Brief memoir of Joseph John Gurney, esq.

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BRIEF MEMOIR

OF

JOSEPH JOHN GUKNEY, ESQ.

Re-printed, v/ith additions, from The Norfoi.k News,
After a circulation of 9000 Copies.

r;

BRIEF MS;M0IR

JOSEPH JOHN GURNEY, ESQ-,

BY

JOHN ALEXANDER,

MIKISTEK OF PRINCE'S STREET CHAPEL, NORWICH.

THE TENTH THOUSAND.

NORWICH :

JOSIAH FLETCHER, UPPER HAYMARKET

LONDON : CHARLES GILPIN.

1847.

BRIEF MEMOIR.

For nearly two centui'ies, the house of Gurney
has possessed such an influence in the city of
Norwich, that none of its members could have
passed away entu-ely unfelt and unnoticed.
But no one has exercised that influence more
powerfully and beneficially, than the honoured
individual, whose recent death has occasioned
such universal lamentation.

Joseph John Gurney, the thu'd son of John
and Catherine Gurney, the sister of Priscilla
Wakefield, was born in Earlham hall, on the
2nd of August, 1788. A person of the same
name as his father, one of his ancestors, and a
member of the Society of Friends, appears from
the record of " The suflferings of the People
called Quakers," to have been a prisoner, with
several others, in Norwich gaol, in the year
1683, for refusing to take an oath; and it is a
remarkable fact, that the Waller Bacon, of

B

2

INFANCY.

Earlham, who committed him, was at that time,
resident in the very hall which the descendants
of the persecuted prisoner now occupy. The
father of our lamented friend, an extensive
dealer in hand-spun yarn, became subsequently
a partner in the banking business, which had
been established in Pitt street, in 1775, and
was afterwards brought to the present building.
He was a man of peculiarly active mind and
habits ; public spirited and benevolent ; and his
house at Earlham, to which he removed from
Brammerton, in 1786, was the scene of sump-
tuous hospitality. The superintendence and
care of a family of eleven children devolved,
however, almost entirely upon his wife, who
was a woman of varied and superior excellen-
cies ; possessing an enlarged and well cultivated
mind, with a refined taste, and high toned con-
scientiousness. As she died in 1792, her son
Joseph was soon deprived of maternal care, and
his yet infant years were committed to the
intelligent and affectionate training of his three
elder sisters ; one of whom, who still survives,
supplied, as far as a sister could supply, a
mother's place ; and another of whom, the late
Mrs. Fry, had probably no small degree of
influence in inspiring his mind with those prin-

EDUCATION.

3

ciplesj which she herself afterwards so nobly
carried out into beneficent practice. During
the earlier years of this interesting family, true
religion had not the controlling and sanctifying
power over their minds which it had subse-
quently. They had not yet perceived the
"vanity," nor experienced the "vexations" of
the world; their path was sunshine, and their
atmosphere perfume ; and their literary tastes,
their elegant accomplishments, and the rich
hospitality of "the good man of the house,"
rendered Earlham hall the attractive centre,
in the midst of an extensive circle, to which
gentry and nobihty repaired, and where the
late Duke of Gloucester was a welcome and
a delighted visitor.

When the education of our lamented friend
ceased to be conducted at home, it was intrusted
to the Rev. J. H. Browne, a clergyman in
Hingham, about twelve miles from Earlham;
and it was subsequently matured at Oxford,
where he had an excellent private tutor, in the
Rev. John Rogers, a man of great and varied
learning ; and where he attended the lectures of
the professors, and enjoyed many of the valu-
able privileges of the University, without

becoming a member of it, and without subscri-

B 2

4 LITERARY ATTAINMENTS.

bing to the Thirty-nine Articles. He had
always a strong desire for knowledge, and great
promptness and facility both in its acquisition
and impartation ; and his classical, mathema-
tical, and general attainments, if they did not
entitle him to the rank of first-rate scholarship,
were highly respectable. He had an extensive
acquaintance with the Hebrew and Syriac
languages, as well as with classics, mathema-
tics, and general science. Attached, even in
early life, to Biblical studies, he had critically
read the Old and New Testaments in the
original languages, in the Syriac Peschito, and
in the Latin Vulgate, before he was twenty-two
years of age ; and he was well acquainted with
Rabbinical and Patristic writings, which are
often referred to in the learned and skilful
criticisms, which abound in his " Biblical Notes
and Dissertations." The acquisition of lan-
guages, especially of the Greek and Latin,
though a laborious process, is among the essential
branches of school education ; and the intellec-
tual tastes by which Mr. Gurney was distin-
guished in after hfe, as well as the perspicuity
and elegant ease, which characterised his writ-
ings and his public speaking, were in no small
degree the effect and the evidence of the atten-

LATIN AND GEEEK.

