were gone to attend the service of that meeting, which occasions the apology I make in the beginning of it. The epistle is as follows.

My dearly beloved friends and brethren:

It has several times, livingly sprung in my mind, but more especially since our Friends of this city went to your meeting, to visit you with an epistle; since I am not able, through weakness, to do it in body, as I heretofore used to do. But I confess I could not presently give up to it, not knowing how my presuming to write to a Half-year's Meeting might be looked upon by some. This indeed had almost prevailed on me to forbear, but finding I could not be easy with forbearing, I gave up to it.

I do, in the first place, send you the salutation of my most endeared love in our Lord Jesus Christ; and particularly unto you, my beloved brethren, who have kept your habitations in the Lord's holy and eternal Truth, and have retained your zeal and integrity for his holy name. You are near and dear unto me, in the covenant of Light and Life. You are as bone of my bone, and flesh of my flesh, in a spiritual sense; and unto you it is, that my love and life flow at this time; which love, distance of place cannot separate or wear out. Surely our love to Truth and for Truth's sake, does not decay or wax old, as doth a garment; for though our outward man may wax old, decay, and grow weaker and weaker, yet those who retain their first love and integrity to the Lord, their love to one another, and their zeal for the Lord's holy name and Truth, increase and grow stronger and stronger. Truth is of a growing nature, and of the increase of Christ's government in the souls of the faithful there is no end, until time ends them here.

Let us therefore my beloved Friends, stand fast in that love and liberty, wherewith our Lord has joined us together, and made us free; first, taking heed to ourselves, and next, using our utmost endeavours in the Truth, that none may be again entangled with the yoke of bondage, especially such as have begun well and run well for a season. Oh! saith my soul, that none of these may ever grow cold, lukewarm, or indifferent in their zeal and concern for the Lord's holy name and Truth. For surely, I believe there never was more need than now, for the faithful elders to stir up and encourage one another to zeal and faithfulness to the Lord, against all those things which visibly appear, and endeavour to invade the camp of God; and more particularly, a spirit of covetousness and love of the world on one hand, and a spirit of height, pride and liberty on the other.

VOL. II.--No. 10.

These things I am sensible have prevailed with many, who yet would be accounted of the number of the spiritual Israel of God; and where any of those things appear, whether in elder or younger, I testify for the Lord, that they are not of the Father, but are of this world.

And therefore it is in my heart to say unto you, my beloved brethren-not as a director, or one that dictates to you, who know it as well as I do, but in the love of God and zeal for his holy name, and in much brotherly love, to the stirring up of our pure minds by way of remembrance,-let all the faithful elders, and the youth too, in whose hearts the zeal of the Lord burns against these things, join hand in hand, and put shoulder to shoulder as one man, and endeavour in every quarter to put a stop to the growing of these things.

Be valiant for the Lord and his Truth; bear your testimonies against them; stand in the gap, and endeavour to make up the breach that the enemy has made. And although the stouthearted would make you the butt and mark of their envy, be not discouraged, it is no new thing, it was so of old as well as in our day; remember your rewarder is the Holy One of Israel. As Truth knows no partiality, so it will lead us not to spare any guilty elders, no more than the younger-let the Lord's line of justice and judgment be stretched over the old as well as the young.

Nor will what I here say touch the faithful— no. But if indeed any unfaithful elders give evil examples to the leading of the flock astray, such are worthy of double blame; as their condemnation will be double in the day of the Lord.

Stand up therefore my beloved brethren, in the zeal of the Lord and in the authority of his holy Truth, over all iniquity; thresh the mount of Esau, yet not in an angry spirit, in the man's part, but in the zeal of the Lord, which is attended with knowledge and a good understanding, though sometimes with sharpness too. It is only in this zeal, which proceeds from the Spirit of Truth, that any of us can do acceptable service for the Lord.

