great Master may give perraission to put off the harness, and witness some rejoicing in His mercy and in His salvation. To ONE OF HER CHILDREN. Prolally Second Month, 1840. The Morffing Meeting is over. I have had close work there, but feel peace Oh ! what a time that raeeting was to me ! I came to it under great exercise. Had addressed the young people at Claphara tMs morning, including their visitors ; and had a meeting with the ser vants last evening I do hope that the hand of the Almighty is turned upon ffivers in tMs day, to prepare individuals for advocating the blessed cause of trutii in its own character ; and my mind is in some degree com forted in the belief, that the Great Head of the Church has conde scended to regard those who have tm-ned to Him in His smiting us as a people ; and that He is tm-ffing His face towards us, in our still deplorable condition; so that, while sadness is the covering of my poor spirit, in beholffing the desolations raade by the grand adver sary, who watches his opportunities to pffil down and destroy that which has been established araong us through ranch persecution, I can feel the tribnte of gratitude arise in ray heart to the compas sionate Judge, for that He is visiting " this vine, and the rineyard which His right hand hath planted ;" even after " the boar out of the wood, and the wild beast of the field," have occasioned such devastation; and they who have passed by, seeing the "breaking iETAT. 07.] OP SARAH GRUBB. 405 down of her hedges," have plucked her with irapunity. The prayer of ray heart is that yet tiie branch, raade strong by Omnipotence for Himself, may be renewed and bring forth frffit, to the glory of His Narae. It seems to me that yet the precious has to be distinguished and separated frora the vUe more thoroughly, before complete resto ration is knovra ; perhaps especially so with us, who may be now reckoned first. " The last sliaU be first, and the fcst last." How nice it is for me to have those at home, and a few here, VA'ho can feel for rae under ray exercises ! They are great for my capacity. There are some who keep with each other in spirit, tMough aU the overturffings to be met with; but where do they stand, and where is their shelter ? Is not the Eock of ages the sufficiency of such in aU theh exigencies ? Yea, that which remaineth because it cannot be shaken, is a " hiding-place in the day of trouble ; a covert fi-ora heat and frora storm ; as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land ; and also as rivers of waters in a dry place." To THE SAME. Second Month, 1840. Yesterday I had a brave time in the morffing at Newington Meeting. I went there much weighed down, and' not looking for abffity to speak ; but, waiting on the gKt, was constrained to leave my seat, and stand, I think, nearly an hour. My sphit was much baptized for the eveffing's work,* wffich, tMough adorable inercy, was, I tMnk, weU got tMough. I cannot say the poAver was in aU the glorious dommion I have at times known, but the trutii prevailed ; and it was a time of awfffi warning, and invitation too, to come to the Sariour. "Oh London!" was in my voice repeatedly; and, " tMs great, this wonderfffi city ;" " tMs metropohs ;" " the mart of aU the earth." Then I had to quote Cowper, " Thou great resort, and raart of aU the earth," on to the end of the passage ; and to say that God was jealous of His honour, for the idol, mammon, had taken the place of Him, the offiy true God, and that in a great degree : that I beheved the iilmighty was now frowning over this popffious city ; that the clouds had again and again been ffiled whh tempest, and yet He had maffifested His compassion : that now He was caUing, that there might be a turning to liim who had in de gree smitten, that He might be glorified over all, &c., &c. • A public raeeting at Devonshire House. 406 A SELECTION FROM THE LETTERS [1840. I understood it was doubtful K there had ever been so large an asserably there. It was thought the people were reraarkably stUl. There were two thousand notices sent out and distributed very ex tensively. I beheve your prayers were heard and answered, for the raeeting. It was ffifferent from my last of the kind ffi that great house. To THE SAME. London, Second Month, 1840. There is, almost without intermission, in my present visit to this city and its vicinity, a labouring under a sense of the bonds of the Gospel, to the bovring my spirit as with a weight of suffering ; only after meetings, for a very little while, I am eased in measure. This I account a great relief, hke a brook by the way. I do feel myself araong the very least and the weakest, of those whose fcst desire it is to be the Lord's. May adorable raercy and goodness stUl follow me, a poor creature; or how can I hold out to the end ? To THE SAME. Uxlridge, Second Month, 1840. I am a little cheered by meeting with some real Friends here, but have a dread of to-morrow, and much more ffiead of get ting back to London, not knowing what raay be in store for me there ; yet I do try to rest in the wffl of my dear Master, who no doubt hides the future for vrise purposes. I am doing what I can to get home without a burden, but cannot promise myseK that it wdU be so. When I get horae, I hope to take a little ease, of which ray frame seeras to stand in need, for there has been rauch to wear rae. Let me not complain, however. What is there to complain of ? The Lord has been pleased to raake ray way for me, and I have found great place in the minds of some gay young people To . Sudlury, Third Month 6th, 1840. This moming early, being long awake, I remem bered the scripture, " What be these, my Lord ? These are they who have come tMough great tribffiation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb." It was iETiVT. 67.1 -J OP SARAH GRUBB. 407 fsSsTot^ \°iTr" T^' ^'' ^ ^" ^^^^ ^^ ^^i^^^^^tion; while VriU TL • f ^ ^'™^ '^'''' '' ^'' '' "^'^^ k°°™^ th« Master's ^; and ifr? 1? *° ^"^"^ ^? ' ^"P^ "^^^ ^ ^^g-^ °f '^l-rfffi- ness, and in the fuU persuasion that there is nothing worth hving for, out ofthe Divine mffid fa oiui mmg To HER Son. Sudlury, Third Month 22nd, 1840. My dear j.. Thou art much in my remembrance, and how shoffid it be otherwise with thy mother ? a raother who bears her chUdren on her heart before the Lord, in deshe that theh chief concern may be to approve themselves unto Hhn. He sees not as man sees, and His ways are infiffitely above our ways, even as the heavens are Mgh above the earth. Oh ! that my dear cMlffien may never forget their daUy dependance upon Him for riglit guidance, and for ability to " serve Him with a perfect heart, and with a wUhng mind ;" reraem bering that, "K they seek Him, He wffl be found of thera; but K they forsake Him, He wiU cast them off for ever." We may be draAm from Him so raany ways, that ft higlUy be hoves us to watch every avenue of the nund, lest we be beguiled, and so the Dirine purposes concerffing us be in any way frustrated. Do thou watch, my loved J., my precious and offiy son, do thou watch dUigently over thy own heart, that thou mayest be one of those whom the Lord keepeth day and night. But why do I wrhe thus ? Thy trials have taught thee that there is no safety but m the care of the Good Shepherd. Ah ! my dear. He stiU cares for thee, that thou mayest be His entirely — not at thine own ffisposal, but attending to the voice which keeps from all that woffid alienate from HimseK. Mind and hsten attentively, so shalt thou know that there is power in His word to preserve thee on every hand, and to sanctKy all thy sorrows in thy blessed experience ; giving thee to acknowledge to the righteousness of His dispensations, m His perraitting thy pleasant pictures to be marred by His coming in the day of awfffi visitation, and in thwarting thee in thy projects, which appeared to be both lawfffi and expeffient. Oh ! that aU things may but work together for thy good, my son ; that He who is Lord of all may be magnified in His dealings with thee, and in His wffl tMough thee. 408 A selection from the letters [1840, I attended the Quarterly Meeting at Ipswich, tMough a deal of suffering from pain in the limbs, &c. ; but am glad I gave up to be there. TMs day I can scarcely stand, so that I was obhged to relin quish the idea with wMch I rose this moming, of attenffing our own meeting. I am reaUy much of an invalid, neither do I think that medicine can help me. Thy dear father seems fficely, dear raan, but very feeble : Ms dear love is to thee. I must now he down for a while, and try for a httle more ease, by change of position. Farewell. May goodness and mercy follow thee aU the days of thy hfe, saith thy sympatMzing and tenderly affectionate mother, Sarah Grubb. To . Third Month, 1840. My mind is often vrith you in sincere and earnest desire that notMng may harm any one among your circle as a famfly, especially such who love our Lord Jesus in sincerity. Now those of thy household who profess to love Hira rauch, do love sincerely; this is ray impression. Some there are, who have much to be forgiven, who, if they wffi come to the feet of Jesus, and wash these sacred feet with their tears, and wipe thera with the hairs of their head, vriU " love much," and be forgiven all theh transgres sions ." Ah ! what would thy dear and have done under their tossings, and in their distresses soraetiraes, but for this Eock in a weary land ? the eternal, unchangeable Eock. NotMng can move it; let us all, and individually flee to it therefore. My dear brother in tribffiation, this refuge is for thee. The wOrld may be compared to a wilderness, to a ffiy and thirsty land, in thy experience, where no water is, no refreshment for thy poor, weary, thirsty spirit ; yet is there for thee " rivers of water in a dry place." Only do not say in thine heart, "It is for those who are alle rightly to seek what woffid relieve them ; not for rae, who have no power." Eemember, the Lord " giveth power to the faint, and to them that have no might He increaseth strength." Wait on Hira, and be of good courage. I hope, with thee, that the liberty for marrying first cousins will still be withheld by the Society. Those who let theh affections out iu this way do, I apprehend, bring themselves under a cloud ; and ^TAT. 67.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 409 it would be much to be regretted, should such a tlung come forward and be received, so as to render the body of Eriends responsible. This is my humble view of the subject. Perhaps I speak this by pemussion offiy. To . Sudlury, Fourth Month 1th, 1840. How often do I think of the necessity of making use of the day, of walking wMle there is a little light ; to get on, even feebly, with the remamder of ray travel through the wilder ness of this world ; for it woffid be deplorable shoffid the night come before I have finished, and stumbling be my experience, not know ing how to raake straight steps. My poor energies are faffing, and I feel hke a worra, and a worra on whom the foot of man has been set ; yet so long as any renewffi of strength is mercKffily given, it is my desire to raove on in that path opened to the view by the Guide of ray youth ; trusting that the sarae vrill be the staff of old age. To . Fourth Month Oth, 1840. What clearness woffid be given, K indeed the true " eye salve " was applied for ; but how sorrowfffi that a substitute is so much ffitroduced ; even huraan prudence and worldly vrisdora ! Sometimes the language forcibly occurs, "What wilt Thou do unto thy great Name," in the raidst of this people ? I did attend the Morffing Meeting under fearfffi and deeply exer cising feelmgs, and was enabled to lay down a heavy burden in a searching testiraony. I trust, vrith thee, that the Great Hand is laid upon sorae, however Mdden, to prepare thera as standard-bearers, who dare not have recourse to expediency, but who raay be found faitMffi in the Church; nobly standing for the honour of truth in their day; for surely this immutable, eternal truth, raust prevaU over all error. EareweU, my loved friend. We seem hastening toward the period when, I humbly trust, faith and hope wffl be consummated, and joy unspeakable and uninterrupted be our blessed portion for ever, tMough matcMess and adorable mercy. 