5

tion which he had paid to classical studies. He
also earnestly recommended them to others ;
and in his ^ Thoughts on Habit and Discipline,'
there is a chapter on Good Habits of Intel-
lect, in which he says, " I cannot entirely
agree in the opinions of those persons who
complain of the hours in each passing day,
which are devoted, in most of our schools, to
Latin and Greek. True indeed it is, that a
number of modern languages, and various
branches of philosophy and science, appear at
first sight to possess superior claims in point of
utility ; but I believe that no man, who has
imbibed at school an accurate knowledge of
Latin and Greek, will regret the hours which
have been devoted to the pursuit. Not only
will he find the polish of classical literature a
real advantage, and its treasures worth enjoying ;
not only will his acquaintance with these lan-
guages facilitate the acquirement of others: but
the habits of study which he has obtained in
the pursuit, will have given liim a mastery over
learning, which he will afterwards find it easy
to apply to any of its departments." But, what
is best of all, his early studies were not only
pursued and perfected in after life, but all the
intellectual wealth and power which they

6

A YOUNG MAN.

afforded, were consecrated to the advancement
of truth and piety in himself and others.
Those who have been accustomed to observe
his tall, erect, and manly form, and his counte-
nance, which seemed the bright abode of com-
bined intelligence and goodness, may easily
conceive what must have been the attractive
loveliness of his youth. He was then an object
of great admiration and attachment to all his
juvenile acquaintance; and when we consider
the sweetness of his disposition, his social
sympathies, and his bright worldly prospects,
we may gratefully acknowledge that his preser-
vation from the power of temptation, was an
early and impressive evidence that he was a
favoured object of divine care and mercy.

It is not surprising that the clerical tutorship
by which he was trained, and that the ecclesias-
tical attractions of Oxford, should have pro-
duced in his mind some questioning respecting
the system of Quakerism, and some bias
towards the Established Church. This state
of hesitation, however, did not long continue.
"Although I enjoyed a birthright in the
Society," says he, in his ' Observations on the
Religious Peculiarities of the Friends,' "my
situation, after I had arrived at years of dis-

A QUAKER.

7

cretion, was of that nature which rendered it,
in rather an unusual degree, incumbent upon
me to make my own choice of a particular
religious course. Under these circmnstances,
I was led, partly by research, but chiefly I
trust by a better guidance, to a settled prefer-
ence on my own account of the religious pro-
fession of Friends." His entrance on the
duties of secular business, was connected with
a regular attendance on the Sunday and week
day worship in the Meeting house ; and the
adoption of this important practice, and espe-
cially the discourses of a female minister among
the Friends, who died only last year, were the
means by which the Divine Spirit led him to
embrace that gospel which regenerated his
youthful heart, and became, throughout his
future life, the fruitful source of all his excel-
lencies and usefulness. "I have reason to be
thankful," says he, in his * Thoughts on Habit
and Discipline,' " that I was trained from very
early years, in the habit of uniting with my
friends in public worship, some one morning in
the middle part of the week, as well as on the
Sabbath day. Thus to break away from the
cares and pursuits of business, at a time when
the world around us is full of them, I have

8 SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHER.

found to be peculiarly salutary; and can now
acknowledge with truth, that the many hours
so spent have formed one of the happiest, as
well as the most edifying portions of my life."

It will be peculiarly gratifying to the great
and useful body of Sunday-school teachers, to
be informed, that some of his early years were
consecrated to their important work, cliiefly for
the purpose of instructing a class of young
persons in scriptural religion; and that some
men of reputation and usefulness, now in Nor-
wich, were once children in his "first day"
school. One of them, the able Editor of the
Journal in which this sketch originally appeared,
has favoured the writer with a letter on the sub-
ject of these Sunday schools, in which he says,
" About thirty years since, Mr. Gurney under-
took to give Biblical instruction, during the
hour which followed the breaking up of the
morning meeting held in the Goat Lane,
Norwich, to a class of boys and girls, in con-
nection with the congregation of the Society of
Friends. This class consisted of children, for
the most part of the middle and wealthy
classes; and, though there were a few of the
poor, all received a secular education elsewhere.
The number was I think, never more than

POPULAR EDUCATION.

9

thirty or forty, and generally not more than
twenty. Mr. Gurney was assisted solely by a
senior sister, long since dead, Priscilla Gurney,
also a minister among the Friends — a lady
of much gracefulness of person and manner —
in all respects a good third to her brother and
Mrs. Fry. The teaching was rather like what
is usual in our present Bible classes. Passages
learnt by heart ; expositions of capital portions
of scripture; and, particularly, deductions of
evidence founded on the fulfilment of prophecy
— these, with much elaborate proof of the deity
of Christ, and of the doctrine of the atone-
ment, formed the substance of it. Altogether,
the course was exactly the germ, afterwards
developed in the writings of our friend. It
was simple, scriptural, and evangelically sound.
The school continued, if I remember right,
about four years, and was then discontinued,
on account of the growth of some of the pupils
into man and womanhood, and the removal of
others to distant boarding schools, or by death."

From that time forward, he was an en-
lightened and zealous advocate and labourer
in the cause of popular education. The public
school, at Ackworth, as well as other schools,
belonging to the Society of Friends, received

10

BRITISH SCHOOLS.

his attention and support ; and he composed, for
the use of its pupils, "a plan of scriptural
instruction," which embraces a compendious
system of scripture history, doctrines, and
duties. He was also a warm admirer, and a
liberal supporter of the British school system ;
not only on account of its religious and unsec-
tarian basis, but also on account of its efficient
mode of communicating instruction. Many
parts of the country, as well as of the city
of Norwich can bear witness to the liberality
with which he assisted in the erection and main-
tenance of public schools. One of his latest acts
was, to attend the annual examination of the
British school in Palace street ; and it is now a
peculiarly affecting remembrance, that, at the
close of the engagement, a map of England and
Wales, which some of the boys had drawn out,
was presented to him in the name of the school,
as a testimony of the respect and gratitude
of the children. His affectionate heart was
evidently delighted with the gift. He thanked
them all most heartily ; and,^ alas ! for human
plans and foresight, he kindly promised that all
the boys should visit Earlham, some fine day in
summer, when they might play in the planta-

A MINISTEE.

