ing about two o'clock our kind friend faw us on board the packet-boat and then took leave of us. On third day in the evening we landed in Dublin, and next evening I got fafe home to my wife and children, in Mountmelick.

After my return I attended the quarterly meeting for Munfter at Clonmel, and that for Leinfter at Enniscorthy, and then I got my large family ready. for our removal, confifting of my wife and her mother in her eightieth year, eight children, and a nurse to the youngest about eight months old. With the affiftance of fundry kind friends, particularly Thomas Strangman of Mountmelick, we all got well to Waterford, and from thence, after ftaying about ten days with our friends there, to Bristol.

Now leaving Ireland, after having fojourned there about twenty-four years, and received much affection and kindnefs from many friends there, of which I hope to retain the grateful remembrance as long as my memory fhall continue, let me review the state of our fociety there, during that space of time.

At my first going thither, there were yet living in most parts of the nation, where meetings were

fettled, fome of the good old stock both ministers and elders, who loved God and mankind, and were esteemed and beloved by them, being kind and open-hearted, as well as faithful and circumspect in all branches of our chriftian testimony, closely uniting in tender love one with another, in supporting it, and keeping things in good order in the church. Theirpious care herein was like a fence about the flock, which kept them together in nearer unity and greater safety: so that the young people in moft parts were generally trained up in innocence of manners, and in plainness of habit and speech.

Some indeed, chiefly of the young men grown

up, had for fome time past, refused submission to the good order established; but I lived there long enough to see the unhappy confequences thereof, both to themselves, many of them, and to the body whereof they were members. What though their tables abounded with elegant dishes, and variety of liquors; though they made a figure, and were envied or careffed for a time; yet moft of them were either cut fhort by death, or fell into difgrace. The hand of the Lord feemed to be against these introducers, and fpreaders of corrupt liberty and they never attained thereby that true honour and peace, which attended the worthy men and women above hinted, to whom the first ex

curfion of fuch was matter of great concern and anxiety from a clear forefight of the hurtful confequences thereof: and much labour and pains, they took to put a stop to it, and prevent the spreading thereof, particularly in the city of Cork, and therefore they were clear of it.

But though fome of thefe were too big for the girdle of truth, to meet about them, or to be limited by the defires of their best friends; yet I found the difcipline of the church better maintained, during my first years at Cork, than before them in Bristol, tending to edification, brotherly comfort and love, and mutual encouragement in piety and virtue, with a joint defire and care to preferve an uniform regularity, and to revive and maintain a religious fervency toward God.

Some friends from the feveral parts attended their province meetings, which were held regularly once in fix weeks, and circulated from one part to another, yet were most frequently held in Cork. Those meetings were often sweetly favoured, through the coming together of fincere lively fpirited friends at one of these meetings, in particular in Cork foon after my coming to it, we had the company of John Duckett from Leinster, a worthy elder. In the men's meeting

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he spoke to us with fuch divine authority and fweetness, that to me his words feemed fitly spoken indeed, and like apples of gold in pictures of filver.

Their half year's meetings in Dublin were attended by fome friends from moft parts of the nation. Here in their meetings for difcipline, as well as for worship, a zeal for the honour of God, and the good of the church prefided, and friends were excited to keep all things in proper order in the church. The first time I attended a half year's meeting was in the winter 1742, and it was indeed a lively good meeting, which I hope never to forget. After I removed from Cork to Mountmelick I attended the national and provincial meetings for Leinster, pretty constantly, and often in them was affected with reverent gratitude to the Almighty, who by the dif coveries of divine wifdom inftituted them for the fupport and edification of the church, and in them frequently owned the gatherings of his people in his name, by the evident manifeftation of his divine prefence.

In process of time these worthy men and women, in whose hearts the love of God and his peo

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ple, had by long growth become deeply rooted, one after another finished their course honourably, leaving an excellent favour behind them; but when they were removed, very few of the youth or others, fucceded them in the right line, to fill up their vacant places with propriety. Of their furvivors on the one hand, a confiderable number retained the antient plainness of language and habit, and rigidly cenforious of any deviation therefrom, valued themselves thereupon, as if it were the only test and badge of discipleship: while their hearts were gone after their covetoufnefs in eagerly pursuing, and fordidly hoarding temporal wealth. On the other hand a large body of youth and others shooting up in felf-indulgence, in conformity to the world, and rushing headlong into the temptations of the times.

Yet amidst this inundation of negligence and revolt, there remained in moft places a number of fincere hearted friends, a few worthy ministers and elders: but within these twenty years past, there has been a great alteration for the worse.

The propofals which friends of Bristol made me, appeared fufficiently encouraging to promise a probable profpect of a pretty easy fituation, as to temporals, and when in Mountmelick, this ci