and base things of the world and things which are despised, hath God chosen; yea, and things which are not, to bring to naught things that are; That no flesh should glory in his presence." Upon this he enlarged in a remarkable manner, the audience being much impressed and affected. Old men with white hair, and women dressed as dowagers, were equally broken under his baptizing ministry, the tears streaming down their faces, so that, to use the language of Thomas Evans, "The floor was literally strewed with tears, and it was one of the most remarkable meetings I had ever attended."

After the meeting, the people crowded up to speak to him, expressing their satisfaction and approval of the sentiments delivered. As he was descending the steps of the Capitol, a Presbyterian minister embraced him, saying: "Dear brother, you have preached the Gospel this day."

Upon returning to his native land, he found the promise verified his family had been cared for, and his mother was still living. She deceased soon after, being about ninety years of age. George Withy died the thirteenth of Seventh Month, 1837.

It is remarkable how circumstances of no uncommon kind, and apparently in the usual course of events, are at times made the means by Divine Providence to change the character of men and their entire future life, and it may be to lay the foundation of the work of their salvation, and of promoting that of many others. Claude Gay was a native of France, born in the City of Lyons, about the year 1706, and was educated in the church of Rome, of which he continued a zealous member until near the thirty-sixth year of his age, when, coming to Morlaix on account of business, he was brought under a religious exercise of mind. During this time, seeing a copy of the New Testament in a room where he was, he took it up, and observing it had been licensed by two popes, concluded he

might lawfully read it. On opening the book, the first words he read were these: "God that made the world, and all things therein, seeing He is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands, neither is He worshipped with men's hands," etc. On the perusal of this passage, he was convinced, in his judgment, of the errors of the Romish doctrine of transubstantiation, in which, as he told a friend, the papists believe that the consecrated wafer is changed into the body, blood, soul and Divinity of Christ, which now appeared to him to be false, and the adoration of the host, so called, idolatrous, and of course contrary to the doctrines of the Gospel.

At the instance of a person, who persuaded him not to forsake the public worship at once, he went to one of the smallest mass houses in that town, and placed himself at the greatest distance from the priest. He did not keep kneeling steadily as was customary, but first on one knee and then on the other, with great restlessness, until the priest elevated the host, that the congregation, seeing it, might prostrate themselves as usual before it. This query strongly impressed his mind:“Wilt thou also prostrate thyself?" Being deeply affected with the convicting power of the Holy Spirit, he could continue there no longer, but putting on his hat, with fear and trembling, he arose and hastily left the place; and confessed to his former adviser he felt great condemnation for conforming that day against his conscience, and that, being clearly convinced of the errors of the doctrine of that church, he ought to forsake them. He finally left the Romish communion, and went to live at Jersey, in order to be among protestants. Here he met with "Robert Barclay's Apology." He was, on perusing it, convinced of the truth of the doctrines contained in it, and embraced the religious principles of Friends.

CHAPTER V.

DIVINE WORSHIP.

The Society of Friends has ever embraced the truth declared by our Saviour when He told the woman of Samaria at Jacob's well: "The hour cometh, and now is when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth; for the Father seeketh such to worship Him." Their members are exhorted to be diligent in assembling together for the purpose of public worship, and "When assembled, the great work of one and all ought to be to wait upon God, and retiring out of their own thoughts and imaginations, to feel the Lord's presence, and know a gathering into his name, indeed, when He is in the midst, according to his promise." Robert Barclay testifies that:

As every one is thus gathered and so met together inwardly in their spirits, as well as outwardly in their persons, that the secret power and virtue of life is known to refresh the soul, and the pure motions and breathings of God's spirit are felt to arise; from which, as words of declaration, prayers and praise arise, the acceptable worship is known which edifies the Church and is well-pleasing to God. Yea, and though there be not a word spoken, yet is the true spiritual worship performed. Yea, it may, and hath often, fallen out among us, that divers meetings have passed without one word; and yet our souls have been greatly edified and refreshed, and our hearts wonderfully overcome with the secret sense of God's power and spirit.

Robert Barclay mentions, as one of the excellencies of this worship, that it can neither be stopped nor interrupted by the malice of men or devils.

For when the magistrates, stirred up by the malice and envy of our opposers, have used all means possible (yet in vain) to deter us from meeting together, and that, openly and publicly, in our own hired houses for that purpose, both death, banishment, imprisonment, finings, beatings, whippings and such other devilish inventions, have proved ineffectual to terrify us from our holy assemblies. And we having, I say, thus oftentimes purchased our liberty to meet by deep sufferings, our opposers have then taken another way, by turning in upon us the worst and wickedest people, yea, the very offscourings of men, who, by all manner of inhuman, beastly and brutish barbarism, have sought to provoke us, weary us and molest us, but in vain. It would be almost incredible to declare what things of this kind mine eyes have seen, and I myself, with others, have shared of, in suffering! They have often beaten us and cast water and dirt upon us; then they have danced, leaped, sung and spoken all manner of profane and ungodly words, offered violence and shameful behavior to grave women and virgins, and much more; and all this while we have been seriously and silently sitting together and waiting upon the Lord. But the Lord, knowing our sufferings and reproaches for his testimony's sake, hath caused his power and glory more to abound among us, and hath mightily refreshed us by the sense of his love, which hath filled our souls.

This spiritual refreshment was a great encouragement to Friends to persevere in publicly holding their meetings for worship, and their faithfulness in the performance of this duty was very remarkable. There was probably no other one testimony that exposed them to so much and long-continued persecution. Of this their records and biographies are full.

It was no uncommon thing when Friends were imprisoned, to preach through the grates of their cells to the people, either passing, or who would gather around to hear them. In 1677, Patrick Livingston, George Gray and Andrew Jaffray, confined in the tolbooth at Aberdeen, were frequently engaged in this way, especially on market days. The magistrates, much of

fended that they should thus proclaim their principles and attract others to them, separated them from their friends, and shut them up in a high, close room on the top of the prison, called the iron-house, where they had neither air nor light, but through a long hole in the wall, having a double grate of iron on the outside and another within. Here those worthy men were kept in the heat of summer, where the filthiness of the place and the great impurity of the air so closely pent up, bred worms and other vermin, which swarmed about their beds and their food, endangering their health and their lives. But through the supporting power of Him whom they served, and for whose cause they suffered, they were kept cheerful, and enabled to proclaim, with strong and elevated voices, the glorious truths of the Gospel, through the long hole in the wall, so as to be distinctly heard over the street by the people, who frequently got together, and attentively listened to their voices whose faces they could not see. It was generally remarked that, during their greatest sufferings, they found the favor of God attending them, not only causing their spirits to be cheerful, praising the Lord in their most grievous afflictions, but also preserving their bodies in health and strength, beyond all human probability or expectation. The malice of their adversaries became subservient to spreading the doctrines of Truth which they were called to uphold, their imprisonment, though designed to destroy their service, being the means of many blessed opportunities for this purpose.

Hugh Roberts says of his mother: My mother was a religious woman since I can remember, which is about forty years. She kept good order in her family and amongst her servants, being a widow some years before, and so continued all the rest of her days. She walked then amongst the Presbyterians, and had a great zeal for God, and was much esteemed by these people. In the year 1662, she was convinced of Friends' principles, though there were none of that persuasion then in the