11

tion, and walk through the beautiful garden.
" In that garden there is now a sepulchre !"

Having, in early life, been brought under the
influence of religion, we may suppose that he
became desirous to be the means of imparting
its instructions and blessings to others: and,
therefore, after the usual preliminary proceed-
ings, and after some painful exercises of mind,
he became an acknowledged minister of the
Society of Friends, in the year 1818. By
taking this step, he entered upon a more pubHc
and important course of labour and usefulness.
His ministry, conducted in accordance with the
principles and peculiarities of the Friends, was
evangelical and influential in a high degree.
The gifts of nature, the acquisitions of study,
and, above all, the graces of the divine Spirit,
eminently qualified him to preach the word,
with unction, persuasiveness, and power. His
discourses were always well stored with
scripture illustrations, arguments, and appeals.
They were emphatically Bible sermons. What-
ever we might think of his opinions respecting
"the perceptible guidance of the Spirit," his
preaching was confessedly " in the words wliich
the Holy Ghost teacheth." The great doctrine
by which it was pervaded, was Christ crucified,

12 EVANGELICAL PREACHING.

as the atonement for sin, and as the only-
ground of a sinner's justification — the founda-
tion on which he rested his own hope for
acceptance with God, as well as the constant
and delightful theme of his ministry. He
"determined not to know anything among
men, but Jesus Christ, and him crucified;"
and never did he proclaim this doctrine,
without a glow, and an energy, and a full
delight, which shewed that he was speaking^
not only from his convictions, but also " from
the abundance of his heart." By him too, this
doctrine was held and proclaimed, not as an
opinion, or as a mere creed, but as an influen-
tial sentiment, the belief of which secured the
practical holiness, as well as the legal justifica-
tion of the sinner. While he taught that men
are not saved hy good works, he also taught
that they are not saved without them ; and those
who have been in the habit of hearing his dis-
courses, will remember the frequency and
the seriousness with which he repeated the
Saviour's language, " Not every one that saith
unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the king-
dom of heaven ; but he that doeth the will of
my Father which is in heaven." On some
occasions the public are invited to the Meeting

A SERMON.

13

house in Norwich, where the Friends usually
worship ; and at such times, when he was the
preacher, the topics which he selected, and the
faithful, affectionate, and urgent manner in
which they were enforced upon his hearers,
assured them that whatever their opinions
and feelings were, he regarded the gospel
of Christ as a subject of infinite importance,
and as worthy of all acceptation. On one
of these occasions, when he was about to
leave home to eno^ao!:e in some relio^ious service
at a distance, the subject of his discourse
was the liistory of the healing of the lame
man, by Peter, at the " Beautiful" gate of
the Temple ; when he considered tte miracle,
first, as affording an e\idence of the truth
of Christianity, and, secondly, as affording
an emblem of its spiritual power, in restoring
and blessing tha soul of man. The whole dis-
course was clear, logically arranged, well
adapted to the occasion and to the auditory,
and delivered with comparatively few " tremu-
lous tones," and with much holy fervour and
impressiveness. He had indeed many of the
essential qualifications of an eloquent man,
which were strikingly manifested on ordinary,
as well as on sacred occasions. The simphcity

14

ELOQUENCE.

of his style, the appropriateness of his illustra-
tions, the telling words which he occasionally
introduced, the ease and gracefulness of his
manner, and the deep and honest interest which
he always manifested in the subject of his
address, rendered him a most attractive and
persuasive speaker; and whenever he rose on
the platform, at our public meetings, every
heart throbbed, and every eye sparkled, in an-
ticipation of his speech. How aiFecting is the
thought, that the tongue which pleaded so elo-
quently and effectively for the gospel of God,
and the best interests of man, is now silent in
the dust !

His ministry, which rendered him, in some
degree, a public character, had probably no
little influence in prompting his connection with
public and general institutions. It was his
habit, however, when travelling for the autho-
rised discharge of that ministry in his own
church, to take the opportunity of going into
general society, as the advocate and promoter of
various religious and philanthropic objects. One
of his earliest journeys, in discharge of his
ministry — undertaken in 1818, in company with
his sister, Mrs. Fry — was also devoted to an
investigation of the state of the prisons in Scot-

PRISON DISCIPLINE.

15

land and tlie North of England ; the results of
which were given to the public, in a volume of
weU-selected facts, accompanied with wise and
benevolent suggestions on the subject of prison
discipline, A similar journey, to Ireland, was
taken by the same parties, in the Spring of
1827, and an account of it was published by
Mr. Gurney, in "A report addi'essed to the
Marquis Wellesley, Lord Lieutenant of Ire-
land;" in which he recommends a course of
prison discipline, the great objects of which
are, " first, to prevent the criminal from grow-
ing worse ; and, secondly, if possible, to effect
in his character a real improvement." Upwards
of forty prisons were visited by them, besides
the principal lunatic asyliuns, infirmaries, houses
of industry, and other establishments, for the
relief of the most wretched part of that ever-
afflicted population. This visit was very inter-
esting to him; and, on his return, he related,
in his own playful and humourous manner,
several anecdotes respecting the salutations with
which he was greeted by the warm-hearted Irish,
in some of the towns, when he was seen walk-
ing arm-in-arm with the priests, in making his
visits of mercy ; and, also, respecting the influ-
ence produced by the inspiring chaunt of Mrs.