410 A SELECTION FROM THE LEIIERS [1840. To HER Husband. Hereford, Fourth Month 20th, 1840. The public assembly in the evening was large, and truth was largely set forth ; yet, while sensible of being clothed with its authority, I found rayself araong those who were rauch unacquainted vrith the operations of the power in themselves, and whose attention was too easily ffiverted from what was going forth to thera in the love of the Gospel ; so that I had to put them in mind of the im portance of ray visit to Hereford, both as regarded myself, and those who heard rae. It was on the whole, however, an irapressive, soleran tirae. The raeeting with Eriends in the raorffing was favoured, and an awakening season. I sat during my communication in that opportunity, but was able to stand in the evening, for which I was made thankful. On the whole my health is improved, and I raay acknowledge to much peace, in labouring accorffing to the abUity granted ; so that there is encouragement to bear aU things, and to be given up to the Divine wiU invariably. Having seen Eriends collectively at the General Meeting seems an abundant rehef, for my way was largely opened to lay down my burden there, and I understand it was an uncommonly fuU attend ance from aU parts. To . Fifth Month 6th, 1840. Bitter indeed are those feelings with which we moum over what is without remedy ; tMnking, that were it possible to recal past scenes and occurrences, we woffid gladly act a some what dffierent part from what we now reflect on. Oh ! I am one who can adopt the above expressions from paiffiffi experience ; yet is there a balm for our wounded spirits — oh wonderful ! the matcMess love of Him who took upon Him our nature; who Himself was blameless. This love is the heahng balm, for He takes upon Him self that which woffid be too much for us to bear. Let us therefore try to lean upon Hira, and repose our agonized spirits in His holy bosom. iETiVT. 67.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 411 To Sudlury, Sixth Month lOth, 1840. Yonr great city is indeed a place which occasions my poor mind rauch deep exercise. I have, however, resigned the Minute granted by ray Monthly Meeting, beheving the way to do so opened with clearness. At present I ara without anything of this kind hberating me for rehgious engageraents, yet is it my desire to have the inward eye to our unerring Gffide; even "as the eye of the servant is to Ms master, and the eye of the handmaiden to her mis tress," that the mercy of the Most High may be stiU made known ; for oh ! what shoffid I do but for it ? We met ray loved partner in IKe qffite as weU as when I left Mra. It is, however, very affecting to see hira so helpless, and Ms sight nearly gone , but I beheve that the " inner raan is stffi renewed day by day;" and K I may be perraitted to see Mm in Ms everlasting mansion before my own departm-e from hence, I think my poor sphit coffid give thanks in Ms being spared the bereaving stroke, under wMch he woffid be hkely to suffer beyond description ; but my heart subscribes to the language, " Thy wffl be done ;" for our Heaveffiy Father is consummate vATsdom, as weU as omffipotent; and He is pitKul to His poor chUffien who fear Him. To . Sixth Month I6th, 1840. Do tell me how it is vritli thee, for I am sensible of tender sohcitude about thee, beyond what I can put into words. ]\Iay the Shepherd of Israel be thy keeper. He sleepeth not by day, neither doth He slumber by night; so that, K thou lovest Him perfectly, thy heart raay confide humbly in His protecting arra. Oh ! how has He loved thee ! This has been evidenced in His not permitting thee to take tMne ease, but suffering thy attention to be aroused, from time to time, to the language, "This is not your rest;" even show mg how vain it is to seek any fixed repose in what earth affords. WeU, my dear , may aU the dispensations of unerring Wisdom be blessed in thy experience; inducing or inciting thee to set thy affections on those things that are of eternal duration, and soffi-satisfying. Thus mayest thou be prepared more fully for the 412 A SELECTION FROM THE LETTERS [1840. serrice of our Divine Master, ere thy energies begin to weaken, or the meridian of thy day pass. Dear Williara Hull " passed quietly away," his son teUs me, in a letter giving the intelhgence of his removal. He was one who kept the faith, who fought the good fight, and, I believe, has won the crown of everlasting righteousness, tMough adorable mercy. EareweU, my loved , and believe that I bear thee on my heart. To . Sixth Month, 1840. The true leaffings of CMist are gentle, and the sure voice is heard in the stiUness : then, however smaU it raay be, there is safety in attenffing thereto, and in being gffided by it. We are not to mind the great and strong wind, nor the earthquake, nor the fire, but to let them aU pass by, because the Lord is in none of thera. Oh ! may each come to the experience of what it is to be broken, even thoroughly so, that they may be " buUt up in the most holy faith;" that faith by which victory is obtained over the potent enemies of man's felicity. EareweU, my dear brother, in the Lord. I believe He is near thee, and that His everlasting arms are under neath, however iraperceptible to thyseK. Then fear not the waves that soraetimes seem ready to swaUow thee up, but look to Hhn who " is raightier than the noise of raany waters." To J. H. Sudlury, Sixth Month 23rd, 1840. My DE-AE AFFLICTED FrIEND, Although my way did not open to mingle personaUy with you last sixth day, on the mourffiffi occasion of committing to the grave the remains of thy dear husband, I was nevertheless rauch present in raind. The removal of my dear and long known friend was no surprise to me, after the very poor accounts which repeateffiy reached us; and indeed, when my lot was cast araong you some months back, Ms race seemed nearly run : what a mercy that he was enabled to pursue it in Ms day, through raany difficulties ; being one who held out to the end ! How glorious a prize is won ! It was gratefffi to rae to learn that thy dear partner was gently let down, as the letter mentioned " he passed quietly away ;" and while the be- iETAT. 67.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 413 reavement must leave a chasm which nothing eartMy can fill, yet is there much to mitigate the sorrowful feelings of thy heart, and that of thy family, who are capable of reflecting on the happy exchange from a life of anxiety and of groaning, in the earthly, worn- down tabernacle of clay, to a mansion of etemal rest and peace. As for thyseK, I trust that He who has vouchsafed the Angel of His pre sence unto thee aU thy life long, as unto one who feared Him, vrill not now leave thee, but continue to uphold thy spirit by the right arm of His power, and in His raatchless love, lead thee on to an inheritance incorruptible, and that fadeth not away; even as a kin dred spirit with the dear departed. Thou (as weU as he) hast passed tMough rauch tribulation, and I do beheve that, in each case, the robes are washed and made white in the blood of the Lamb; so that, however unworthy iu thy own estiraation, I do hope thou vrilt be prepared to Avalk vidth liim in white for ever and ever. Thou hast some dear cMldren who are precious in the sight of Him who seeth not as man sees. May you be mutually a comfort to one another, and remember, in every trial, that although sorrow shaU endure for a night, yet joy cometh in the morffing ; that the darkness and the hght are both alike to our covenant-keeping God. I have not improved in health smce conung home. I humbly hope that the decay of the poor frame wffl have the effect of inciting to dffigence, as to preparation to meet the awfffi summons to come before that tribunal from wluch there is no appeal. EareweU, my long-loved sister. May we each be mercKffily favoured to hear the sentence at last, of "WeU done, good and faitiiful servant; enter thou into the joy of thy Lord." I remain Thy sincere and sympatMzing friend, Sarah Grubb. To — Seventh Month 3\st, 1840. Couldst thou know of my Mw, suffering state, ft woffid suffice as to the seeming forgetfffiness of one so near and dear to my best hfe; although this life has been, and stffl is rauch Mdden from myseK; for raany are the suggestions of the adversary o aU true peace, wMch, if hstened to, woffid occasion shipwreck of faith. It is not safe to lend an ear to any strange voice therefore, for we are 414 A SELECTION FROM THE LETTERS [1840. unacquainted with it. We have endeavoured to hear Him whora we love; whose voice is sweeter than any music on earth (even the softest and most fascinating) and whose " countenance is comely," surpassing that of any of the children of men, although these are His workmanship. Ah ! my dear friend^ AA'lien there seems to be a dense cloud between our soffi's Beloved, and our prayers and sighs to Him, let us not say in our hearts, " The Lord hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me." Let us not thus lean to our own understanding, but trust in His mercy and providence, who leadeth His chUdren in paths they have not seen, and in ways they know not ; for they are as the Hind, yet servants of the Lord ; and they are deaf, yet are His raessengers. It wiU not do for such, even for ambassadors of the Prince of life, to have to say, " I see," except with the anointed eye ; or " I hear," unless as the ear is " wakened to hear as the leamed " in CMist's school, which is no easy thing to our nature. To . Sudlury, Eighth Month 3rd, 1840. My dear Eriend, Thine of the tlurteenth uit. was the earliest intimation received here, of the escape frora all " the evU to come," of that singffiarly devoted, chosen servant of the Lord, Daffiel Wheeler, whose course was marked with trials of no coramon weight iu the scale of human suffering; yet how like Job was the bent of his mind ! for he was prepared to adopt a language, at once ascribing righteousness, and wisdom, and praise to the Most High. "The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away ; blessed be the name of the Lord." Thus this great and good man " kept the faith, fought a good fight ;" passing on tMough a world of probation, fimshing his course in the fulness of time, and has won a crown which echpses the splendour of the richest earthly diadem, and which sliaU never, never fade away. Oh ! how delightful is the thought of such glory ! Words woffid fail in the attempt to set it forth, and it is too dazzling for us to behold in aU its refulgence, while inhabiting these decaying taber nacles ; yet is there an evidence indubitable accompanying the view, " seen through a glass darkly." Thou wdlt unite with me in the confession, that even this sight is frequently veiled from us : yes, even our prayers (at times) seem not to penetrate the tffick cloud with which the poor mind is covered. It is for us to bow low, under MTAT. 67.] OF SARAH GRUBB, 415 a sense of our ovra helplessness, and wait on ; for " Hast thou com manded the morning since thy days, and caused the dayspring to know his place?" The "faitlifiU Creator," the mighty God, is known, to those whose eye is singly and constantly tumed to Him, to keep His covenant vrith the night as wdth the day ; for the dark ness and the light are both ahke to Him. My love is to thy dear , and your precious little flock. May the blessing attached to the persevering soffi be yours ; and to the dear young man, thy assistant, I desire to be kinffiy remembered ; and to each of the circle in thy family, wffiom I have seen and felt interested about. To them that "follow on to know the Lord, His going forth is prepared as the morning ; and He shaU come unto them as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth." Thou, my dear and truly disinterested medical friend, wUt almost naturally look for sorae account of the state of ray health. I fancy the nervous systera is weak and irritable, but I seek after " a meek and quiet spirit," so high in its value. I am able to assume cheerfffiness in demeanour, for which my mind feels trffiy thank ful I remain Thy sincerely affectionate and obhged friend, Sarah Grubb. to one of her children. Eighth Month, 1840. Give my dear love to J. H., and say I do not forget her and hers. She has a variety of sorrow, but I trust aU wiU be tumed mto joy by and by. She is stepping on toward the end of her race ; somethnes far from Ughtly, but looking to Hhn who "giveth power to the faint," and "increaseth steength to them that have no might." Our nnhed love awafts thee, my . Thy mother prays that every trring feehng may be sanctified ffi thy experience, and tend to bring thee nearer and stffl nearer ffi sphit, to Hira vvho is the " chiefest ai^ong ten thousand." Look for the text quoted to thee years a-o "I vAdU allure her," &c. Thy dear father says he has 416 A SELECTION FROM THE LETTERS [1840. rather an extraordinary afternoon meeting yesterday : thy dear father was strengthened to kneel. It seeraed to have the effect of bringing soleranity over us. To J. H. Sudlury, Eighth Month 30th, 1840. My very dear Friend, Thy sending rae a written testimonial of thy remembrance was raore than I coffid look for, under the pressure of sorrow wMch at present is thy portion ; and while the acknowledgraent is raade to Divine support under accumffiated trial, I can believe thou feelest often as if the furnace was heated beyond past experience; but surely He who suffered for us in a body of flesh, goes before His afflicted, yet chosen ones, even wlule these are in the ordeal : as we read of the three faithfffi ones in the raidst of the fce, " the form of the fourth is like the Son of God," so they were unhurt ; yea, more, they lost the bands wMch were upon thera before, or when cast in : thus was the arm of Omnipotence magnified through His poor help less chfldren, as well as in them. It is in my heart to say to thee, "Fear not," for I do beheve that the promise is to thee, "The flaraes shaU not kinffie upon thee," neither shaU the floods drown thee. Why ? Because God hath said, " Thou art mine;" and, " I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour." Surely His redeeming, preserving power has already done much for thee : thou hast good ground for hoping that, having been kept, and in due tirae dehvered by the Alraighty Hand, as " in six troubles," the same aU-sufficiency wiU yet be known ; thine eye being in the same waiting state for the "mercies that are new every morning," coming frora Him whose " faitMulness is great." It seeras to rae that the savour of thy spirit is sweet and clean. I ara ready to say, She is more what I wish to be, than what I am. Dear, dear E. F. ! we ask, in submission of our will, that she may be spared to aU around her ; while yet we do not forget that teach ing word of our dear and holy Master, " Ye know not what ye ask." Oh ! the deep baptisms the Lord's precious ones have to pass through ! Oh ! the bitter cup they have to ffiink of, as years revolve ! and to be enabled to continue with CMist through aU temptation or proving, is indeed that which sorely tries the faith, and exercises the patience : but it is not suffering alone, wMch JSTAT. 