FRIENDS’

REVIEW. 227

 

 

May I be enabled to keep on the watch-tower,
walking before them in the fear of Him who
clothes the lily and feeds the sparrow, for sure-
ly those that love and fear to offend him are
more precious in his sight than many spar-
rows. ”
William conducts the farm with much steadi-
ness and prudence. He and the rest of the
children join me in dear love to thee. The tears
ran down their faces when I read to them the
last paragraph of thy letter. Do, my dear
father, rest satisfied that kind Providence will
take care of us. I believe he will, if we do our
part. I have a very feeling letter from cousin
Thomas Seattergood, dated at Newport.
Farewell, my dear father. May he who has
been with thee all thy life, crown the evening
of thy day with sweet*peace, is the breathing
desire of thy affectionate daughter,
M. ALLINSON.

Catharine Haines to Martha Allinson.

Philadelphia 6th month, 1791.

Thy agreeable letter, my dear cousin, was
received this evening by mother, and it is com-
fortable to us both to find thou art favored to
keep in the quiet and to put thy confidence
wholly in Him who never fails to help his de-
pendent ones, even in their temporal straits and
trials. This thou hast lately witnessed; or how
could thou with my cousins haye been supported
in so much patience? May he be their mornin
light, and preserve you under the shelter of his
heavenly wing, under the many difficulties that
now surround your dwelling. It rejoiced my
heart that, knowing every day would produce
its evils, thou hadst wisely resolved not to look
forward. And why should we anticipate future
ills, which, through the mighty turnings of the

everlasting Father’s care and kindness, it may}

never be thy lot to meet with? Thou hast our
nearest sympathy, and art often the companion
of our minds; and as oft a hope presents that
thou wilt be cared for by the greatest Caretaker.
I left my valued uncle on First-day morning.
I think he was mending. He is not nearly so
feeble as he was some weeks ago. ‘The doctor
[Dr. C. Wistar,] is very anxious for him to go
to the sea shore, and says it would be more use-
ful than his last visit, which was too fatiguing.
Uncle David wrote to the doctor by me. If I
thought my offering to accompany him to the
Shore would be an inducement, I would cheer-
fully wait on him, but I doubt his being pre-
Vailed on togo that distance. I hope, however,
he will get to see thee, of which he is desirous.
Joshua Evans spent a few hours pleasantly with
him on Seventh-day. |
Rebecca Jones and Rebecca Wright have re-
turned from their visit to New York.* Brother
Caspar’s family are well, and at Germantown.

 

*They had:been engaged together in a family visit.

 

Please accept from my dear mother and me our
tenderest affection, and remember us in like
manner to all my cousins and to nurse Siddons.
Farewell, my dear. In near love I remain thy.
uhaltered C. Haines.

 

Communicated for Friends’ Review.
WILLIAM FORSTER TO JOSEPH JOHN GURNEY.
Bradpole, Twelfth month 13th, 1816.
* * * * * Mascoka

We did indeed, dear Joseph, much enjoy thy
letter; it was so bright and. cheering, that,
though upon a gloomy subject, it did not make us
sad. On first hearing of your affliction I was
not a little pained by myself, that I could feel
so little of that spirit that would weep with them
that weep; and though I tried to bring home all
the feelings which such a stroke was likely to
occasion on minds so much alive to the enjoy- —
ment of natural and social affections as I con-
ceive to be peculiarly the case with my dear
and worthy friends, thy uncle and aunt, yet m
heart was not softened enough to satisfy myself.
But when I heard of their calm and Christian
submission to the divine will, and the support
vouchsafed to their patient spirits, I could not
doubt, from the presence of the Lord, I was
then ready. to take my part, and rejoice with
them in their joy. It is thus, as it has often
appeared to me, that our Heavenly Father is

&|pleased to grant his believing and obedient

children a token of His love. He afflicts them
and lays them low. He makes them feel their
dependence upon Himself; they call upon His
name, and then, in unutterable mercy, He in-
clines His ear to their cry ; He causes the light
of His countenance to shine upon them, and
they are made abundantly glad in His salvation.
Thus I have to believe that whether He visits
us in judgment or in mercy, all His dealings
with us are with one and the same ultimate
object in view, the increase of our acquaintance —
with Himself; the increase of our love to Him,
and our more entire establishment in that faith
which would enable us to hold out to the end.
In my earlier days I had many trials; my path
in life has, to my own apprehension, been marked
with much exercise of faith and filial depend-
ence. Often did I seem to myself a pilgrim
on the earth, without any certain dwelling place,.
and often like one moving round a large cir-
cumference without an outward centre. In
those days I reaped the benefit of many suffer-
ings in being taught to look toward that rest
which is in Christ Jesus our Lord as my ulti-
mate home. The principal object of my life was
to fulfil what I believed to be the whole will of
God, and I scarcely had a wish to be detained a
day longer in this world, than to be brought to
that day -in which I could believe it to be
accomplished. But now, in abundant goodness,
the case is greatly altered. Blessings, temporal