16

IRELAND.

Fry's voice, in those religious meetings, at
which both priests and people attended — an
influence which was felt, indeed, not in Ireland
only, nor in England only ; for when she was
addressing a large company of orphans, on the
continent, one of the German princes, who was
acting as interpreter, was so wrought upon, by the
voice and the sentiment combined, that he cried
aloud, " C'est le don de Dieu"— " This is the
gift of God." The following sentence, which
occurs towards the close of his report, though
written twenty years ago, is a word in season
even now. " Were the poor of Ireland, instead
of being reduced by high rents, miserably low
wages, uncertain tenure, and want of employ-
ment, to a condition of misery and disaffection
— and then, in the end, driven off the land in
a state of despair — were they, instead of suffer-
ing all this oppression, kindly treated, properly
employed and remunerated, and encouraged to
cultivate small portions of land, at a moderate
rent, on their own account, there can be little
question, that they would gradually become
valuable members of the community, and would
be as much bound to their superiors, by the tie
of gratitude, as they are now severed from them
by ill-will and revenge."

SLATE e:maxcipation.

17

The friend of the prisoner could not be
expected to become the enemy of the slave ;
and the name of Joseph John Gurney will
ever be associated with Clarkson, Wilberforce.
Buxton, and others, in the noble roll of aboli-
tionists. The termination of the abominable
slave trade, by the British Parliament, in
1807, left slavery still existing in our colonies,
while the slave trade itself was practised by
foreign nations. The extension of the cause
of abolition, and the emancipation of our own
slaves in the TTest Indies, were, therefore,
objects still inviting the wisdom, courage, and
self-denial of the friends of freedom and
humanity ; and the subject of this memoir
most cheerfully gave up heart, and soul, and
purse, to the effort. Many persons in Xor-
wich well recollect the ardent and laborious
exertions which he made in the city and
county, to enlist all classes in the glorious con-
test Kor was he unsuccessful. In January,
1824, only a short time after his brother-in-
law, Fowell Buxton, had brought the subject
of colonial slavery before the House of Com-
mons, Mr. Gm-ney was mainly instrumental in
collecting a meeting in the Guildhall, where he
delivered a speech, which he afterwards pub-

c

18 ANTI-SLAVERY MEETINGS.

lished, replete with sound argument, and warm-
hearted philanthropy. The public mind in the
city had been prepared for that meeting, by a
visit paid by Thomas Clarkson, a few days
before it was held, whose conversation and
addresses most thoroughly established and ani-
mated Mr. Gurney's mind on the subject. At
a county meeting, held in the Shirehall, in the
October of the following year, at which the
High Sheriff presided, the eloquence of Lord
Suffield, Buxton, and others, united with his
own, not only in silencing the objections ad-
vanced by Lord Wodehouse, but in obtaining
a petition for "the immediate mitigation, and,
with as little delay as possible, the final and
entire abolition of British Colonial Slavery."
And, at another meeting of the inhabitants of
Norwich, held in St. Andrew's Hall, a month
afterwards, a society for the abolition of slavery
was instituted, of which the Revds. Edward
Day and John Alexander were associated with
himself as secretaries. Before that year closed,
he was found advocating the same cause, at a
general meeting of the Anti-Slavery Society,
in Freemasons' Hall, London, at which Wilber-
force. Brougham, Buxton, Mackintosh, Den-
man, and Lushington, were his associates. His

TRUTH AND LOVE. 19

speeches, on these exciting topics, were a fine
manifestation of gentlemanly courtesy and
Christian forbearance. They admirably com-
bined the " suavifer in moclo,^^ with the "fortiter
in ref and while his indignation burned against
the atrocious system itself, he called no fire
from heaven upon either the mistaken or the
guilty men by whom it was upheld. It was
this " speaking the truth in love," 4is well as
his commanding talents and influential circum-
stances, that qualified him, so completely, for a
leader in every worthy cause, in whose judg-
ment and temper all parties could repose with
entire confidence. " While it is, undoubtedly,
our Christian duty," says he, in his letters on
the West Indies, "to avoid the least concession
of principle, on the subject of Slavery, the use
of harsh epithets and violent language towards
the slavehoklers, is not only objectionable in
itself, but has often an injurious effect in
arming them against our arguments, and of
thus injuring the progress of our cause. I
have, therefore, thought it best to observe,
towards them, the terms and usages of Chris-
tian courtesy; and I believe there are many
of these persons in the United States, who are
increasingly disposed to enter upon a fair con-

c 2

20

AMERICAN SLAVERY.

sideration of the subject." When he was thus
labouring in the cause of emancipation, he was
in the fulness and maturity of his physical and
intellectual powers ; and those who were asso-
ciated with him in the spirit-stirring work, now
look back with gratitude on the successful ter-
mination of that glorious struggle for human
right and liberty, by which eight hundred
thousand of our fellow creatures were delivered
from the chain, and the scourge, and the sting
of slavery.

But when emancipation had been thus gained,
and even when the apprentice system had been
abandoned, the extinction of slavery, in the
British colonies, served to deepen his interest
in the slave of other lands. His volume of
'Familiar Letters to Henry Clay, of Ken-
tucky,' describes, from his own observation, the
benefits which had followed emancipation in the
West Indies; and advocates therefrom, the
safety and desirableness of terminating slavery
in America. These letters, addressed to an
anti-abolitionist, were occasioned by a winter
spent in the West Indies, in connection with
his visit to America in 1839 ; and contain much
information, written in an attractive style,
respecting the scenery, productions, general

KIGER EXPEDITION.