My dear Friends, I may here let you know, that my soul has greatly mourned, and been sorely afflicted of late, even day and night at times, under a sense of the growing of the evils I have above mentioned, and I believe it has been so with many of you too. Are there any guilty elders, who heretofore were very zealous for the Lord, and the holy discipline of Truth, that are now cold and indifferent, and who see the growing of these things with an easy mind? I pray the Lord it may not be so: but if it should be so with any, I shall thence conclude, that the spirit and love of this

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prevails, darkens and clouds the understanding, and eats out all that is good. The zeal of the Lord burns in my soul against it; and I believe there are few greater evils in the sight of the Lord than this, though there are few evils that have more cloaks and coverings than this hath.*

world, or some objects therein, have prevailed Oh! this spirit of covetousness, where it upon them, instead of their growing in the Truth. Oh! my soul laments the case of these, not only for their own sakes, but also for the evil consequences that attend it, in their being bad examples to the flock of God; and let each know, that very heavy will their account be in the day of the Lord, unless they speedily repent and do their first works.

And you well know, my dear Friends, without my telling it, how it was with us in the beginning, when the Lord, by his mighty power, broke in upon our spirits, in the day of our first espousals to the Lord. Oh! the brokenness of heart! the tenderness of our spirits in that day! The melting of the love of God, and the self-denial that did attend us in that day! The living sense thereof, is at this time renewed upon my soul, by the holy remembrancer, with humble thanksgiving and praise to the holy name of the Lord, and even with my very mouth as in the dust before Him. Then, oh! then it was, that the glory and greatness of this world were stained in our eyes; we loved the Lord above all; and the honour and prosperity of his holy Truth were nearer and dearer to us than the whole world, nay, than life itself. Then we could do nothing against the Truth, but all the little we could for it, and then we were easily entreated to every thing that made for Truth, and the honour of it.

Now as Truth changes not, but is the same to-day and for ever, so let every one who has known their beginning to be thus, who yet have come to a loss, though perhaps they are not so sensible of it as they should be, let them I say try and examine themselves by the light of Truth; and let this be the test and trial to such, that as Truth is of a growing and increasing nature, so if they have grown in the Truth, they will find an increase of love, tenderness, zeal, and concern for the honour and prosperity of Truth,-then, all is well. But if instead of this, they find coldness and indifferency of spirit, and others whose eyes are single to the Lord do see that they have let in a worldly spirit; that they love the things of the world and the covetousness thercof, more than Truth; and while they can grasp, heap up, and hold fast the stuff of this world, though perhaps at the same time, the Lord's holy truth and the honour of it suffer by their means, they can be easy without regard to the prosperity of Truth; I say, if this be the case of any elders or leaders of the people; let their fair speeches, their plausible pretences or arguments be ever so strong and great, it is as plain to me, as the sun shining at noon-day, that such have come to a great loss, and have need to repent and do their first works.

For where is the man that hath the marks of covetousness, ever so plain upon him, who will confess he is a covetous man? yet it is very plain to those, whose eyes are single to the Lord, that there are too many such, though they will not confess it. It was, we find, a great temptation in the days of old, and therefore our blessed Lord bid them take heed and beware of covetousness. His holy apostles told the believers, it was idolatry; the love of money was the root of all evil; and that covet. ousness ought not to be so much as named amongst them, with many such like expres sions in Scripture; all which show, that it was a most abominable evil in the sight of the Lord then, and it is the same now.

Dear Friends, I confess I have dwelt long, and have been very large upon this subject, and yet I well know that many of you want not this advice, nor is it intended for you: place it therefore, I beseech you, to the zeal and concern that rests upon my spirit, that wherever it appears it may be stood against, threshed down, and judgment placed upon it, because it is for judgment. I can in sincerity say, it is the interest, honour, and prosperity of Truth that I aim at, and which I have at heart,—and yet I am nothing. I am mean, weak, and feeble, as liable to temptation as the very weakest; but all our strength and ability to withstand temptation are of and from the Lord alone; and our part is, as our Lord advised his disciples, to watch and pray continually, lest we fall into temptation.