67.] OP SARAH GRUBB. 417 Inflnite Wisdom dispenses to His own; theh consolations abound hkewise; and I fffily beheve that the trffiy defficated, lowly foUowers of the crucified Immanuel, would not barter their privileges, and peace, and rest in the soffi's Beloved, for aU the ease, the fleshly indulgence, the transient joy and gratffication of such as seek their "good things" in this hfe, too regardless of pursuing the "one tMng needful." I feel yearnings towards thy children, even in that (I trust) which outhves aU sorrow, and all teraptation. In this feeling salute the partner of dear 's hfe, and say that I have a httie hope he not offiy reveres the innocent life of his Eedeemer, but desires to cherish it in himseK. May he grow in grace, and in saving know ledge ! Thy longed for sons and daughters, not particffiarized, are far from bemg forgotten by me : there are of thera clear-sighted, and some preparation is experienced to be skiKffi in lamentation in tMs day The rejecting of the Lord's commandments must be puffished, that it may be made raaffifest, "to obey is better than sacrifice; and to hearken, than the fat of raras." Oh ! the pleadings of huraan wisdora that I fear are stffl vrith us as a Society ! Oh ! the gorgeous array wMch takes the place of the true glory ! For Israel's King is higher than Agag, "and His kingdora shall be exalted." My love to and . I believe affliction hath been sanctffied in that quarter, and I trust the rairaent of lATought gold wffl yet raore appear ; aU dross, aU tin, aU reprobate silver purged away; and the work of that hand conspicuous, wffich engraves, " Hohness to the Lord," and, " the Lord our righteousness." EareweU, sister beloved, in Hira who pities those who fear Hira ; who " reraerabereth that we are dust." Thy sympathizing friend, Sarah Grubb. To . Ninth Month Uh, 1840. If we should mark out for ourselves a line in which to move for the honour of truth, we then interfere with the work of Infiffite Wisdom ; yea, we mar tMs work. ]y[a^y b'e strengthened to submft the whole man to His E E 418 A SELECTION FROM THB LETTERS [1840. hand, who condescended to wash the feet of His disciples, and who, when poor Peter said, "Lord, Thou shalt never wash ray feet," raade this awful reply, " If I wash thee not, thou hast no part vrith me;" how quickly then ffid tffis man respond, "Lord, not m^ feet offiy, but also ray hands and ray head ;" and how instructive that wffich stiU foUowed, " He that is washed needeth not, save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit." Thus, if a mercifffi Saviour and Guide do but take frora us that wMch we may contract, in our waUc araong men, and give us to walk raore in His blessed company, the invitation is louder, " Follow rae, as ye see I follow CMist." My mind is often led to visit mentally many parts of our fold as a people, and earnestly do I desire that our tender larabs may not be induced to gather where there is not safety ; and to pray that the arras of the Good Shepherd may be extended and opened to them for theh preservation. To . Sudlury, Ninth Month Uth, 1840. I am glad that it is given thee and tMne to refer the pre servation of your son tMough so raany dangers, to Him who takes cognizance of His creature, man, every moment ; and who foUows Mra with love and mercy, yea, vrith chastisement, in tMs love, and in this mercy, all the day of visitation, for complete redemption from sin, and the corruptions of the world. How often has ray poor heai-t sighed after , in Ms peregrinations far off; desiring the care and protection of the Great Shepherd for hira, not more on account of Ms traversing different chraes, and so being subjected to outward dangers and difficffities in person, than on account of the raind being often in peril raany ways. Surely now, should this dear youth give MraseK wlioUy to follow Ohrist, he wiU be prepared to exclaim, " Oh ! that men would praise the Lord for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the chUdren of men." What is life without (in effect) speaking such a language? for we cannot otherwise answer the end of our existence on the earth. This state of being is soon at an end, with aU that can be enjoyed or acquhed, of a transitory nature ; therefore to live here without glorifying the great Creator with the body and with the spirit, is to render IKe a raere bubble, and to have, no well-grounded hope of eternal, soffi-satisfying delight ' iETAT. 67.1 J OF SARAH GRUBB. 419 tab^rZir''* ''!-''™'^ ^^ ^'"^*^' ^"^^ ^y^Pt"'^^ °f « decaymg the enH?i ' ^o^etiraes hmnbly hoping for the assm-ance, " that when tne eartMy house of tMs tabemacle shall be ffissolved," a bffilffing mthe heavens, wMch is of eternal duration, may be prepared by the Divine Hand, for even such an one as myseK. Thomas Slffilitoe said, 1 am going to a good home "— " aU ffi mercy "— " no raerit of mine." To Ninth Month 22nd, 1840. ..*... May Heaveffiy Goodness grant thee more and more of that which is declared to be of great price in His sight, who sees not as man sees, even a " meek and quiet spirit." There is no situation in life, in wMch we cau jealize the comfort, the joy of tera poral good, vrithout this inward regulating of the Dirine principle ; and thus it is that " the raeek shall inherit the earth." The votaries of tMs world raay possess all that earth affords, but be devoid of the capacity to use and not abuse, the providence of Him who is Sovereign of the uffiverse. But I write not these tffings to thee, ray loved , because thou knowest them not, only that thy best resolves may be strengthened, and that thou mayest be encouraged to coffiess thy blessed Master nobly, who said, " Learn of Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart." To ONB OF HER CHILDREN. Sudlury, Ninth Month, 1840. Now my loved , our Quarterly Meeting has closed. I have remembered dear Samuel Emlen's saymg, when risiting families in London, " The Tharaes has not been set on ffi-e to-day." We have no authority for acknowledging to the marvellous ffisplay of Divme power, and that the fce from above " hcked up all the water of Baal's worshippers," yet were we not left quite without the Holy Sphit ; its quickeffing vhtue was felt. In the meeting preceding that for discipline there was long silence. kneeled — another pause — ^then thy raother stood, beginffing with, " Friends, the Lord ¦will have a lowly people." I was led on, with tender expostulation, and with a caU to come home to the heavenly gKt, the lowly life ; to foUow Him who took not upon Him the nature of angels, nor the splendour of princes, but who appeared in tffis world in "the form E E 2 420 A SELECTION PROM THB LETTERS [1840. of a servant;" who said, "The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of man hath not where to lay His head." We have had a larger meeting here this morning than I have seen, except on some extraordinary occasion : it appeared to me to be an extraordinary time in the lest sense. We have before felt the celestial showers here, and as yet but little frffit. When the Lord of the vineyard wUl command the clouds to rain no raore rain upon tMs part of it, I cannot say, but reaUy it is laraentable to see our present conffition. Hast thou seen the " Meraoirs of Susan Huntingflon," an kxa.e- rican ? I have just read it. What a reraarkable woraan ! Mghly talented, and possessing vital religion, which was her balra in afflic tions of a very poignant character, and which pursued her path tMough hfe in an uncoraraon manner. After aU, how soon her race was ran ! It seeraed a pity that this dear servant of Christ had not an apostle araong her people, who coffid show her the raore exceUent way than that of adhering to types and shadows. To . Sudlury, Ninth Month 23rd, 1840. Such as live the nearest to our Great Master are not distingffished by exemption from suffering, or frora being sub ject to humiliating ffispensations, but, by Divine support, and in due time, there comes deliverance, that the life of Jesus may be made manifest in theh mortal flesh, more and more; and that aU tMngs appertaining to these. His followers, may redound to the glory of His own exceUeffi name. To A YOUNG Friend. Ninth Month 28th, 1840. -Although there seems little new to coramunicate, I vrish to assure thee, in this way, of ray continued, daily remembrance, with unabated tender interest in all that concerns thee. Trffiy, more often than the morning, is my heart raised to the Eather of raercies on thy behaK, that He raay fit thee for His service, and engage the prime of thy life therein to His glory. Many have been thy sore trials, and deep thy baptisms already : iETAT. 67 1-J OP SARAH GRUBB. 421 oh ! that the great end hereof might be fully answered ; for it is not exctusively as regards thyseK, that the great work of redemption and saivation shoffid be accomphshed, but that tffis necessary work shoffid, tMough thee, be promoted in thy fellow-mortals. I know that thou art a good deal tied to business, but with a raind hke tMne, by no means groveUing, and a spirit far removed from what may be called "money-getting," I can scarcely conclude thy engage ments are likely to produce an injurious effect. I once heard of a Eriend saying of a person obhged to use great industry, that there was, tMough aU, sweet incense ascenffing to the tMone of glory, frora the heart of that mdividual. Be encouraged, my dear , to hope for the same heavenly-nundedness. And now I seem to be come to the end of my little fund for writing, except dear love to thee. To ONE OP HER children. Ninth Month, 1840. Thy letter received yesterday, gratifies us rauch. How glad wiU thy mother be to see thee again in the fffiness of time ! . . . . Ah ! ray dear, did I not teU thee I saw the gorgeously attired Agag coming forth amongst us, vrith the language, " Surely the bitterness of death is past ?" and so it seeras ; for what else mean the eloquence, the mouth which utters fine things ; things pleasing to the natural ear, but void of the life, the power, the demonstration, which is of the spirit, not the mere letter? .... "With stamraering lips, and another tongue, wffl He speak to this people ;" so dwell deep in thy spirit, that thou raayest discern between that which serveth God, and that wMch serveth Hira not ; and when that which is out of the Divine IKe gives thee pain, lear it; and He, the rich Eewarder, will reward thy patience, and grant thee more and raore of the heavenly anointing, which teacheth, so that we raay " know aU tffings." So thou attended the Quarteriy Meeting at . Dear — ! I shoffid be glad of some of her company. Ah ! how few there are who can say to the great, the learned, the wise, the noble among men, "We have not so learned Christ;" for it is common, ah! too common, to try to learn H:im, without learning of Him; for He saith, "I am meek and lowly in heart." Now, as this meek ness and lowliness is the groundwork of aU true rehgion, does it not behove us to submft to the experience of " the axe " being " laid to 422 A SELECTION FROM THE LETTERS [1840. the root of the tree ?" that, as in the faUen nature, we cherish pride, and are repugnant to that wMch anffihUates self, the heart being prepared for the growth of the true seed or "root," our "frffit" may be " unto hohness, and the end everlasting hfe." TMs like vrise produces peace to aU those who seek peace, and pursue it, in a way to find it ; even in humble acqffiescence with the Divine wffl. To THE SAME. Sudlury, Ninth Month, 1840. I look to that protection for thee every way, vsrMch, with out presumption, I humbly may style, " the Eock of my salvation," Mtherto. Thou dost not want to be told that we dearly love thee. May we look from aU created tMngs, for true and settled corafort or peace, even to the uncreated power in wMch our consolation and strength is to be found ! In my walk tMs forenoon, on the Cornard Eoad, I saw a poor worm. It lay in the path, exposed to the foot of man. It seeraed to be ray brother or sister ; for oh ! I thought, how Uke myself, thou worra of the dust, just in the way to be trodden on ! I wffl put thee in a place of safety: so I reraoved it; and, rather unexpectedly, found there was life in it, though it looked battered, and alraost covered vrith dust. I do not wonder that the Ehst day Morffing Meeting wearied thee. I ara confirraed in my judgment, long since formed, that [some among us] are Episcopahans, not Quakers. Thy views, my dear, are correct (I wffl venture to assert this without the shadow of a doubt) as to the appointed means of our salvation. Woffid it not be derogating from the character of the Creator, to conclude that He made man sinful? He who pronounced aU His works "good," "very good;" He who is goodness itseK! He who is perfection itseK ! — ^yes, ray daughter, it would. But, seeing that om- fcst parents feU frora that happy and digffified state, in which they were formed by the Divine Hand, they entailed upon their offspring, not sin, but the propensity to sin : tMs propensity, as yet, is not wholly overcome, for " all have sinned and corae short of the glory of God ;" and thus " in Adam aU die." But it is as unsomid to assert that we are born into tMs world in a condition poUuted by iffiqffity, as to say, that He who so pitied, and so loved mankind, after tlie fall, as to send His beloved, and only begotten iETAT. 