21

society, and religious condition of the various
islands; published, says he, "in the hope that
the lighter parts of the v»^ork may serve to
amuse the younger class of my readers, on
both sides the Atlantic, and lead them on to
the consideration of those graver points, so
deeply interesting in the present day, which it
is my principal purpose to develop and ex-
press." On journies, such as these, to America
and the West Indies, his taste and skill in
drawing, enabled him, with great facility, to
make " pencillings by the way." Two of these
appear in his work on the West Indies ; and
his well-stored portfolio contains many sketches
of scenes in nature and art, which, if engraved,
would illustrate and embellish many pages of
his printed volumes.

The plans suggested and advocated by Sir
FoweU Buxton, on behalf of Africa, including
the Niger Expedition^ gained his hearty approba-
tion and his liberal aid ; except indeed, " those
vile guns " by which it was to be defended in
time of need; which were a sore trouble to
him, and which made him reflect and hesitate,
till he found that he could consistently support
the scheme, on the principle, that " the Coloni-
zation Society" had no connection with the

22

STORMY MEETING.

armed force, which had been provided entirely
by the government, and was entirely under its
control. The public meeting held in Norwich
for its support, was painfully tumultuous ; being
attended by a great number of operatives, at
that time much exasperated by their own
sufferings, and by the inflammatory falsehoods
of a violent and wicked leader. Not one of
the speakers — not even he, could be heard.
He had set his heart on that meeting; he
hoped it would tend to lessen the mass of human
crime and misery; he had been at great ex-
pence as well as labour in preparing for it ; but
he kept his temper admirably, amidst "the
tumult of the people ;" and though he no doubt
keenly felt the disappointment which their un-
reasonable opposition occasioned, he meekly said
to a friend, "Well there has been a great
storm, but it's a comfort, thou knowest, that
we have passed the resolutions." '

It is scarcely possible for a man of intelli-
gence and generous sympathies, to be wholly
indifferent to politics, Joseph J ohn Gurney, at
all events, was not so. By education and con-
viction, he early became a staunch advocate of
civil and religious freedom, and, on many
occasions, fearlessly asserted the inalienable

POLITICS. 23

Yight of man to think for liimself. For several
years after he had attamed to manhood, he took
some part in the electoral struggles of Norwich.
Electioneering, however, connected, as it then
too much was, with party spirit, and corrupt
practices, soon became unpalatable to him, and
he gradually withdrew from the political arena ;
not however, until he had made a bold but un-
successful attempt to abolish, by mutual agree-
ment between the antagonist party leaders, the
system of bribery, so long and so shamefully
prevalent in Norwich. That he continued to
the last, firm in his allegiance to the political
principles of his youth, no one will be disposed
to question, who remembers his distinct avowal
of them at the great Anti-Maynooth meeting,
held in St. Andrew's Hall, in 1844; or his
manly adhesion to the doctrines of the league,
on the occasion of Mr. Cobden's first visit to
Norwich ; when " Free Trade" was less fashion-
able than it has since become. In politics,
however, as well as in every thing else, he was
swayed exclusively by the pure motives of love
to his neighbour, and of fidelity to the law of
God.

As he was opposed to capital punishments,
both on principle as a Quaker, and on feeling

24

CAPITAL PUNISHMENTS.

as a philanthropist, he took a decided and active
part in every effort for their abolition, and
anxiously and laboriously interested himself in
the case of several criminals in the city, who
had been condemned to death. About thirty
years ago, he strenuously endeavoured, in con-
nection with the late Lord Suffield, to save the
lives of three men in Norwich, who had been
condemned for burglary. For two of the men
they obtained a reprieve ; but Belsham was left
for execution, very much on the ground that
it was thought necessary to make one example,
the calendar of that assize having been pecu-
liarly heavy. In the interesting but unpub-
lished volume of his Lordship's life, written by
Hichard Mackenzie Bacon, Esq., the following
letter from Mr. Gurney, on the subject, is
inserted, which, it is hoped, may, without
impropriety, be extracted.

"Norwich, 4th month, 10th, 1819.

" Dear Friend — As the awful moment draws
nigh, which is destined to translate the afflicted object
of our common solicitude, into the enduring scenes of
another, and I trust a better world, my heart spon-
taneously and instinctively turns towards thee; I
must say, not without a lively feeling of affection
and regard.

" I spent some little time with poor Belsham yes-

A LETTER.

25

terday afternoon, and, I may acknowledge, I was
much comforted by my visit. I was engaged with
him in prayer ; how could it be otherwise ? And,
though I should be cautious how I ventured to
decide on such a question, yet was there that
quietness and contrition of spirit about him, which
created in me a behef, that God was about to have
that mercy uj^on him, which man had refused. I
think I may assert, that he is not one of those
desperate persons who have long been deeply
practised in crime. From all that I have seen of
him, I can readily believe the testimony of the
persons among whom he Hved, that he is a beginner
in crime ; that he was, till lately, a person of honest
habits. He wept much, but in the midst of his weep-
ing, he displayed a 'quietness and a steadiness which
will, I believe, go far to disarm death of its terrors.
May the holy arm of Omnipotence be near to sup-
port him in the moment of deepest trial. May God
have mercy upon him, through Jesus Christ.