As to what I have hinted relating to a high, proud, libertine spirit, that has also prevailed upon too many, especially our youth. We have you know minutes enough against such things; but the main point is putting them in due execution; and first, that those who are concerned to advise others, should themselves be good examples to the flock of God in all things; for those whom they have to deal with, are quick-sighted enough, and if they see a spirit of covetousness, or other things disagreeable to Truth, prevailing upon such elders, how can the advice of such reach? But rather they will slight, disdain, or at least disregard their advice, and harden themselves in such things, as being less evils, if they count them evils at all, than covetousness, &c.

*See note at the end of this epistle.

I could enlarge abundantly, my mind being full of matter, but I conclude with humble prayers to the God of all our mercies, that he will attend, and be with you by His divine presence as heretofore,

And remain your friend and brother in the holy Truth,

JOSEPH PIKE.

[The Editor can scarcely forbear very briefly confirming the tenour of the foregoing epistle in relation to the sin of covetousness, which is by the apostle Paul defined to be idolatry, Col. iii. 5, and which he excludes with more infamous evils from the kingdom of heaven, 1 Cor. vi. 10. It was the remarkable testimony of an eminent elder in the Truth, "Not all the persecutions, not all the apostates, nor all the open or private enemies we have ever had, have done us as a Christian Society the damage that riches have done." And the justness of this observation has been in succeeding times most abundantly verified and illustrated on every hand, in the desolation that has generally followed the inordinate pursuit of riches and worldly greatness, both to the victims of this snare and to their posterity.

did our early Friends also, in an eminent degree and to a great extent, let their " moderation be known unto all men," as might be largely shown, and indeed has been already somewhat manifested, and will further appear in the course of this Journal.-EDITOR.]

PART III.

As I have before given some account of the spiritual travail and exercises I passed through, and how by the workings of the Lord's Holy Spirit I came to witness a growth in the Truth, and thereby a concern to promote discipline in the church of Christ, I now, under this third head, come to give a brief account of my outward affairs and dealings in the world; which I can truly say, I do for the instruction and benefit of my children and others, into whose hands this may come, who make profession of the Truth; that they may walk in the light which will lead them to keep in moderation, within the bounds of Truth, in their outward affairs, as the light of the Lord led me to do.

For want of this, many by striving to be rich, have begun and run on rashly into great trades and dealing, beyond their abilities, and have thereby hurt their own souls, invaded other men's property, and been a stumblingblock in the way of the well-inclined, as well as a reproach and scandal to Friends and Truth. For the sake of such as are thus for. wardly inclined, and for an example to my children, it is with me to give an account, how gradually I proceeded in my outward affairs, and how the Lord was pleased to bless my honest endeavours with an increase of outward substance. But let none mistake me; I do not here mean, that every one should have an immediate divine motion to every action they go about in the affairs of this life; but as the light of Christ shines in the heart, and immediately leads, moves, or inclines the obedient to spiritual things, and to their duty towards the Lord, so also by the illumination thereof, such a light is afforded, as will lead them into moderation, and keep them within the bounds of Truth, so as not to run into extremes in trading and dealing, &c. And though all such are not rich in this world, nor is it necessary they should be so, yet as they keep to Truth, although they may be poor and low, they will never want bread, according to the saying of David, "I have been young, and now I am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread." And thus, though some be but poor in this world,

Where the spirit of genuine Christianity has full place in the heart, it will assuredly evince itself, as it has always done, by that heavenlymindedness which inclines us not unduly to look every man on his own things, rather on the other hand scarcely to consider the things that we possess as our own, but as held in trust for the glory of the great Giver of every good and perfect gift, and as entirely at his disposal. This was the blessed state of the early Christians, and accordingly we find it recorded of them in Cave's "Primitive Christianity," that they were not concerned for more of this world's good than what would supply the necessities of nature and the wants of others. And again, of the disciples of Wicklif we read, that they considered they had their cross to bear in trade, not less than in the profession of the faith; that they mixed little with the busy world, that they maintained yet Divine Providence perhaps orders it, as themselves wholly by their own labour, and utterly despised wealth, being fully content with bare necessaries. In a similar manner

what is best for them, and for their good; as saith the apostle, "All things work together for good to them that love God." Such as

these depend upon the Lord's good providence, humble desires that he would give me a heart and are content in their states and conditions; and if they are rich in faith, they are rich in that treasure, which is beyond all the possessions of this world.

