direct my work; and enable me, I earnestly beseech thee, with a single eye, to seek thine honour and glory, who alone art worthy, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

2nd month, 23rd. Yesterday I took my Strictures on Truth Vindicated, to the press, to my own satisfaction and relief of mind. I have now to work on the Scripture Essay. I also settled my accounts, and closed another year of pecuniary prosperity with thankfulness, and with a desire to be a faithful steward.

TO HIS SISTER ELIZABETH FRY.

Norwich, 1st mo., 19th, 1836.

I have a surplus fund which I think I ought to dispose of at the winding up of the year 1835, and had been thinking of sending thee a portion of it, to which thou art perfectly welcome. I order Barclay and Co. to pay thy draft for the amount. Pray do not allow thyself any compunction or hesitation on this point. I shall always depend on thy being perfectly free in mentioning thy needs to me. In fact, it is a kindness, as I do not consider that my circumstances justify much, if any accumulation.

4th month, 3rd. [Referring to his labours in connexion with some controversial pamphlets.] As far as I can judge, it is the present line of duty; [though] in various respects uphill and arduous, and one in which I may expect rebuke and suffering. But "if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence towards God." And in the presence of the Most High, and under some precious feeling of it, I think I can say with truth, that my heart does not condemn me for being thus engaged. O that I may be yet more delivered from the fear of man! more clothed with holy boldness as well as meekness! O that I may, in the conduct of this warfare, take every step under the authority of the Lord's anointing, and not one step without that authority!

As a general principle, I must surely be right in pleading for simple, unalloyed, scriptural truth. May the great ruler and head of the church graciously condescend to endue me

with wisdom, love and strength, that I may be preserved from doing the least harm, and that the pleasure of the Lord may prosper in my hands! While these desires have been much awakened, I feel the necessity of rising above the turmoils of the day, and of knowing my soul to be really fixed on a better and holier world.

Most merciful Lord God! Be pleased, I humbly beseech thee, to obliterate all my past sins in the blood of Jesus, and plenteously to endue me with wisdom and strength, by the power of the Holy Ghost; that I may be enabled to stand and advance in my rank of righteousness, according to thy blessed will, for the benefit of thy church, and for a purpose of thy glory, Amen and Amen.

Amidst Joseph John Gurney's other, and very different engagements at this period, he found time to write a short tract on a subject in which he had been long interested. This he published in the spring of this year, under the title of A Letter to a Clerical Friend on the accordance of Geological Discovery with Natural and Revealed Religion. * Deeply as he was convinced of the inspiration of Holy Scripture, and steadily as he was opposed to any theory of the creation not reconcileable with the inspired record, he was well assured that the investigations of an enlightened science, when conducted in a proper spirit, can, in the end, serve only the more completely to illustrate the harmony of the Divine mind as manifested for purposes distinct, yet not contradictory, in the book of nature and the book of grace. "Let Geology," he writes in one of his letters, "have her full scope in discovering the ancient secrets of the crust of the earth-she will wonderfully elucidate natural theology, and inflict

*This tract is reprinted in the Minor Works, vol. ii, p. 201.

no wound on the religion of the Bible." To illustrate this view is the object of this little tract, which may still be read with interest, notwithstanding the increased light that further research has thrown upon the subject.

In the fifth month, as usual, he attended the Yearly Meeting. Referring to it in the Autobiography, he says:

The Yearly meeting of 1836 was a time of no small interest and importance. Although considerable excitement was produced by the unexpected visit to this country of Elisha Bates, without any certificate from his Monthly Meeting, yet on the whole, the prospect of an increased degree of good fellowship seemed to brighten upon us. In consequence of the unfair questioning which had arisen on the Society's views of the Holy Scriptures, it was agreed to issue a declaration on that subject. I ventured to state to the Yearly Meeting what I apprehended ought to be the substance of it. These suggestions were afterwards adopted; the declaration was brought in and passed, with the warm concurrence of the body at large. It formed a part of the general epistle, which was carefully drawn up by a judicious committee, and which I believe to be as clear and important a document, considered as a confession of faith, as was ever put forth by a body of professing Christians; and it certainly ought to be received as a sufficient reply to all doubters and cavillers on the subject of the Christian belief of the Society of Friends.* This issue of the Yearly Meeting afforded to my own mind a most acceptable relief.