" I cannot conclude my letter without saying how
much I have rejoiced for thy sake, and the sake of
many others, in the zeal, energy, judgment, and
feeling, which thou hast manifested on the occasion
which has so much interested us both. To flatter
thee, is certainly very far from my wish, but I must
say two things on the subject. The first is, that after
what is past, it is impossible not to feel a warm
personal interest in thee. The second is, that such
a heart and mind, are talents to be employed in thy
Master's service."

In the case of another man, who was senten-

26

JOHN STRATFORD.

ced to death for burglary, some circumstances,
favourable to the prisoner, came to our friend's
knowledge, which as soon as he had ascertained to
be correct, he hired a post chaise ; travelled all
night to London, taking with him the principal
witness on the trial ; had an inter\4ew with the
Judge and with the Secretary of State ; and hap-
pily obtained an order for commutation of punish-
ment, which he brought to Norwich in time to
save the poor man's life. It will be recollected
that nearly eighteen years ago, John Stratford
was found guilty of murder, for sending a bag
of poisoned flour to the workhouse, by which
one person, though not the person he intended,
was destroyed. Some efforts were made
on his behalf, but he was ultimately hanged.
Mr. Gurney frequently visited him, previously to
his execution ; and subsequently he published an
account of him, in a tract, of which, more than
twenty thousand were circulated in the city and
neighbourhood. His opposition to capital pun-
ishments was almost necessarily connected with
a hatred of war of all kinds, and under all cir-
cumstances. He was, therefore, a zealous
supporter of The Peace Society, and took every
suitable opportunity of diffiising its principles,
both at home and abroad. He also became.

BIBLE SOCIETY,

27

nearly four years ago, a pledged member of The
Temperance Society; and at one of its public meet-
ings in St. Andrew's Hall, he gave an elaborate
address, to shew the physical as well as moral
evils which are produced by intoxicating drinks.
The butler in his own family, encouraged by
his master's example, was also a determined
tee-totaller.

Institutions of a more entirely religious cha-
racter, were, however, the objects in which he
took the deepest interest; and of these the
British and Foreign Bible Society was perhaps
his greatest favourite. Its sublime and simple
object — the circulation of the Scriptures, with-
out note or comment, throughout the world ;
its wide embrace of all denominations of Chris-
tians as its members ; and its blessed influence
in saving the souls of men, all fell in with his
most fondly cherished sentiments and feelings ;
and the day of its anniversary meeting in Nor-
wich, was with him always "a high day."
Formerly its evening, and, for some years past,
its morning, was spent at Earlham by the
committee, in social and religious intercourse,
with the deputation and other friends. How
delightful it was, on such occasions, to form
one in the varied circle, of which he was the

28

WILBERFORCE.

ever bright and llallo^Yed centre. Hoav delight-
ful to meet there eminent and honoured Chris-
tians of all ranks and denominations, uniting
with his own lovely family, in friendly fellow-
ship, and in domestic worship. How delightful
to hear his Scripture readings and expositions,
recommending to us that truth and charity,
which he so fully and closely combined, and to
sympathise with him in those supplications for
the church and the world, which he so fervently
offered up. " Surely it was none other than
the house of God, and the gate of heaven."
Wilberforce, Buxton, Kinghorn, Simeon, Innes,
and many others, who once met in fellowship
there, are now gone to that world where he is
gone, to unite with them in the song of Moses
and the Lamb ; but there are others who con-
tinue unto this day, to carry on for awhile that
blessed cause, in which they were faithful even
unto death. It was on one of these occasions
that he commenced and cemented his personal
intimacy with Wilberforce. In the sketch
which he has given of that admirable man, he
says, " I was introduced to Wilberforce in the
autumn of 1816. He was staying with his
family by the sea side, at Lowestoft, in Suffolk.
I well remember going over from the place of

FIRST COUXTY MEETING.

29

my own residence, in the neighbourhood of
Norwich, partly for the purpose of seeing so
great a man, and partly for that of persuading
him to join our party, at the time of the
approaching anniversaries of the Xorfolk Bible
and Chm'ch Missionary Societies. I was then
young; but he bore my intrusion with the
utmost kindness and good humour, and I was
much delighted with the affability of his man-
ners, as well as with the fluency and brightness
of his conversation. Happily he acceded to
my solicitations ; nor could I hesitate in accept-
ing his only condition — that I should take into
my house, not only himself, but his whole
family group — consisting of his amiable lady,
and several of their children, two clergymen,
who acted in the capacity of tutors, his private
secretary, servants, &c. TTe were indeed to
be quite full of guests, independently of this
accession ; but what house would not prove
elastic in order to receive the abolisher of the
slave trade?" So far back as the year 1811,
when the County Auxiliary Bible Society was
formed in Norwich, our beloved friend had a
place on its platform, which he never deserted
till his Master summoned him to heaven. At
that meeting, he was associated with the

30

PEN AND PURSE.

venerable Bathurst, bishop of the diocese,
whose eminent classical attainments, liberal
sentiments, and quiet spirit, were regarded
with admiration and esteem by his Quaker
friend, who was a frequent visitor at the palace,
and who, at that meeting, was one of the
speakers. During the following thirty years,
he attended not only its anniversaries, but its
monthly committees, and often visited in its
service the neighbouring towns. His pen too,
which was always " the pen of a ready writer,"
was often skilfully used on its behalf, not only
in writing its reports, but in vindicating its
claims ; and his pamphlet on ' Terms of
Union' is a masterly defence of some of its
versions and translations, and especially of its
determination not to demand any doctrinal test,
as a qualification for membership. He was
also a cheerful and liberal subscriber to its
funds ; and when about five years ago, he felt
unable to devote to it so much time and labour
as he had done formerly, he sent a donation of
£500, and said in a note to a friend, " one rea-
son for my doing so, is the impossibility of my
continuing to give the Bible Society the per-
sonal attention, which formerly occupied so
much of my time." The last anniversary meet-

TERMS OF UNIOX.

