that Thy government and dominion may spread from sea to sea, and from the rivers to the ends of the earth.

Look down, O Lord, in mercy and compassion, on all sorts and conditions of men.

Remember the poor oppressed Africans; pour forth upon them the blessings of Thy light and peace, and remove oppression from them. Hasten, O Lord, the accomplishment of that which Thou hast spoken, that "from the rising of the sun, even unto the going down of the same, Thy name should be great among the Gentiles, and in every place incense should be offered unto Thy name, and a pure offering" that so, O Lord, all the ends of the earth may take the cup of Thy salvation, and be enabled acceptably to ascribe to Thee, glory and honour, thanksgiving and praise, might, majesty, and dominion, for ever and ever.

Amen.

A MEMOIR OF JOSEPH HARWOOD,

OF MANCHESTER.

"The righteous shall be had in everlasting remembrance, but the
name of the wicked shall rot."

JOSEPH HARWOOD was born at Bolton in Lancashire, in the year 1712, where his parents lived in good repute, his father being a conscientious professor of the Church of England, and a man of integrity and circumspection, who was acquainted with the nature and work of religion, and who knew and professed it to be an inward work.

From his father he, in early life, received the rudiments of a religious education; and though he lost his parents when he was about sixteen or seventeen years of age, yet his father's piety and instructions had made such deep and lasting impressions on his mind, that they always remained fresh and legible, and were to him as bread cast upon the waters. As he advanced in years, he became more and more acquainted with the conflicts and probations which attend the Christian warfare; so that as he arrived at mature age, he became a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.

In this state he entered into the army, from the very unusual motive of being more at leisure to attend to the duties of religion; but in this he soon found himself mistaken, though he continued

therein for many years. Here, he became as a wonder and a byword to his companions, who, seeing his distress and anxiety of mind, and being strangers to the inward cause, formed various and wild conjectures concerning him. Nevertheless, such were his sobriety, docility, and readiness to serve, that he gained the esteem and confidence of his officers, and was principally employed in their particular service.

He continued in the army about fifteen years, a good example, beloved and esteemed in that station, having been in several engagements and acquitted himself with fidelity and reputation.

But the Lord God of his life, who had graciously visited him in early age, and continued to follow hiin in mercy and judgement, with the rod, yet in love, thereby preparing him for the further dispensation and revelation of the Gospel of love and peace, now revealed to him, with incontestible clearness, the total inconsistency of all wars and fightings with the whole nature and design of the glorious Gospel of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

Long had he been acquainted and conflicted with the policy and force of the enemies of his own house; but now, being called and required by the pure principle of life and peace, to lay down his arms in conformity to His doctrine and example, who came, not to destroy men's lives, but to save them, and who has commanded us to love

our enemies, to pray for them, to forgive their trespasses unto "seventy times seven;" and, that whatsoever we would that they should do to us, to do the same to them: when, through the prevalence of the love of God, our friend was brought into a good degree of conformity to these divine precepts, not only in notion and sentiment, but renewed hereunto out of a state of fallen nature, through the arising and gradual growth of the life of Jesus Christ in himself, he was made willing to submit to whatever suffering or loss might be the consequence of his obedience, though no less a punishment was impending than the loss of his natural life. For the further proving of his faith, the enemy was permitted to avail himself of every instrument concerned in his trial, in whom he appeared indeed as a "Red Dragon" raising the most frightful and formidable opposition. But in vain are all the united strength and efforts of the powers of darkness, when opposed to the invincible strength of Him who is Almighty: whatever be the policy, opposition, or rage of the adversary and his agents, the Lamb and His followers are sure to have the victory. Although his trial was as in the "fiery furnace," yet being inwardly supported and protected by one in the form of "the Son of man," his life was preserved, and his liberty and discharge were freely granted; yea, so signally did divine providence interpose in his behalf, that upon his trial by the Court Martial,

some who had been his fiercest opposers, became his advocates, and candidly represented his case to King George 2nd, who honourably gave him his discharge.

He afterwards joined in society with the people called Quakers, and came to reside in Bolton, the place of his nativity, where he made a public profession of the truth as professed by them, and walked in it with all circumspection; but after his residence there about a year, apprehending his vocation for that place fulfilled, he came to settle in Manchester, where he mostly lived, the remaining part of his life, greatly beloved and esteemed.

About the fortieth year of his age, he received a gift in the ministry, the exercise of which, and in company with other ministers, he travelled in divers parts of this nation, as also of Scotland and Ireland; in all which places his labours were acceptable, tending to stir up the pure mind and to beget faith in that Divine Light and Holy Leader in which he had most surely believed, and by which he had been guided into all necessary truth, and to gather and fix the attention of the people to the same. He was singularly serviceable in his own meeting, labouring for the edification of his brethren in the most holy faith, walking in wisdom towards them that are without, giving none occasion of offence either to Jew or Gentile, or to the church of God.

As a good soldier of Christ, he endured the