67. J 0F_ SARAH GRUBB. 423 Son into the worid, to propitiate for the rins of the worid, created man for destruction. As thou remarks, we ought to be thankful, and accept vrith humility the Avay of escape pointed out by matchless mercy, wdthout presuming on the irapossibility of things not revealed; for "tMngs revealed belong unto us, and to our children; but secret tMngs belong unto God." We raay be assured that " as in Adam aU ffie, even so in CMist shaU aU be made ahve ;" by wluch I un derstand, that aU are visited by the quickening virtue of the Holy Sphit : now, as this is the spirit Avhich giveth life, so we may aU come from sin and death, to hohness and life, into the holy iraage and blessed hkeness, in which raan was originally created. Ah ! we have few amongst us now who are clear-sighted, and who, therefore, do not " err in judgment, and stumble in vision ;" but stiU there are a few, or we, as a people, had becorae extinct. Our miffistry is much in the mixture. Our " sUver " is becorae ffioss, and our " gold is cankered." Even sorae of the real metal, which has corae tMough the fce, has great need of being mefted down agam, that whatever is contracted, wMch wffl not stand the ordeal, may be removed. To . Sudlury, Tenth Month Uh, 1840. My dear, kmd firiend E. M. gave me the fcst intimation of the exit of that vahant in the Lamb's army, Daniel Wheeler. It may be confessed that he sacrificed Ms hfe to the ever blessed, and most glorious cause, and that he ffied in the field of battle. I have no idea that such a man's laying down Ms bones m a certain place is without a pecffiiar caU to that part of our community, to see hoAV far they are found ffi the same faith, in the same self-denial, and giving up of all to the Lord. , „ •. i Do thou teU me, if thou canst, how far are we sensible of the cloud beffig ffispeUed, wffich hath covered us in the season of the Lord's anger ;' and whether the joyfffi language apphes unto ^ people " Arise, sMne ; for thy hgffi is come, and the glory of the Lord 1; ri^n u^on thee." Could my spirh be assured of this being tiie case then loffid gladness fill this fluttering heart ; for methinks the ca e tnen ^ ^^^^ possession of aU earthly good, yea, Ve^theZt^^o. to be as Moses in Ms last old age, whose ''eye was not dim, nor Ms natural force abated. 424 A SELECTION FROM THE LETTERS [1840. To ONE OF HER CHILDREN. Sudlury, Tenth Month, 1840. Thy remark that "there is One who remains to be no respecter of persons," is comforting. It is the same, the very same, who for our sakes " made Himself of no reputation." Ah ! were it not for that which weans from dependance on man, yea, the lest of raen, aU support had long since failed thy mother. We raust learn to hve vrithout being as the ivy, wMch clings to sometMng near, in order to flourish, or to be borne up. It is sorrowful that poor M. W. should seera likely to sink under her present complaint, like her late brother; yet if it be the wffl of Providence to take dear chUffien out of a world of teraptation, in their state of innocence, we ought to submit, and for their sakes rejoice. It is with pleasure I now address thee in London; not haK the distance from us that thou hast been so many weeks. This is a state of vicissitude in which we are placed, so that the language cannot fail of being loudly proclaimed in our ears, " Here we have no continffing city." Oh ! that, tMough aU, we may be seeking one that is to come ! The post which brought thy note tMs morning, conveyed one from our dear friend Hannah SouthaU, giring some chcumstantial account of the UMess of her dear brother, Eichard Burlmghara. He appeared to be sinking fast, and perhaps Ms spirit has, ere tMs, taken its flight to those regions where no darkness can come. " The righteous is taken away frora the evU to come," in the fit time, and we shoffid consider and weigh the reraoval of such ; yea, and see how far we are preparing to flU up the vacant seats in the house, far exceeding in glory that of Soloraon's, which was nevertheless glorious, as a type of the beauty and order of the "house from heaven," built up by the " Greater than Solomon ;" whose wisdom, power, and economy, are consummate. Many have been the paiffiffi feelings of thy heart, my ever dear ; mayest thou profit thereby, and become " settled and established in the truth," wMch remains immutable to aU generations ! Thou hast great cause to commemorate the gracious care and providence of the good Shepherd towards thee, as one of His poor, helpless lambs, and to trust in His mercy. We live in a world of trouble, but the " ConKorter " and "Preserver of men" is oranipresent, and hath aU power; raay our MTAT, 67 1 ' --J OF SARAH GRUBB. 425 trust be in Him ! We wish to be found in the wUl of our Heaveffiy Jatfaer,^ and that our chUffien may be found therein in aU things : this IS "choosing the Lord for our portion, and the God of Jacob for the lot of our inheritance." Oh ! happy portion ! Oh ! rich inheritance — soffi-satisfying, never-fading 1 To Sudlury, Tenth Month SOth, 1840. My DEAR Eriend, In returffing the letter from wMch, with brotherly kindness, thou sent for my perusal, I raay acknowledge that the sentiraents he expressed, on reading "Barclay's Selections from Penffington," are such as I shoffid have anticipated; wlule they cannot indeed be comprehended, save by those who know frora ex perience, that the heart of raan (as man) receiveth not the tffings of the Spirit of God. I suppose does not joffi MraseK in membersMp with any religious coramunity: he is certainly with Eriends in principle, almost to a hair's breadth, yet there seeras to me to be something lacking, to make hira quite an Isaac Penffing ton, and I can scarcely define in what the deficiency consists : per haps there is more fffiness, less sense of hunger and tMrst, or of fasting, as in the mournful alsence of the Bridegroora, than one would look for, in a disciple who is tempted, yet continues with the Great Master tMough all trial : but mind, I judge not, offiy wish to be understood. The carpenter's letter is truly gladdeffing, and very interesting. As thou ffidst not consider Ms UMess alarming, we may hope that Ms hfe is spared, and that he may have to teU others what the Eedeemer has done for his soffi; or, shoffid Ms day's " work be cut short in righteousness," that it is all in wisdom and mercy, from Him who sees the end frora the beginning, and who giveth some to be like Sampson, that slew more enemies dymg, than ffi aU Ms IKe-time before. No doubt thou art one, as weU as thy dear , among the many whose soffis are deeply affected, in viewing the stripped state of our Society. I>ear Eichard Burhngham's removal is as a place left in the mffltant Church occasioning lamentation, for that a prince in Israel must no more be seen amongst us; and ah ! how are the seats of such left vacant, even from year to year, for want of those 426 A SELECTION FROM THB LETTERS [1840. rightly prepared to sit down in the heavenly feUowship, under the blessed govemment of the King immortal ! for He wiU accept none in the linsey-woolsey garment, too much worn in the present day. No, He wffl have Jerusalera in her beautiful attire, in the true wed- ffing garraent, made wMte by being washed in the blood of the Lamb, and which is granted to those who come through great tribffiation. Let us hope that there reraains a reranant of such, seen in the light of truth, occupying their seats among the servants of His house, the " greater than Soloraon's ;" yea, and that there are of our cMldren under the Divine Hand, who, as they abide with the power, wffl be brought forward in due tirae, and richly qualified to show forth the praise of Hira who first gathered us to be a people, and who raay be instrumental in bringing others to see for them selves, the wonderful economy and glory of the Church, the very type or representation of wMch, made the Queen of Sheba confess that " there was no raore spirit in her," in taking a view thereof. Well, dear friend, I have now penned a long letter, which my eyes, and general sense of weariness, admonish me to close. Thy sincere and gratefffi friend, Sarah Grubb. To . Twelfth Month I6th, 1840. Shoffidst thou, my brother, be permitted to give up the view that has so long tried thee, I can joy in thy joy, as coming from the compassionate Judge, who requires of us that "perfect love that casteth ovAfear?' No doubt the ordeal thou hast endured, proved thoroughly equal to any strength or patience afforded ; but oh ! how watchfffi, how carefffi is the Eefiner ! " He shall sit as a Eefiner and Purifier of silver." He sits to watch the critical time for removing the precious metal frora the fiffing pot, that it be not injured. The sons of Levi were to be tried as gold and as silver, that they might offer an offering unto the Lord in righteousness. I trust this is not inapplicable to thee. The offering of thine all seems to me to have been made, through the preparation appointed ; and if my poor raind be influenced aright, the sacrffice is complete, and is no partial offering. T shoffid be sorry to presurae on anytMng of this .^ETAT. 68.] OP SARAH GRUBB. 427 solemn and fearfffi nature, as of rayseK, or as knowing anytMng without the Lord ; and dearly and tenderly commending thee and thine to Him, I remain Thy sincere and affectionate friend, Sarah Grubb. To ONE OP her CHILDREN. Twelfth Month 22nd, 1840. I think a deal of thee, and much hope thou wUt be rightly dhected and helped tMough difficffities, as hath before been thy experience ; that Divme goodness and mercy may foUow thee all the days of thy hfe. We must be inward and watcMffi, as thou knowest, m order to be thus favoured, and that aU our steps raay be " ordered of the Lord." Each ffispensation of Dirine Proridence has a time to be fulfihed in our passing along, and is designed for our estabhshment in the truth. We had need take care and endeavour to possess our soffis in patience, haring faith in the pronuses of Hhn who hath the name of " FaitMffi and True." Oh ! that my raay rely on Him, and wait for Him vrith whom aU things are possible. To . Sudlury, F'lrst Month 2Uh, 1 841. Yes, I bear you on my heart ffi tender solicitude, and sympatMze in the affhctive dispensation lately permitted to corae upon your whole faraUy, by the ffiness of thy loved husband ; and whUe there raay be no utterance with the tongue, I cease not to reraember you in my prayers. Often is that language before me, " All things work together for good to thera that love God." Oh ! that we raay seek to love Hira vrith the perfect love that casteth out fear ! come what vrill come, aU wiU then be well with us, and bring to the blessed experience, that trffiy (without exclusion) aU tMngs work together for our good. My very soffi has travaUed with and for the dear sufferer, who must feel Ms situation to be an awfffi one. Could I sit by him, I have soraetiraes thought it would, in sorae sense, answer ray deshes ; but I can commend Him to the omnipresent and oranipotent One, who orders aU tMngs in wisdora, and whose omniscience has noticed 428 A SELECTION FROM THB LETTERS [1841. thy dear partner, when he coffid deplore Ms own defects, and yet appeal to the God of knowledge, " Thou knowest that I love Thee." -And now, my loved, tried friend, fareweU in our Almighty Helper ; the eternal Eefuge in every storra ; who weighs every atora of our painfffi feehngs in His righteous balance, as we look to Hira for succour. To . Sudlury, First Month 31st, 1841. My de,ar Friend, Thy testimonial of reraerabrance of rae is consohng to my heart Oh ! we had need be endued with that vrisdora that is of an opposite character frora his — "the crooked serpent;" even what comes " from above ;" which, wMle it is " gentle, and easy to be entreated," gives true discernment, and penetrates the false cover ing, however gUded, and calculated to deceive. WeU, my dear friend, we are yet favoured to see a few overcomers, who are raade pfflars in the temple, hewn out and established by an alnughty, aU-skfflffi Hand. What a mercy ! Yes, " Wisdora hath builded her house, she hath hevAm out her seven piUars." It is ray hurable trust that yet the Great Head of the Church will separate raore raaffifestly that wffich doth serve Hira, from that wMch serveth Him not ; even the precious frora the vile, to His own glory; bringing the righteous to shine forth as the light in the kingdom of their Eather ; eridencmg that they are trffiy under His govemment, whose right it is to sway His sceptre in the hearts of the cMldren of raen, and whose dominion is for ever and ever. '^"'^" S. G. To . Sudlury, Second Month llth, 1841. I am trffiy glad of the relief afforded you ; rejoicing with thee and thine, as I have also wept with you in my heart. Oh ! the mercy, the vrisdora, the power of our Heavenly Eather, who wounds to heal, who breaks dovATi to build up, who chastises to raake us cry, " Abba, Father ;" even becoraing His own dear chilffien, " born, not of flesh, nor of the wiU of raan, but of God." How often have I thought (under a sense of sympathy in the sore trial of thy loved husband's iUness) of Saul being " found araong the iETAT. 