to make use of it to his praise, and that I might, with a free and willing heart, serve him with his own that he had bestowed on me; for I looked upon it then, as I still do, that he On the other hand, if it be the Lord's plea- had prospered me in the world for that end. sure to bestow the affluence of earthly things Thus I went on, keeping within bounds; so on the honest-hearted, they will receive it with that in all my dealings, from the beginning to thankfulness, and as a blessing from the Di-this day, I never was much straitened for movine hand, being ready to do good, and com-ney, so as to be dunned for payments I was to municate to the poor and needy in their gene- make. ration. But if riches increase upon any, and their hearts are set upon them, or if they are proud, covetous, or narrow-spirited, their possessions become a curse to them.

I was married when about twenty-four years old, at which time I had a pretty good stock of my own, and in addition to my wife's por tion, we received considerably more at her fa ther's death; some time after which, I joined my brother Richard Pike, in opening a linendraper's shop, being the first of the kind in the

years, and shortly after his marriage we parted. I joined my brother-in-law Henry Wheddon, in the serge trade to Holland, Flanders, &c. which we continued successfully to follow, until the war came on, after which the Parliament in England took it wholly away.

station.

When I was about eighteen years old, I received my small portion; for although my father left us under pretty good circumstances in the world, yet we got but very small por-city of Cork. We continued together for some tions out of it, which was mostly in shop goods; these I sold off for about three pounds; and soon after, commenced trading in wool, as I could reach to buy it. The first bargain I made was for a bag, (about sixteen stone) of short fell wool, by selling which I made about twenty shillings. I soon after bought two bags. After this I bought yarns, which with some of the same sort, by which I got about fifty other articles I sent to England, trading mode. shillings; and getting a fresh stock, I went rately, having always a regard not to hurry over to Minehead, having been about a year or encumber myself in such business as fell in in my little trade, where I continued six my way, and I had thereby time to spare to months, dealing in wool for my brother-in-travel to meetings, and serve Truth in my law Henry Wheddon, which I did to his satisfaction; and then I made it my business to get full insight into wool, for I delighted in the trade. At that time I became intimately acquainted, and contracted a particular friendship with William Alloway, who was a very sober young man, which made me love him the more, and with whom I became a partner; and so continued for several years, dealing in wool and English goods, and we both got on pretty well. By degrees my stock was augmented, and I was in a better capacity to deal something more largely. In so doing, I do not remember that I ever broke my word or promise with any body, neither did I venture more in one ship, than I was able to bear if she was lost, for I did not then, nor do I now look upon it just, to venture or hazard other men's substance, let the prospect of profit be ever so great.

I have often, with humble admiration, considered the wonderful goodness of the Lord, in increasing my substance as he hath done, with such ease and so little encumbrance to myself. And notwithstanding I had at times prospects of considerable advantage, by which, in human probability, I might have derived much more profit than I did; yet if they seemed to be attended with hurry or encumbrance, or would be ill examples for others to follow, I have often declined the prosecution of such prospects, notwithstanding I had stock wherewith to do it.

About this year or the succeeding one, a prospect of very great profit offered itself of buying in tobacco, there being abundance of it in town, which was imported and paid only the old duty; but it was considered, that as soon as the Parliament sat, they would lay And thus I went along gradually, keeping the high duty on it again. It was variously within bounds, not over-trading or much en- conjectured, as the debates thereon continued cumbering myself in the world, and I lived for some time; however it made those who frugally but not niggardly and the Lord was had tobacco on hand generally willing to sell pleased to bless my endeavours. I did all my at the present prices. During this time, my business with industry and diligence, not sloth-cousin Samuel Randall proposed for my confully, but according to the best of my under-sideration, the propriety of our purchasing a standing, leaving the success to Providence. large quantity, saying it should quickly be I can also say, I received the increase, truly decided on, as others would purchase. I conas a blessing from the Lord's hand, and with sidered it, and was of the same opinion with