31

ijxg he attended, was in September, 1846, when
he moved one of the resolutions. After he
had, in his usual happy manner, expressed his
" cordial and unalterable regard to the Society,
which was endeavouring to circulate the Bible
all the world over," the scene became sacredly
impressive, when his soft complacent eye fixed
on his only son, who then stood where he him-
self, when about the same age, had stood, five
and thirty years before, and who in concise and
manly terms, avowed his determination to sup-
port the institution, which his father, then alas !
had been advocating for the last time !

The principles on which he acted, in uniting
with the Bible Society, and with religious and
benevolent Institutions in general, are so admi-
rably stated in the following paragraph from
his ' Terms of Union,' that no apology is
needed for inserting it entire. " I have often
thought that the grounds on which a serious
Christian stands in connection with other men,
while he prosecutes his various objects in life,
may be compared to the successive stories of a
pyramid. When he is transacting the common
business of the day, with men of all characters
and conditions, he is surrounded by vast num-
bers of people, and stands on the broad

32

THE PYRAMID.

basement story. Here, while he abstains from
evil things, he is compelled to communicate
with many evil persons, and he calls to mind
the words of the Lord Jesus, ' I pray not that
thou shouldest take them out of the world, but
that thou shouldest keep them from the evil."
But now an hospital is to be built ; he mounts
to the second story — his ground is narrowed
and his company lessens. The utterly selfish
and dissolute disappear from his view ; but he
still finds himself in communication with the
worldly as well as the religious; with the
infidel as well as with the believer. Christian
benevolence, however, has new services in store
for him. A society is formed for distributing
the Scriptures without note or comment. The
object is one of undoubted excellence, and he
heartily engages in the cause. Here he stands
on the third section of the pyramid. Again
the company is diminished; again the circum-
ference is contracted. Yet it is large enough
to comprehend all reflecting persons of every
class, who value the Bible, and approve of its
dissemination. Our Philanthropist knows that
the work is pure and good, and though he by
no means agrees in sentiment with all who
co-operate in it, the last thing he dreams of, is

TOP OF THE PYRAMID.

33

to narrow the circle either of its friends or of
its efficacy."

" But while in distributing the Bible he stands
on a common level with all who approve that
object, he well knows the importance of a
sound interpretation of its contents; and on
the next story of the pyramid, he finds himself
engaged with rather fewer companions, and
within somewhat narrower boundaries, in a
Missionary Society, or in a Sabbath-day School,
formed for the express purpose of affording to
those who need it, evangelical instruction. The
merely nominal Christian, and the Socinian
subscriber to the Bible Society, have now
parted from him; yet he is still encompassed
by many persons whose religious views, on
secondary points, differ from his own. He
ascends therefore, when occasion requires it, to
an area of still smaller dimensions, and there he
joins the members of his own church, in dis-
tributing tracts written in defence of the
sentiments or practices peculiar to themselves.
Finally, he has some solitary duty to perform,
or some opinion, all his own, to maintain or
to develop ; and behold he stands alone on the
top of the pyramid !"

34

AMERICA.

The advocacy of these benevolent and reli-
gious institutions, was, however, not confined
to this country, or to Great Britain. He
remembered them, and pleaded for them in the
religious visits, which, as a ministering Friend
he paid to America, and to various parts of
Europe. His visit to America was in 1837,
and occupied three years ; during which time,
he travelled through most of the Northern
states of the Union, and in Upper and Lower
Canada. The various incidents of his jour-
neys ; the objects, natural, civil, and moral,
which attracted his attention by the way ; and
the impressions made on his mind by America
and the Americans, are all narrated, in good
tourist style, in a series of letters "to Amelia
Opie," with whose delightful prose and poetry
all our readers are familiar. This volume of
letters, though printed, and circulated among
his private friends, has not been published;
but it seems very desirable that not only it,
but some deeply interesting manuscripts, should
be published for the use of society, which is
already so much indebted to his works. It is
hoped, however, that there will be no impro-
priety in giving just one extract from the

LEGISLATION HALL.

35

volume on America, relating simply to the
address which he gave to the congress, in the
Senate house, at Washington.

" The principal object which I now had in
view, in visiting Washington, was the holding
of a meeting for worship with the officers of
government, and members of Congress. My
mind was attracted towards these public men,
under a feeling of religious interest ; and, far
beyond my expectation, did my way open for
accomplishing the purpose. Colonel Polk, the
speaker of the representative assembly, granted
me the use of the Legislation hall ; the chaplain
of the house (a respectable Wesleyan minister)
kindly surrendered his accustomed service for
our accommodation; public invitation was given
in the newspapers ; and when we entered the
hall the following First-day morning, we found
it crowded with the members of Congress, their
ladies, and many other persons. The president,
and other officers of the government, were also
of the company. Undoubtedly it was a highly
respectable and intellectual audience; and I
need scarcely tell thee, that it was to me a serious
and critical occasion. One of my friends sat
down with me in the speaker's rostrum ; a feel-
ing of calmness was graciously bestowed upon

2d

36

SERMOIS^ TO SENATOliS.