68.] OP SARAH GRUBB. 429 stuff," and caUed forth ; having been told by Sarauel that he shoffid be turned into another man ; and' so it proved, after the rial of oil was poured upon Mm. Thy husband seeras to me to be in the hand of Oranipotence. Oh ! the endearing love of our holy Eedeeraer ! how sweet it is ! how uffiting ! beyond aU the ties of our mere nature. To . Sudlury, Second Month I2th, 1841. Often, in looking towards some of you, ray long-loved friends, I see a sadness of countenance, or at least I think so; a sadness not altogether on account of yourselves, but soraetMng like putting on sackcloth and ashes, although not very perceptible to beholders : but do we not want those in this day, who raay indeed be styled "raourners in Zion?" Was there ever raore of the transfor- raations of him who, in so many and various ways, seeks to bring into that state that " caUs evU good, and good eril ; that puts dark ness for light, and light for darkness; that puts bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter ?" and how raany are beguUed and deceived, so that we are ready to say, Nhs \ who shall stand ? We can trffiy say, in our own religious community, " All is not gold that ghtters." Oh ! for sorae Daniel Wheelers, some Thomas ShUhtoes, and John Barclays, to be raised np among us ; more ffi substance than show, and yet evidencing the refinement wffich the most precious metal endures, and how it is prepared for use, and hath the true stamp upon it ! To . Second Month I9th, 1841. Thou seemest now to be enabled to leave the past raore than was the case for years, and art favoured with a considerable degree of tranquffiity of mind, in wffich I rejoice. That sore be reavement that has befaUen thee being still keeffiy felt, I do not marvel at: "that wMch is wanting cannot be numbered;" and a chasra such as the severing hand has been permitted to raake in thy famUy, raust, I apprehend, reraain a source of tender sorrow, until eternal ioy for ever reigns in the soul, and raore than corapensates for the losses and vicissitudes of the present state of being Thy feehngs in the Mornmg Meeting respecting what was pro duced were such as I shoffid expect. It is weU there are a few left. 430 A SELECTION PROM THE LETTERS [1841. who are jealous lest the ancient standard shoffid be lowered by un- skfflffi raeddlers in things too high for them. Oh ! how tried my poor mffid is, under a sense of a want araongst us of true ffiscern ment ; and even in my very secluded aUotraent here, I tMnk my inward eye sees a covering in our Society that is proMbited in the truth; a mixture as surely ffisapproved in the sight of the Great Head of the Church, as ever the forbidden hnsey-woolsey garment was of old ; and which must one day be taken off, for the aU-scruti- nizing eye wffl not wink thereat. To A FRIEND, ON HIS RECOVERY FROM AN ALARMING ILLNESS. Sudlury, Third Month 3lst, 1841. My dear Friend, Thy testiraoffial of reraerabrance cheered rae, in the con- fcraed report of health being restored to thee, and thy strength nearly what it was, previous to the visitation of iUness lately thy experience. I am indeed glad to be prepared to " rejoice with them that do rejoice," as weU as to " weep vrith them that weep." Thy dear wife must feel much rehef, and I believe is at heart humbly thankfffi for the mercies stffl extended to your fanffiy circle. Oh ! how needfffi ¦it is for us to keep in view the end of those means our Heaveffiy Eather appoints for our being quahfied to cry, "Abba, Eather." Mayest thou, my loved friend, be very watcMffi, and, like Enoch of old, and like iibraham, walk in the Divine presence; henceforth renouncing the world; remerabering continuaUy that it is utterly irapossible to serve God and Maramon. " Ye cannot serve God and Mammon." Neither wiU it do to cherish forgetfffiness of what an Almighty hand hath wrought for us, after we have vritnessed His wonderfffi interposition, and have sung His praise. Let us not plead necessity for holffing back anything frora the Giver of aU good ; this would be caUing the blessed Master " an austere raan," &c. We must have nothing that we caU ours, and then we shall "possess all things;" an attainraent wMcli often appears impracticable to the mind of the natural raan. Well, I want thee to be one of those who walk worthy of this high vocation. " Be perfect and enthe, lacking notMng." To persevere in pressing toward the raark for the prize has been found possible, and stffl reraains to be so : be that thy constant aim. iETAT. 68.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 431 my brother; so wffl thy God forbid that anytMng whatever shoffid prevent thy so running as to obtain the glorious prize. EareweU in rauch sincere deshe for the real good of thyself and aU tMne. I reraain affectionately thy friend, Sarah Grubb. To ONE OF HER CHILDREN. London, 1841. Thy letter VATitten yesterday I have now read to ray com fort. Oh ! my dear, there is a resting-place for us in this wearisorae world, even the holy bosom of Him who " hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows." What a mercy ! It seeras to rae that the scripture is in some measure verffied, even to me, " Ye shaU go out with joy, and be led forth with peace. The mountains and the MUs shall break forth before you into singing, and aU the trees of the field shall clap their hands." I have had deep baptisms, but there is occasion to adopt the precious language, "Thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory, tiirough our Lord Jesus Christ." Many private exhortations, salutations, and soraetimes hving prayer to the Source of aU-sufficiency are offered. To A YOUNG Friend. Fourth Month 1st, 1841. Thou bids me tMnk of thee : I do so, particularly in thy present state of deep consideration, and that with respect to a matter, that, K carried forward, can only meet a change with the termination of life, with one or the other more nearly concerned. Thou knowest that I have always felt love for thee, as a dear child who loved thy Heavenly Father, as weU as that natural affection has been kept alive in my heart through our long separation. There seems even now a savour from thy spirit sweet to me. I have only to say, take heed that all thy stoppings are in that hght which never did, nor ever can prove an ignis-fatuus ; and raay He who sees the end from the beginning, guide thee by His counsel ; thus rewarffing the sincerity of thy intentions, and granting thee the peace wMch passeth aU natural conception ! 432 A SELECTION FROM THB LETTERS [1841. To J. H. Sudlury, Fourth Month Uth, 1841. Dear, afflicted Eriend, Thou wilt believe that, for some time past, my tender sympathy has been more than usually ahve toward thee and tMne, on account of the severe Ulness of thy precious daughter, which has at length terminated in the removal of so sweet and lovely a branch of thy family ; but what shaU we say ? Is it not permitted in that wisdom which reraains to be consummate, and that love which is infinite ? Often are we ready to fear that the severing hand is sent in dis pleasure, when indeed it may be because the Lord accounts His dear chUdren worthy to be made mighty to suffer, as weU as to do His blessed wffl. No doubt, in due time, the darkness of His providence wUl be made Ught before such as fear His Narae. As for thee, it certaiffiy appears to me that great honour is con ferred on thee, in having been instrumental ffi preparing the way for some of thy loved offspring to join "the innumerable corapany of saints and angels, and the spirits of just raen made perfect," (araong whora is thy late dear partner in life) who for ever sing " iiUelffia," and ascribe " salvation to our God wMch sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Larab." Somehow I feel as if thy dear spirit was already partaking of that purity, described by the being " arrayed in wMte robes ;" for through much tribulation- are they measurably washed, and made wMte in the blood of the Lamb ; yea, I trust are still more and raore sur passing the snow — so adrairable as that is to the natural eye. The Lord give thee to say "Amen" in every trying dispensation; to number thy reraaiffing blessings, and to give thanks for His raercies. Some of thy dear chUdren, yet in a probationary state, are favoured to know the God of Jacob to be their Eefuge as weU as their Gffide ; these are, no doubt, sorae consolation to theh loved, bereaved mother. There are of those that the Lord hath given thee, not offiy by nature, but also by grace, in answer to thy prayers, who have some experience of what it is to be " buried with Christ by baptism into deatii ; " and who, I trust, witness His reigning over all, at times, and are in a precious degree prepared to reign with Hira. TeU dear that I reraember her with joy, and that I trust. ^tat. 68 1 -i of sarah grubb. 433 anudst every conflict and exercise, she may recrive the saktation, _ i^aii ! thou that art highly favoured," &c. How trffiy digffifying IS the truth Let bpi- Invprl . k -¦ , , +,„+! J 1 -n , °^ encouraged to possess the truth and hold it, by giyffig fl^e fiffl price for it, and never bartering it lor aught else. ^ EareweU, my long-loved friend. I do tMnk we shoffid be thank ful that another of thy dear family was made ready for a mansion in eternal glory. I am thy sincerely sympathizing and attaclied friend, Sarah Grubb. To A YOUNG Friend. Fourth Month lUh, 1841. I trust the Shepherd of Israel wUl continue to protect thee on every hand, as thou lovest and fearest Him. Walk through hfe lowly, so wUt thou waUc safely, dear chUd ; and may thy spirit be more and more deepened in the best things, to thy own estabhsh ment on the invincible foundation, and to the praise of Him who hath called thee to glory and virtue. Amen. To '¦ . Fourth Month I6th, 1841. Somehow I want to put thee in mind pecffiiarly of dear John Woolman's reraark, " In this world, which may be compared to a thorny wilderness, how precious, how comfortable, how safe are the leaffings of Christ, the great and good Shepherd !" May He be thy blessed Guide and Protector always, and on every hand ! May He raake the rough ways smooth, and the crooked paths straight for thee ! I much desire you raay ascend together to the mountain of the Lord, to the honse of the God of Jacob ; where He teacheth of His ways, and gives ability to walk in His paths : His ways being those of wisdom, and His paths too, they are pleasantness, aud they are peace; for how high and holy, how new and living, is the way cast up for the redeemed of the Lord to walk in ! separate from all that stands in the contrariety to that which is of the holy, harmless nature of the Eedeemer Himself. F F 434 A ''SELECTION FROM THE LETTERS [1841. To . 