:

him, that there was a likelihood of making a great deal, and no apparent danger of losing, but I had also considered what the people would say, namely, "Here are Samuel Randall and Joseph Pike, rich Quakers; they are grasping and covetous; they cannot be content without turning monopolizers."

and keep within due bounds, as we both have done, and there will be no occasion to find fault with them; but they begin not as we did, but rather where we left off. And I have seen many such ruin themselves, and invade other men's property, by striving after riches. But notwithstanding I have often declined the proseThough the thing was just in itself, and cution of prospects, that carried a fair appearothers might do it without reflection, yet we ance of profit, yet I will not and dare not say, could not, for the people would not only re- that they would have answered accordingly, flect upon us, but by our means upon Truth by encumbering myself with business; for also; and for this reason it was better to de- the Lord, having blessed me in moderate dealcline it. This presently met with his appro-ing, he might have turned his hand against bation, for we were both of one heart and one me, and frustrated my expectation, if I had mind, in anything that affected the honour of overcharged myself with business, to the hinTruth; and for that reason alone we gave it drance of that little service I had to do for up. In a day or two, another person bought him. And I can say in the sincerity of my most in town, by which it was generally be- heart, that I never inclined or strove to be lieved, he made several thousand pounds; for rich, or to make my children great or high in by the next post, news came from parliament the world, seeing the ill effects of it in others; that the duty was laid on; and thus we missed but what I have always desired for them is, this large sum for Truth's sake, and I never that they may grow and increase in the Truth, repented it to this day; for if it were to do and in the fear of the Lord; and then, again, and that I was sure of getting the same whether I had little or much to leave them, profit which the other person did, I would still they would have enough if they had his blessdecline it for the same reason. ing. I have no need to be concerned on that account for them; remembering my own experience, that from a small beginning, the Lord blessed my endeavours with the increase of this world, in the contemplation whereof I have often been bowed with thankfulness of soul. One thing I leave as a caution to my children, that they always endeavour to have. as little as possible to do with wrangling or litigious men, or partners, let the prospect of profit be ever so great. This rule I have always endeavoured myself to follow, and it has saved me a great deal of trouble; for I never had a lawsuit, (though this may happen to many an honest man,) and but two or three arbitrations; and I can also say, that I never wronged or cheated any body in my life, for that was loathsome to observe in any.

From about the time the wars ended until this year, I continued buying worsted and yarn to send to England; and although I was not hurried in business, so as to hinder me from doing that little service I might be capable of, and which I was concerned in spirit to do, constantly attending the Half-year's Meetings, and often too the Yearly Meeting at London, and other journeys for Truth's sake; yet business lying a little heavier upon me, than was consistent with my desire for liberty, I therefore hired a person to assist me, who was to carry on the trade with my stock.

When I had thus concluded, I considered that if I continued trading as I had done before, it might bring some reflection on me, as if I were too eagerly pursuing the world, and thereby give an example to others, who were too ready to run into great trading beyond their abilities. And therefore purely upon that account, I declined buying much, although my stock and credit would have well afforded it; that I might give an example to others, who run headlong into great dealing. And such, my dear cousin and I did often plead with; who, not regarding our advice and counsel, several of them failed in their circumstances, and before this came to pass, they hinted to ourselves, but more freely be hind our backs, "It is easy for rich men to advise the poorer to follow but little trade, while they themselves have grown rich by trading when we grow rich we will leave off much trading too." To which objections we have replied, let them but go on gradually, And in whatever I have done, or in what

I have been thus particular, for the sake of my children and others into whose hands this may come, that they may walk in the light of the Lord, which will keep all in the moderation, and within the bounds of Truth, in their trading, dealing and commerce in the world.

And now, in the conclusion of this narrative of my life, wherein I have not studied elegancy of speech, while I endeavour to make things very plain, which is more my intention than to set forth fine words, I can in sincerity of soul say, that I have not written anything with a design to exalt myself or gain the applause of men, but from my being pressed in spirit, in order to leave it behind me for the instruction and information of my children in particular, and others who may read it.