2 FRIENDS’
provided for thee, and left no doubt, I believe,
with any of thy friends, that it was a stratagem
of the enemy to defeat the Master’s service.
What then let has continued to hinder, and
thou hast not yet paid that debt which I never
had the least doubt thy Master at that time
called for at thy hands. Neither have I a doubt
that if thou hadst performed that journey in the
manner’ concluded upon, thou mightest be at
this day a bright and shining instrument, when
now thou art as to thy gift almost as one shut
up and lost in Israel.

And now, to be more particular; I was
pained, and felt much for thee at your meeting,
and yet, had I been a member there, should
hardly have dared to give my approbation for lib-
erty to appoint meetings, when I fully believed
thee tobe under a cloud and adeception with re-
gard to thy outward appearance, and as I know this
to be alsothe general sense of thy friends. What
can be done? I am free to offer my advice, and
that not at random, but after some weeks’ de-
liberation. Call together the ministers and
elders of your meeting. Lay before them the
manner in which thou hast been led with re-
gard to wearing thy beard, and let them know
that from a desire to have the full unity of thy
brethren, and the strength and assistance arising
therefrom, as also from a sense of the possibility
of being mistaken, thou feels a disposition to
give thyself up to thy friends, and that if it be
their advice thou’lt cut off thy beard; then per-
suaded I am thou wouldst feel a release and en-
largement of mind beyond what thou hast
known for years. And without some means are
used to remedy this schism, it will grow wider,
and I exceedingly fear thou will wither, and be-
come a dry tree. For I cannot suppose thou
art right and all thy friends wrong: and that
something is wrong the effects sufficiently de-
monstrate. And didst thou ever know or read
of one who stood in opposition to the sense of
the body of Friends, that flourished in religion?
I shall now conclude with assuring thee, that
could it rest on me, I should be willing to offer
my soul in thy soul’s stead to answer for any
offence thou would’st give thy Holy Master by
following this advice. This I mention after a
serious and solemn reflection, and am thy sin-

cere friend, CZ

Turning over the pages of the Diary, we find

a memorandum dated Sixth month 10th, 1786.
‘At our Select Meeting at Woodbury in the
Fifth month, in answering the query respecting
unity, it was remarked that Joshua Evans’ con-
duct and appearance were such as Friends had
not unity with: it was therefore thought neces-
sary to request assistance of the Quarterly
Meeting, without mentioning the case. This
-was done, and six Friends were appointed, who
this day met with the members of our Select

REVIEW.

Meeting, at Haddonfield, and sat nearly five
hours. _ Joshua gave a long account of his seru-
ples respecting colors, refusing to eat flesh,
'wearing his beard, &c., which I believe tended
much to confirm Friends respecting the bewil-
dered state of his mind. Three or four Friends,
who rather strengthened. him in his singulari-
ties, appeared the occasion of preventing any
thing decisive beige. cone’ -respecting his
travelling abroad. The general sense did ap-
pear to be, that it was improper for him to travel
in Truth’s service in his present situation. He
said much in his own justification, declaring
these matters to be points of faith, and essen-
tials to him, and discovered it to be his opinion
that they would become general, and that he was
a forerunner to hold up a testimony respecting
a reformation that was to be brought about.
His inconsistency was pointed out—as, for in-
stance, his belief that it would be sinful for him
to eat flesh, whilst he would partake as freely
as any one of the broth of boiled, and the gravy
of roast meat, which are its very substance.
This he justified, saying it might be the busi-
ness of others to carry the reformation further.”

Again, on the 31st of Eighth month, 1789,
D. C. was at Salem Monthly Meeting, respect-
ing which he leaves this note: “Joshua
Evans was at this meeting. He proposed going
into women’s meeting, but several Friends ob-
jected on account of his appearance.”

Joshua Evans’ arguments in favor of beard
wearing were not likely to convince other
minds than his own. ‘1 was induced,” said
he, “to conclude, that the practice of shay-
ing was hardly introduced by the pure dic-
tates of Truth.” Again: “It has been said,
‘ God made man upright, but he hath sought out
to himself many inventions.’ Of these, I was
induced to believe the shaving of the beard was
one: for it seems to me to be changing the
simplicity in which his all-wise Creator formed
and left him; which I have no doubt was with
a beard on, or likely to grow.” The words of
Solomon here quoted, have been variously
rendered by different translators. The vulgate
has it, “ Hehath meddled with endless questions.”
The Septuagint, Xc : ‘‘ many reasonings.” Cover-
dale reads it: “‘ They seke dyverse sotylties.”
The Targum has “ many stratagems.” Wemay
regard the quotation as irrelevant, without in-
quiring whether Solomon’s contemporaries ever
indulged in shaving the chin asa fashion.

It were scarcely possible to withhold our sym-
pathy, in reading of this sincere though eccen-
tric Friend. Conscious in himself that he
had been intrusted with a gift in the
gospel ministry; sensible from time to time
of a Divine call to labor in some appointed,
perhaps distant field, it may have been difficult
for him fully to realize that the Master could
better dispense with his service, than he could
dispense with the unity of the church which is