1841. I do believe our ministry now requires an ordeal that woffid take away, not the dross only, but the tin and the reprobate silver : yea, in no very shght degree, has our very " sUver " become dross, and our " gold is cankered." The day wUl come when every substitute for the reahty and dignity that is in the immutable truth, will be as stubble; for " what is the chaff to the wheat ? saith the Lord." The superficial observer raay raistake the one for the other, but that " Sphit which searcheth all things," where it is received and heeded, discovers the eraptiness of the chaff, and the fulness and weightiness of the wheat ; therefore these raust be separated, the one from the other, that the wheat lose noue of its usefffiness by the mixture. Let us each remember we can do no better than to follow the Lamb perseveringly, whithersoever He goeth ; even K it be to Cal vary's Mount. To be with Hhn in suffering is the way to reign Arith Hira in glory. To . Sudlury, Fifth Month 1th, 1841. We must all be in eamest for the presence of the sure and skiKul Pilot on board our vessel, in order to steer clear of the maffifold dangers that lie in the way, or to which we raay be subjected. We are ignorant and powerless of ourselves ; even the wisest, the most knowing, and the strongest of men To . Sudlury, Fifth Month, 1841. The Yearly Meeting now comraencing affects my poor mind awfuUy, yet do I not see that I ought to be one of those present. I am nevertheless deeply interested, as regards the con cerns, of our religious coraraunity ; desiring that " the unction from the Holy One " may be wdth Eriends, " teacMng aU things." Oh ! tiiere is much to correct Avithin our borders ; yea, there is a great deal of " tin and reprobate silver " to be purged away, before we " arise and shine " in the original lustre of this Society. I feel jBTAT. 68.] OP SARAH GRUBB. 435 afraid lest "mighty works" shoffid be pleaded, as spreadffig the knowledge of the Eedeemer's kingdom, and lest creaturely activity shoffid assume the character of gospel labour. May the " watchers " be faithful to their trust. Oh ! may many go deeper in their sphits to feel with the innocent life, which doth not strive, nor cry, nor hft up, nor cause the voice to be heard in the street. Ah ! my friend, my dear, kind brother, the Great Head of the Church is requiring a humlle, yet faitMul acknowledgment of His interposition for His poor, helpless servants. To . Fifth Month, 1841. It is trffiy kind of thee to remember thy poor, afflicted correspondent, as evinced by an address since thou and thy dear daughter gave us your company, on the mourffiffi occasion of inter ring the reraains of my beloved one. The tender sympathy of a brother who has drunk of the same bitter cup, is peculiarly grateful. Thou dost not even yet forget " the wormwood and the gaU," then no wonder it shoffid be very fresh vrith me. May it not, however, be a part of those ingredients, seen raeet by the aU-skilfffi " Physician of value" to be mingled for us, that the imraortal part raay be strengthened thereby : then let us resolve, as one ffid of whom we read, " I wffl take the cup of salvation, and caU upon the name of the Lord." At the same time we are not reqffired to render the potion more trying to our nature, by adding our own bitter self- reproaches from time to tirae, until our feelings becorae almost intolerable. Shall we not watch against such a propensity, lest it weaken our faith, and we become less qualffied to pursue the path cast up for us ? Come, my brother, we are both alike tempted to dwell upon omission in gone-by days ; vritli the teraptation there is, however, a way to escape ; only let us corae to Him who is able and wiUing to "do exceeding abundantly for us, above aU we ask or think :" but indeed, whUe endeavouring to encourage thee, I am rayself much depressed ; seeking refuge in the Mding-place in the day of trouble. When we seem to ourselves too devoid of strength to run tiiere, it reraains for us to wait for the fulfilling of the proraise, "They that wait upon the Lord shaU renew their strength." F F 436 A SELECTION FROM THE LETTERS [1841. To J. H. Sudlury, Fifth Month 20th, 1841. My tenderly beloved Friend, Inured to sorrow as I know thee to be, my mind is assured of thy sympathy with me and my remaining family, when I acquaint thee with the departure of ray dear husband, who is gone to Ms everlasting raansion of rest and peace, as weU as thy precious partner in life, and more than one of your sweetly endeared offspring. Last Eirst day morning all our famUy expected to be at our worsMp pub licly. I had assisted ray loved J. G. as usual to ffiess, and he walked down stairs to breakfast. H. pointed out sorae alteration in hira, and we sent for the doctor and for our sons, who were here in a few minutes. Presently, however, ray beloved one became uncon scious, was carried to Ms bed, where he revived a little, and recog nized us all; but soon after lost all power of reflection, became restless, and then sunk into a state of stupor, from which he never revived, yet lived two days Perhaps I have entered too rauch into the detail of this trying scene, but it is to a sisterly friend, who can see that, in this world, we often have to meet with what is very severe to our nature, and who knows the sensitiveness of some minds. He was one of those who becarae as " a httle child," fit for the heavenly kingdora. Soraetimes, since I saw thee last, I have had to exercise closely the little grain of faith vouchsafed ; even that wffich remains to be "the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Under this sense of what the true faith really is, I cordially salute thee ; hoping that both thyself and thy poor cor respondent may eventually be favoured to enter that state where there is found uninterrupted and perfect felicity, faith and hope being consuraraated ; as we believe to be the case with each of our nearest earthly ties, now dissolved. So farcAvell, saith Thy sorrowful, yet ever affectionate friend, Sarah Grubb. To . Sudlury, Fifth Month 30th, 1841. No doubt all has been ordered in that wisdom which cannot err, and in adorable raercy too. My love, the only iETAT. 68.], OP SARAH GRUBB. 437 one I ever loved, so as to wish to be united to in the solemn cove nant of marriage, became insensible to every effort to reheve hira. Made by any mortal, and breathed out his natural IKe ; in conse quence, free frora being aware of the pangs of that stroke which was to sever our earthly union. For tffis my heart became thankful — ¦ even that he kncAv nothing of the rending asunder which was so hard to rae to endure with quiet acquiescence : yet no raurrauring thought was perraitted to enter my mind. To . Sudlury, Sixth Month, 1841. I had much rather drink tMs bitter cup in separation, and go softly the rest of ray days in sorrow, than that it shoffid have been Ms lot. So thou seest I am able indeed to say amen to what is dealt out in this ffispensation, by the hand of an allwise and com passionate Judge. TMnk not tliat I mean to say I have any other than a bleeding heart. Yes, I feel deeply the wound inflicted, which has left half of myself, and I sincerely conclude, taken away that half which was the most purffied and made raeet for the holy kingdora. To . Sixth Month. I feel stripped and lonely ; raissing ray loved compaffion much, with whom I traveUed so long in the path of hfe, and who was very tender of me,. and thankful for om- union as weU as rayself; and although his mental powers were giving way in some degree, through the infirmities of age, yet I loved to be near Mm, and assist him what I coffid. Ah ! he has left me to take some weary steps without hhn, but my cMlffien are aU very attentive to theh Avidowed mother, and my mind is consoled in contemplating the felicity of one ahnost dearer to rae than rayself, and that fehcity uninterrupted for everraore. There often seems to me to be granted soraetMng hke heaveffiy feUowship with the spirh at rest even now. To A young Friend. Sixth Month I8th, 1841. Although my eyes are rather paiffiffi, I send just a httie salffiation to thee, wisMng thee to be assured of ray constant sense of interest and kve as regards thee. I do indeed coramend thee to 438 A SELECTION FROM THE LETTERS [1841. the " Great Preserver of men ;" to Him who keeps in the hoUow of His hand all those that fear Him, and look foir His gracious care. Be very watchful, my , wherever thou art. Eemember our adversary watches over our unguarded moments, to draw us from the Good Shepherd ; be thou therefore " sober, be vigilant ;" let thy words be seasoned vrith grace. Thon knowest not how thy Heaveffiy Father may make use of thee in His own cause, and to the forward ing His designs as regards others. To Dorking, Seventh Month 30th, 1841. My dear Friend, Thy loved brother's letter, which I now return, is indeed just suited to the state of things araongst us in this day, and very instructive, not only as regards the youth receiring the knowledge of the Holy Scriptures, but with respect to every class turning inward, and obeying the teachings and leadings of truth. What a sad thing it is that such a striking testimony to the inefficiency of aU that raan can do by Ms own powers, should be withheld from the public ! Oh ! ray heart cordiaUy uffites with the views held by our late highly gifted, and MgMy valued brother. Woffid there were more raised up, and faithfffi like him ! What a glorious crown he now inherits eternally, in that he was "faithfffi unto death !" S. G. To — . Sudlury, Eighth Month 20th, 1841. Thy letter cheered me in some respects, finding that thou and thy dear husband were perraitted to enjoy that blessing wMch, in my estimation, stands fcst on the list of temporal good, even health ; and hoping also that the valuable boon is considered by you to be that which, with aU you have, and all you are, is at the dis posal of the Giver of " every good and perfect gift." It is my con cern that, whUe the energies of IKe are in vigour, each of you may stand at the disposal of our Divine Master. None wffl ever have to regret being His, entirely His — possessing all in Him : so wiU He reahze the language to these, " Fear not ; thou art mine. When thou passest through the waters, I wffl be with thee ; and tMough iETAT. 68.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 489 the rivers, they shaU not overflow thee : when thou walkest tlu-ough the fce thou shalt not be burned; neither shaU the flame kinffie upon thee. For I ara the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour." That thy husband shoffid accorapany thee in thy religious engageraents from home, is in accordance with my view. Now I may teU thee that, since my J. G.'s reraoval to his eternal home, I am sensible continually of my widoAved state. .All ! none can teU what such a severing is, but those to whom it is sent. 1 ara always sorrowful, yet rejoicing at his being fixed in Ms happy man sion, and that he knows notMng of my mourffing as a dove. I am far from repining, yet my affectionate feehngs are much awake ; full as much now, as on Ms departure I am very far frora well, but desirous that ray last days may be such as wffl not discourage others from resolvffig — ** My life (if thou preserv'st my Ufe) Thy sacrifice shall be." Thou and I tMnk alike about our poor, degenerated Society. I only vrish that they who are not of us woffid go right out, and leave a little band, who are united in the Gospel of the lowly Jesus, and who cannot do raighty works raerely by extoUing Hira in name; yea, are faint without the renewdngs of the Holy Spirit upon thera. There is a httle sthring araong our youth in sorae places, but alas ! where are the fathers and the raothers ? Oh ! how little true dis cernment is left. Ministers are acknowledged, and elders are chosen ; but, in too raany mstances, it evidences itseK to be the work of man ; at least there is a deplorable mixture stUl amongst us. To . Eighth Month, 1841. " When heaTen seems brass, and earth, -with iron bars, Doth hold its cheering goodliness from us," then may we not forget that the trial of our faith is much more precious than of gold that perisheth, even though ft be tried with fce; yea, and ft is weU to remember that the same tMngs happen to our bretMen that are in the world Can I wish to recal my days, my years that are gone by? I trembM at the thought. I might not do better. I might do worse. It is for me to he low, and hope against hope, under a huraihating and paiffiffi sense of the weakness of my nature. 