*The portion of the Yearly Meeting's epistle alluded to, is as follows:

"Often as our religious society has declared its belief in the divine authority of the Holy Scriptures, and upheld the sacred volume as the only divinely authorized record of the doctrines of true religion, we believe it right at this time to revive some important declarations

ET. 48.

DECLARATION ON THE HOLY SCRIPTURES.

59

Earlham, 7th mo., 10th. Some missionaries of the London Missionary Society came to us on fourth day morning. Williams's account of the South Seas highly interesting and instructive; about 250,000 nominal Christians now in the islands of the Pacific, with rather a larger proportion, as he thinks, of real Christians, than in this country. The history of Raratonga, discovered and christianized by his own instrumentality, very striking. In itself worth living for!

of Scripture itself, on the subject. It is expressly declared by the Apostle Peter, that, "the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man; but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost:" 2 Pet. i, 21. The Apostle John declares respecting the gospel which he wrote, "These are written that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing, ye might have life through his name:" John xx, 31. Very pertinent and comprehensive is the language which the Apostle Paul addressed to Timothy; "From a child thou hast known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation, through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness; that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works:" 2 Tim. iii, 15-17. Again the Apostle says, "Whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope:" Rom. xv, 4. Finally, our blessed Lord, in reference to those divine writings, of which the grand object, in accordance with his own declaration, was to testify of himself, emphatically declares "the Scripture cannot be broken :" John x, 35.

"Although most of these passages relate to the Old Testament, our society has always freely acknowledged that the principles developed in them, are equally applicable to the writings of the Evangelists and Apostles. In conformity with these principles, it has ever been, and still is, the belief of the Society of Friends, that the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testament were given by inspiration of God; that, therefore, the declarations contained in them, rest on the authority of God himself; and there can be no appeal from them to any other authority whatsoever that they are able to make us wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus, being the appointed means of making known to us the blessed

TO ANNA GURNEY AND SARAH M. BUXTON;

(then on an extended tour on the Continent of Europe.)

Earlham, 7th mo., 1st, 1836.

I am quite pleased to be invited by Priscilla Johnston to contribute to a parcel of letters for the " Ambassador's bag,” for I assure you that though so far out of sight, you are anything but out of mind to me.

I suppose that you are, as far as you can be, missionaries; and that wherever you are, you do not forget the blessedness of divine truth, either for yourselves or others. * * * We are settled again at our delightful home. I am surrounded with many comforts, and my dear sister Rachel Fowler's being now fairly settled with us, is a satisfaction to us all. The Yearly Meeting was a good one, and served some important purposes. We put forth a noble declaration respecting the Scriptures, and on some points of doctrine, in our General Epistle. I hope it will settle some who had before been very restless. But my path in these matters is still somewhat thorny and anxious. Indeed we have "need of patience," that after we "have done the will of God" we may "receive the promise."

truths of Christianity: that they are the only divinely authorized record of the doctrines which we are bound as Christians to believe, and of the moral principles which are to regulate our actions: that no doctrine which is not contained in them can be required of any one to be believed as an article of faith: that whatsoever any man says or does which is contrary to the Scriptures, though under profession of the immediate guidance of the Spirit, must be reckoned and accounted a mere delusion.

"We trust, however, that none of our members will content themselves with merely entertaining a sound view on this subject; but that they will remember that the Holy Scriptures are given to us that they may be diligently used, and that we may obtain a right understanding of them in the fear of the Lord. Let us never forget that their main purpose is, under the influence of the Holy Spirit, to bring us to our Lord Jesus Christ, that by a living operative faith in him, we may obtain reconciliation with the Father, and be made partakers of everlasting life."