ing translated to a better world, to live for ever united to him and his, if I should then be fnatched from this.

Happy had it been for me, had I still thus continued steady in my progrefs towards perfection, through following his guidance towards it: but being in a great city, I fometimes looked out, and thereby again catched fenfual defires, which demanded to be gratified, and were too often obeyed, when in my power, by which I again did harm to myself and gave away my inward strength and fortitude for walking faithfully, as Sampfon gave away his to Delilah; I ftill bore a good character,

and

many looked upon me as a young man of steady conduct; but by painful feeling of my own inftability I knew myself better.

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A good condition is easily loft, for want of duly obferving our bleffed Lord's direction to watch and pray, left we enter into temptation. While I observed it, I daily and hourly found the benefit of it in my rifing up and lying down, and on my bed in the night season, having my heart and affections wholly fet on Christ, and the great end of his having given me existence, bleffing his name for fo revealing his goodness to me, renewing my covenant with him, and watching against every

thought that had a tendency to carry off my mind, and separate it from him. I rofe early, implored him to direct me how to spend every part of the day most to the honour of his name; and to aid me to exert myself in the full difcharge of my duty every way, and oh! many times in the day great peace, and folid fatisfaction, flowed in my foul for attending to and following his internal directions. Every thing went well and in proper order through this conftant care to walk exemplarily, and act faithfully in the duties of my place and station in life. And many times in the evening of a well-spent day, my foul overflowed with the sweet earnests of the heavenly and everlasting reward, referved for perfeverance in well-doing

Sometimes to every body that I faw, I felt great love to rife in my heart, and a tender well-wishing defire for them, that their fouls might partake with mine of the hidden treasures of the unutterable love of Christ, and the joy of his salvation,

May I never forget the day of this his most engaging kindness, and of my espousals to him. I may fay truth is truth, unchangeably excellent, holy, pure, and perfectly good, It leads to every thing that is best, and upholds in it, and rewards for every act and instance of felf-denial in obedi

ence to its dictates. Ever worthy to be admired, adored, reverenced, loved and ferved by all the nations in the world, as that which alone would make all happy in true love, and preserve all in pure and spotless order every where. So would earth refemble heaven, and it's inhabitants be linked in a holy bleffed fociety with Christ, with angels and the fpirits of the juft made perfect, in enjoying together the brightness of his prefence, in whose prefence is joy and at whose right hand are rivers of pleasure for evermore, For this our Lord prayed to his father on be half of his difciples; fanctify them through thy truth, thy word is truth,"

I continued in Bristol upwards of four years, living with my worthy mafter, for whom I had a great and deferved efteem, as affiftant or usher in his fchool to the time of his death, which happened the latter end of my fourth year there, he being feized with a diabetes, which gradually weakened him, till at last in a sweet frame of mind he departed this life, generally regretted by friends and others, having been a man remarkably ferviceable, not only as a member of religious, but also of civil fociety, His character for integrity being fo univerfal, that he was ve ry much employed in determining differences be

tween his fellow citizens either as arbitrator of umpire. So that to the bleffing of the peace-maker he might feem to have a title above most, His funeral from the Friars Meeting-house was attended by a very great number of friends and others. Four friends appeared publicly to a very crouded audience, viz, James Tylee, Daniel Badger, Isaac Sharpless, and Thomas Gawthrop, The next day the men's meeting elected Jonathan Nelfon schoolmaster of Reading to fucceed him, and defired me to keep up the fchool till it might be convenient for the faid Jonathan to come, which I did, and at his coming refigned it to him.

(1737.) Being informed that friends at Cork in Ireland, wanted a school-master, I agreed to go thither to serve them in that capacity; fo calling to fee and take leave of my brother, who lived with Thomas Bennet, at Picwick in Wiltshire, in the ftation of ufher to his school, I went from thence to Gloucester and was at the two meetings there on first day, which were poor small meetings, On the fecond day I rid to Worcester, and stayed there at my kind friend William Beefly's over third day. The week-day meeting there, was to me a tendering feafon both in filence, and under the lively ministry of old John Corbyn; towards

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the the week's end I reached Kendal, where I stayed two or three weeks; during which stay, my father took a fever and died. A day or two after his funeral, I left Kendal and returned to Bristol, from whence, after waiting fometime for a wind, I took fhipping for Cork, in company with Doctor Rutty of Dublin, who had been at the yearly meeting in London, and amongst his relations in Wiltshire, and was alfo waiting for a paffage to Cork.

I was affected with an awful impreffion on my first embarking; it put me on confidering on what foundation I ventured my life upon the water. On that head I was foon favoured with inward fatisfaction, and refignation to divine Providence.

The wind being unfavourable we had a very tedious paffage, being ten days on the water from Pill to the Cove of Cork. It was late at night when we landed at Cove, and next morning went up in a boat to Cork, were I lodged about two weeks at Jonas Devenfher's, a friend of a large eftate, his two fons being under my tuition, and afterwards boarded in a friend's family till I married.

The meetings of friends in Ireland, and parti