440 A SELECTION PROM TIIE LETTERS [1841. ' Mercy is what I hope for ; mercy is all I ask. This, if granted, wdll bring at last to that rest and peace my soffi pants after, and which I believe is the eternal portion, both of thy dear partner in tlus IKe, and of mine. May we be eventually admitted into the company of tiiese blessed spirits, joined indeed to saints and angels, an innuraerable multitude, yet all known individually, and each owned, as helping to constitute the Church triumphant, whose names are written in heaven. So dearly farewell, and tell thy dear children all, that life is worth living, only as the will of our tieaveffiy Eather takes the place of our own untoward wdll. I feel interested in their implicit obedience to the manKestations of the heavenly anointing in themselves. To — . Sudlury, Ninth Month Oth, 1841. I hasten to tell thee that ray health is now restored to its usual standard, for which I am ready to say. What shall I render to Him who is indeed the Physician of value ? Well, it is the interest of all to acquiesce with the dealings of Infinite Wisdora, and say amen to His Avill. Now I, a worm, a thing of no account in my own view, and I believe in that of many, very many, am nevertheless induced to avow a concern to risit the Churches in this land, in their coUective capacity, as way may open; and also any other re ligious service that may be from tirae to time reqffired among Friends, or others where my lot may be cast I cannot say that " I ara sure, that when I come," (among Friends or others) " I shall come in the fulness of the blessing of the Gospel of Christ," but oh ! for some portion of this blessing. To . Ninth Month 29th, 1841. We are privileged with this mode of coraraunication, and besides we can be each other's companions in mind ; aU of which I esteem a favour. Great is ray desire for thee, that the day's work raay keep pace with the day. Mayest thou be found ffihgently working in the Lord's vineyard, and receiving those wages which, I weU know, thou vainest above all that a fading world can give." " He that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth frffit unto life eternal ; that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice JETAT. 68.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 441 together;" that thus the labourers may aU find their account in pursuing the appointed work. I know that there is much discouragement presented to the diffi dent mind in this time, but such things are hke the " clouds," which are not to be observed ; and those " Avinds " which are to be disre garded, Avith respect to our individual engagements, in true dedica tion to the Most High. In low times, and Avhen we see our oavu deficiencies, it behoves us to cleave to our iilmighty Helper, in humble desire after ability to " leave the things that are behind, and, reaching forth to thera that are before, to press toward the mark for the prize of our high caUing of God in Christ Jesus." We are sometimes prone to waste our precious time in sitting under an unavaihng lamentation as to the past : tffis weakens us stffl more, and we begin to fear that now it can be no use to hope for the future. What a pity tins woffid be ! Corae then, let us now and henceforth, " give aU dUigence to raake our caUing and election sure." I speak as to our places in the Church on earth, and the glory of the world above. There is no occasion for me to fill my sheet of paper because it is a large one, yet, before closing tlus, woffid just acknowledge to the mercy and loving-kindness of ray Great Master, in providing for me a way to fulfil ray prospect of service so far, to the unspeakable satis faction and relief of my own mind mostly. Yesterday was an excep tion, for I was deeply plunged into travaU and exercise of soffi, before the great Quarterly ileeting commenced, and in it, after it gathered ; but beheved it right for me to keep sUence a long wlule, and there was httle said by any one for an hour. Then, as I was near breaking forth, another stood up ; after which my way did not open for a word ; and most thankful I am that notMng was attempted, on my part, to lay down my burden out of the right tirae and order ing. I must now take my leave, and subscribe myseK S. G. To ONE OF HER CHILDREN. Tenth Month, 1841. The Quarterly ileeting yesterday was a time to be remembered. Truth's authority rose Mgh, and there was soleran sUence a good wlffie, after enlargeraent iu testimony. Dear A. D. was there," and kneeled, to edification and consolation, toward the close of the meeting. 442 A SELECTION FROM THE LETTERS [1841. I was glad thou didst not meet our aged friend, J. Grant. His appearance altogether was so strikingly like thy dear father, the reserablance was such as to require some nerve to bear the sight cahffiy. When he made an effort to walk, and in getting into Ms carriage to go to raeeting, it was very raoving to me. He was rejoiced to see me. To Clonmel, Tenth Month, 1841. seeraed glad that he had attended the Quarterly Meeting in Waterford, and indeed it was an extraordinary time of truth triumphing over error ; for it seemed as K there was given, in the Lord's own tirae, raouth and vrisdom, tongue and utterance, wMch coffid not be gainsaid. The small corapany in the Select Meeting appeared to me to be sound in the faith, and closely bound together in that wluch knows no change. They are among the marked ones, who sigh, and are often heavy-hearted, yet who do know that, if the sufferings of CMist abound, the consolations do likewise abound. There are some, I tMnk, prepared, and others under the forming hand to join thera ; yet many harden the heart, and stiffen the neck ; not being disposed to bear the yoke, and carry the burden which is made hght and easy to the trffiy humble soul. To . Clonmel, Tenth Month 26th, 1841. Oh ! the deep baptisms I had to pass tMough in Water ford ! fuUy equal to any I had ever experienced, which have been renewed in this place also. Yet never did I vritness greater strength in meetings to fight the Lord's battles ; nor was my mind without the living, joyfffi sense of complete victory ; truth reigning over aU. I humbly trust the power of the Most High bowed the hearts of sorae that were like Bashan's oaks. I ara now weak and low, as to the best tMngs, and my faith sorely tried, but not shipwrecked; blessed be the goodness and mercy of Him whose invisible, everlast ing arm is underneath, for the most tiraid soffis that trust in Him ffione. has entered " the vineyard " as at the " eleventh hour " of the day of visitation, and is a striking instance of Divine raercy, tMough rauch painful regret as to tirae past uffiraproved. Who iETAT. 68.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 443 woffid deshe to have aU tffis bitter repentance at last, instead of reaping early the fruits of obeffience, and receiving wages, in prose cuting the work assigned in the day-time ? To HER Son. Clonmel, Tenth Month 21th, 1841. H.'s fflness is a source of great anxiety to me, yet I may acknowledge that more coraposure clothes ray raind than I could have anticipated, under present chcurastances. In the retrospect, I cannot find that I missed my way in turning to Ireland. I looked towards home many times before deciffing on coming, but coffid not rid myseK of a ffimness in the prospect, so that I was afraid to go ; and no further service opening in England, and a strong ffiawing to the Quarterly Meeting m Waterford being felt, I ventured to yield to it ffi great exercise of mind, and with some apprehension that affliction awaited me, beyond what had recently been my portion. What should I do, but for the privUege aUowed the raeanest foUowers of the Larab, even that of endeavouring to bring all to Him, which loads us vrith heariness and sorrow. He carried our sorrows ; He bore our griefs in His own body, and said, " Not ray wffl, but Thine be done," m address to the Eather : He inrited to learn of Him meekness and lowhness of heart. TMs is my fcst deshe, for in such a condition we do feel that every wish to control or alter what is dealt out to us by the Divine Hand is hushed, and we learn to ffiink the cup subraissively, however bitter, and to say " Araen," even in darkness and ffistress ; waiting for the retum of light ; for " weepmg may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning." I have paid divers visits to ffivahds the two last days, and many friends come to see me. To THE SAME. Clonmel, Eleventh Month 3rd, 1841. I have to report favourably of our dear H. She is, I think, in a fair way now to recover. How very moring it is about that fine girl, C. C, being taken from her parents and friends. I feel greatly for the bereaved, especiaUy for the mother and sister where G. was. I ara taught to " remember them which suffer adversity, as being myself also in the body," therefore subject to the same thmg. 444 A SELECTION FROM THE LETTERS [1841. My love is to , and to dear E. E. W., who is fiffing up her measure of service and suffering, and will, I believe, rest from her labours in due tirae, and her works wiU follow her, although she has so mean an opinion of her works ; oh ! it wiU be manKest that they were " wrought in God." My love also to E. H. May I find my dear ¦ ¦ — grown in grace, and knowledge of the best kind, on my return. This is ray heart's desire and prayer for thee, ray . Be watchfffi with that thou reveres and loves sincerely. FareweU. To ONE OP HER CHILDREN. Clonmel, Eleventh Month I3th, 1841. Last ffith day, at raeeting here, sorae of the Eanters were coraing in, but were prevented by the door-keepers. I neither saw nor heard what was going on, but am told there was terrible vociferation. In the midst of aU this I stood up, saying, " What a raercy it is to have access to Jerusalem, the quiet habita tion;" alluding to the scripture, "Thine eyes sliaU see Jerusalem, a quiet habitation." " Thou shaft not see a fierce people," &c. ; the passage Avas quoted. I thought this remarkable : indeed there have occurred many things, since coming to Ireland, very striking, both as to miffisterial labour and in other ways. To . Clonmel, Eleventh Month, 1841. My mind being ffiawn to Cork, ever since coraing to Ireland, I was afraid to omit going there (the tirae also opening for it) . Thou wouldest have felt for me, hadst thou witnessed the great weight that I was under, and which I coffid not lay down among the people in the moming; but, after rising in the prospect of relief, and standing half an hour, was under the necessity of confessing that I coffid not believe it safe to do otherwise than take my seat, and wait for more of truth's authority, should I say more to them. I did not, however, again leave my seat before the raeeting closed : it was a trial, for I had rauch in my heart that appeared to be for those then asserabled. My ffistress of nund was such as to call forth aU the patience and hurable confidence my capacity was equal to sustain. What my raind was suffering, I concealed frora those who carae to see rae as weU as I could. ^TAT. 68.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 445 WeU, but in the afternoon 1 Avas raised up in the Lord's power, in a manner marvellous to myseK. Perhaps I stood an hom- and tMee-quarters, speaking wdth increased life and energy, even of the deep tMngs of the gospel dispensation; after avMcIi, a short aud solemn address to Almighty God closed the raeeting, and I was reheved from feelings that had pressed me sore. Oh ! raay all the praise be ascribed to Him to whom belong honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen. To Sudbury, Twelfth Month 8th, 1841. Although I did not produce my certificate in any raeeting in Ireland, the religious engagements tliere were close, and I was much enlarged iu the ministry in divers places — ^perhaps never more so. The risit there brought some of the deepest bap tisms upon rae that I ever experienced : the retrospect, however, brings no cloud nor condemnation ; on the contrary, a consciousness of having done as weU as I knew how. To A Daughter. Twelfth Month 2lst, 1841. How often, this day, have I commended thee to Hun Avho can make hard things easy, who has heard us in the day of trouble, defended by His narae, sent help from the sanctuary, aud strength ened out of Zion ! He is, I do beheve, now accepting this sacrifice, in our separation from each other, for the sake of obeying His blessed wffl, and in pursffit of peace. I hope thy sister was told of the littie season of prayer, in thy chamber this morning, when she was not forgotten. 2Uh.—li is intended for us to leave for Exeter on second day. The meeting at Truro is held on fourth day week; perhaps I raay then come home for a wMle. Having a httie confidence ffi our all- efficieffi Care-taker, and Heavenly Parent, I try to leave it. Farewell, my Mved . May thy mind be stayed upon the " Comforter," the Spirit of truth, who leads into aU truth. 446 a selection from the letters [1841. Extract from S. G.'s last letter to her Son. West HiU, Twelfth Month 26th, 1841. My dear j.. Thy letter teUing of H. not being so well on fifth day, was brought to me this morning before day. I should be gratefffi for a few hnes from home iraraediately, ffirected John Dymond, Exeter. It seeras hard for rae to look towards going further from home, but I do not know how to do better. I commend each and aU of you to Him who is omnipresent, and who pities those who fear Him even as a father doth his chUd. Oh ! raayest thou, my dear J., be entirely His, to serve Him and glorKy [Here she was interrupted by the arrival of her son, with whom she returned to her horae the foUowing day, and quitted it no raore.] To . Sudlury, Twelfth Month 3lst, 1841. Thy syrapatMzing lines of 25th instant are what I vrished for, and let me say I am glad thou and thy husband are now in harness. Thou speaks of confficts, but I shoffid be sorry thou hadst much rejoicing just now. " Let not hira that putteth on the harness, rejoice as Mra that putteth it off." When I left my H. last, it was for the Quarterly Meeting at Hitchin. We felt it hard to part, but we parted, as offering our all to Hira who said, " He that loveth," &c., " raore than me, is not worthy of me." I was favoured to get through the HitcMn Meeting under a living sense that trutii had the victory, and had a reraarkable day at Wandsworth, on Eirst day, at two raeetings. In the evening I said I had not. felt easy about horae, and was writing to J. when he carae to fetch rae EareweU, ray dear . Be thou and thy loved corapanion "strong in the Lord, and in the power of His raight," saith Thy afflicted and loving aunt, Sarah Grubb. P. S. I shoffid have been in the west now, but for this caU horae. How baffling to our rational powers are these tffings ! ^TAT. 69.] OF SARAH GRUBB. 447 To . Sudbury, Twelfth Month 3lst, 1841. As it seeras probable thou art even yet without fffil infor mation of how it is with our faraily, under the renewed aflhction which is dispensed, I wish to send thee a line. Thou hast perhaps heard of ray return, after being at a Mghly favoured Quarterly Meeting at HitcMn, and at Wandsworth on Eirst day, wMch w^as also " a day that the Lord had made." I came home on second day, and found at the very " gates of death." I saw her for a httle wliUe, and waited on the Author of life, in whose hand is our breath. At fcst I felt aU the awfffiness and silence of the grave. My soul said amen — ^the debt must be paid sooner or later. I was about to leave the roora, when it occurred to rae to stay a little longer in abstractedness of raind. Unexpecteffiy I saw the darkness dispelled, as I thought, and like the sun breaking forth — ^the way opened into another scene. It seeraed to rae that there was more to suffer, and that, ffid my child escape the scythe raade ready to cut her down, it woffid indeed be a pecuharly narrow respite frora being laid low for ever. Since then the prospect of that mo ment has been realized, her mother haring witnessed the raost raoring scene that ever was her lot to experience, in seeing her child plunged into inexpressible ffistress, both of mffid and of body. I sat in the sick room whUe tMs lasted, endeavouring after stayedness of raind, when the way seeraed to open for rae to pray to Him who coffid give abffity to "pass ly the gates of death," K such indeed were His pnrpose. Thus, my dear, thou seest that tffis is not the place of our rest. "Here we have no continffing city, but we seek one to come;" where aU our sorrows shall be forgotten eternally, and ffieffable joy take their place, shoffid we indeed hold ont to the end. I reraaiu thy deeply tried and closely exercised, yet, I trust, humbly dedicated, and trffiy affectionate relative, Sarah Grubb. To A YOUNG Friend. Sudlury, First Month I3th, 1842. Be assured that thou, and our other friends at L., are not out of raind with us here, while so long out of right. We have not heard of any of you since parting with thy uncle at Birmingham. 448 A selection from the letters [1842. The Quarterly Meeting at Southampton was a very favoui-ed time. That which occurred at HitcMn likewise appeared to be remarkably owned [After speaking of severe illness in her faraily.] — We cannot doubt that in such adversity being permitted, it is designed that we shoffid deepen in the root of vital rehgion, and witness " all things to work together for good." Dost not thou sometiraes give thanks that thy loved and lovely raother knew her sufferings to be sanctifled abundantly to her, and that she is for ever out of the reach of aU that could make her feelings painfffi ? Dost thou now rejoice that the " afflictions of the present time wrought out for her a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory ?" Ask thy bereaved remaining parent is it so with hira ? and may each of her dear famUy walk in her steps, in the narrow, the self- denying path that leads frora death to Me. There is no better way. After writing the last letter, date First Month 13th, 1842, our 'beloved mother feeling more unweU than usual, retired early to her roora, never again to leave it. Her indisposition being the com raenceraent of that illness which proved the last of her trials, con fined her to her bed, and continued during the remaining nine weeks of her life so severe, as to aUow of her sitting up but a few times, and not at all for the greater part of it. She suffered rauch at the beginning, but expressed a hope of recovery; evidently, however, desiring it raore for our sakes than her own ; and saying one day, after some anticipations of "returning strength, "But I think I have not been one day without resignation." To a friend who was giving her a message of love from Ms brother^ she replied, "Ah! I never felt greater love for my friends, or sorer exercise on their account; but the body is weak— it won't do;" meaning she was unable to express her feelings. Then, after a pause, " Oh ! there's but one way after all. The good old way is the only one for us, though sorae think me too much a stickler for this." Her thoughts were evidently much occupied respecting our re ligious Society, and its low state ; yet she said she did not despair ; saying she thought she could see " one here and another there," who woffid be raised up for the cause of truth, though she knew not who they might be. She mourned that so few appeared to " prefer Jeru- OF SARAH GRUBB. 449 salem above theh chief joy," as she thought she might thankfully say she had done; acknowledging a consohng sense, at times, of having done her part in subraitting to be raade use of as a stone of the street; and also of having been enabled to "fight the good fight," and to "keep the faith;" addffig, "Oh ! ft is a fine thffig to have done this— to have 'kept the faith' through all. The horizon of our httle world, our httie Society, looks dffil to me. There raust be more shaking, more overturffing, I beheve." iiUludrng to her suffering fflness, when sending a message to a friend, she said, " Tell her I caU these the haUstones, but I beheve they have aU passed tMough the righteous balances." iilso, " In searching myseK, I do not find anytMng laid to my charge — no condemnation. There are tffings I do not forgive myself, but I hope, tMough adorable mercy, to be forgiven." On being asked one morning, how she had passed the night, she said, "Out of heaven I coffid not have been quieter. It was aU peace, peace ;" and added, " It seemed ahnost as K ray dear Saviour condescended to converse vrith rae ; and oh ! the sweetness, the meekness of His spirit." Another time, soraetMng fresh in the way of nourisbraent baring been offered to her, she said, " I have been tMnking of being fed vrith the fmest of the wheat. EverytMng that huraan ingenuity can devise seeras to be done for me, but aU of no use." " Well ! though my heart and ray strength faUeth, the Lord is (stiU) ray de hght, and ray portion for ever — that_/o/ ever." " I want to say that I have seen, in the clearness of Divine light, (oh ! such clearness) that has given rae up, a sacrifice MgMy acceptable to her Heaveffiy Eather ; but, my dear, I coffid never say so vmtil now. What it has cost thee is known offiy to thyseK; my joy and gratitude is great, to know thy vriU at length given up, as it regards one (I may say) interwoven vrith thy very existence. Cleave close to Hhn who wdU do abundantly for thee, who ffideed careth for thee, and wffl never leave thee. Eepose all thy cares and sorrows in His bosom. He vriU be with thee, though thou mayest not always or often be favoured sensibly to feel it." Eor a tirae suffering of any kind had almost ceased, and our be loved mother was anxious we should know this, saying, " But if it were yet to come, I beheve both you and I shoffid be supported. I have been thinking of the extreme sufferings of many CMistians in leaving tMs world." At this period she had little or no expectation of being restored to us, and became often rambling in her expressions, G G 450 A selection from the letters though sweet. and quiet as a little child. She sent the following raessage most distinctly to sorae young friends — " Give ray love to thera, and teU thera I have thought a great deal of that text, ' Ee- joice, oh young raan, in thy youth,' &c., &c. ; and teU thera that whatever we pursue of profit or of pleasure, it can only do us good so far as it is in the fear of God." About ten days before the close, she expressed a wish to have us all at her bedside, when she spoke to us nearly as foUows : — " At first I thought I shoffid recover from this illness, but now it seems as if I must quite give rayseK up. You see that everytMng in nature points that way. When I got worse about tMee weeks ago, I went down very deep in my spirit, and I said, ' Oh ! my Heaveffiy Eather, is it thy wiU to take rae now, or at sorae other time ?' and it was answered, ' Whether I take thee now, or at some other time, be thou ready ;' and I said, ' Oh ! but it is a very awfffi tMng to ffie,' fand it is an awful tffing). Then it was said, 'Fear not: Ican make hard things easy ; and what more is there for thee to do ?' So it was shown me there was nothing left to do, nothing more to do ; and ray rejoicing is unspeakable, that ray children are resigned. Is it not so ?" She was told we tried to be : we knew it was better for her than to reraain with us, &c. After sorae further expressions of tender affection and interest, she remarked how raany ways there are of sliding off the right foundation. "I told a friend, raany years ago, to raind his little anointing. I caUed it little, and this may lead us in a direction very contrary to our natural inclinations ; hke the kine that bore the ark, lowing as they went. It wants constant watching too, like that fire," (pointing to the one in her chamber) " wluch must be often minded, and fuel added to prevent its going out I tlunk we want to get deeper, so that when anything like storras and teraptations corae, we raay be hke the oaks, fcraly rooted. Be watchfffi and qffiet ; that's the thing." The next day after the deeply affecting occasion just described, our beloved raother spoke in a sweet and striking raanner to her medical attendant, for whora she had a sincere regard. He inquhed K her position was comfortable. "Oh!" she said, "I hardly ever lie corafortably, but I'm very comfortable in rayseK. Ah ! creeds and forras, and a literal faith, will do nothing for us. We must give up our own wiUs entirely, and become hke little cMldren : it is the only way we can enter the kingdom. I have known no otber religion all my life than tiie Avill of God ; and now, Avhether I live or die, I shaU be Avith my dear Saviour. EarcAvell, my dear friend ; fareweU." OF SARAH GRUBB. 451 The doctor was affected, and surprised to hear her speak thus. It was indeed very reraarkable to us all, that although immediately before and after such occarions, her faculties often appeared obscured, yet Avhen thus giving utterance to her feelings on religious subjects, they were as clear as ever. She raade the remark herself, " I have been much lost in my mind in this ffiness, which I suppose is not uncommon; but I can speak to things of importance." At this farae, when the raedical raan had left the roora, she srailed most sweetly, and said, " I feel so comfortable now I have said that to Mm." She continued in the same strain; speaking of Lazarus, and saying she beheved tffis iUness would be "for the glory of God;" adding, "Mind, I am not teUing you ft is 'not unto death.' I would have said that long ago, for your sakes, if I could ; but which ever way it is, it wffl tend more to His glory in that way, than it coffid have done in any other." Something she also said signifying, as we understood it, that when the creature and its works were in the grave, when self was enthely dead, then the Creator was the most glorified; but her powers of expression were now much ex hausted. TMs was the last occasion on which our beloved raother spoke collectedly more than a sentence or two, and we trust that, during the trying period of bodily suffering that foUowed, her own words were fffifiUed in some raeasure, that the sufferer was inwardly sup ported, and those around her were not wholly forsaken. Once after this tirae, she said to her son, when he raised her in bed, " It is for you I feel, and tiiere is Oue that feels for you raore than I can ;" and, "I ara going to rest." Eor nearly the last twenty-four hours our precious parent was in a kind of sleep, frora which it was plain she woffid wake only in death; and about one o'clock, on the sixteenth of the Tlurd Month, 1842, she breathed her last; leaving us, on her account, nothing but rejoicing, in the fcm belief that an everlasting and glorious rest is her portion; but, as regards ourselves, and for the Church on earth, mourning indeed, for the unspeakable loss sustained. the end. J. WriKht, Printer, 8, Market Hill, Sudbury.