US ; and a silent solemnity overspread the whole
meeting. After a short time, my own mind
became deeply impressed with the words of our
blessed Redeemer, ' I am the w^ay, the truth,
and the life.' Speaking from this text, I was
led to describe the main features of orthodox
Christianity ; to declare that these doctrines had
been faithfully held by the Society of Friends,
from their first rise to the present day ; to dwell
on the evidences, both historical and internal,
which form the credentials of the gospel, consi-
dered as a message to mankind, from the King
of heaven and earth ; to urge the claims of that
message on the world at large, on America in
particular — a country so remarkably blessed by
divine providence — and, above all, on her states-
men and legislators; to advise the devotional
duties of the closet, as a guard against the dan-
gers and temptations of politics ; to dwell on the
peaceable government of Christ by his Spu'it ;
and finally, to insist on the perfect law of
righteousness, as applying to nations as well as
individuals— to the whole of the affairs of men,
both private and public. A solemn silence again
prevailed at the close of the meeting ; and after
it was concluded, we received the warm greet-
ings of Henry Clay, John Quincy Adams, and

EEFLECTIONS.

37

many otlier members, of whom we took om- leave
in the floAving of mutual kindness. Thus was I
set free from the heavy burden which had been
pressing upon me. In the evening, we met a
large assembly at the methodist chapel at George-
town, a populous place, almost adjoining Wash-
ington; and the next morning pursued our
journey to a small settlement of humble Friends,
in the state of Maryland."

What a scene was this ! and what a state of
religion, as well as of religious liberty and cha-
rity, must that country enjoy, which could pro-
duce it, and which could witness it with such
complacency ! Here are the free chosen legis-
lators of one of the largest and most important
countries in the world, composing a worshipping
congregation in their senate house ; their chap-
Iain, a methodist minister, resigning his seat to
a Quaker ; the Quaker preaching a sermon full
of gospel sentiment and exhortation, and urging
upon senatorial hearers the importance of pri-
vate prayer, as a preservative from the tempta-
tion of politics, and as a preparative for good
legislation ; the solemn silence, to afford them
an opportunity of " thinking on these things ;"
Henry Clay, and John Quincy Adams, and
others, shaking hands with the Quaker, and

38

CONTINENTAL TOURS.

probably thanking him for his sermon; and
then the going from legislators and senate halls,
to preach in a Methodist Chapel, and the next
morning joining a humble settlement of Friends !
When will England equal this ? " May the
Lord hasten it in his time."

We must deny ourselves the gratification of
remaining with him any longer in America, or
of doing more than glance at his visits to the
Continent. The first was in 1841, when he went
to Paris with Samuel Gurney, his brother in
sympathy, as well as in relationship. The prin-
cipal object of this visit, was to direct the atten-
tion of influential and official persons to the
subject of slavery, for the purpose of obtaining
its extinction. During their stay, they had an
interview with Louis Philippe, the king of the
French ; as well as much communication with
M. Gruizot, his minister, and with other persons
of distinction. His next visit was in the same
year, when he was accompanied by Mrs. Fry.
As both of them were ministers, their visit, in
that capacity, was sanctioned by the society ;
but they endeavoured to combine with it, as
was usual, dilFerent, yet accordant, objects of
pursuit. They visited Holland, Belgium, Han-
over, some of the German states, Denmark, and

CONTINENTAL TOURS.

39

Prussia. They held, in various places, religious
meetings, not only for worship with the Friends,
but also for the instruction and improvement of
all classes ; and they paid many visits of mercy,
to administer the consolations of the gospel to
those who were suffering affliction and persecu-
tion. They inspected prisons, hospitals, and
other public institutions, and then presented
their reports to the several governments; always
recommending to them, when necessary, the
abolition of slavery, and the granting of reli-
gious toleration. Thus, after the example of
their divine master, they " went about doino-
good." Their reception every where, was cor-
dial and joyous. " The common people heard
them gladly." They were admitted to long and
familiar interviews with several of the conti-
nental sovereigns, who listened to their state-
ments and suggestions with respectful attention.
What diplomacy had, in some instances, failed
to effect, they were the means of accomplishing;
and the King of Holland, who had been in the
habit of procuring slave soldiers from the Gold
Coast, was induced, by Mr. Gurney's represen-
tations, to abandon the practice. The third visit,
which was for similar purposes, took place in
1843; when he was accompanied to Paris by

40

CONTINENTAL TOURS.

Mrs. Gurney and Mrs. Fry ; and on his sister's
return home, he and his wife went into the south
of France, where he seized every opportunity of
instructing and encouraging members of his own
religious society. During this tour he also
visited Switzerland; met with Vinet in Lau-
sanne, and with D'Aubigne in Geneva ; had an
interview with the King; of Wiirtembera; ; and
held many large meetings for religious purposes.
His- last continental tour was in the spring of
1844, when, accompanied by Mrs. Gurney and
Josiah Forster, he went to Paris, and to several
of the principal towns in France. During his
progress, he distributed religious books and
tracts, visited prisons and philanthropic institu-
tions, held religious meetings, and spoke also
at anti-slavery and other meetings, in Frenclr,
" without difficulty." He had also interviews
with Guizot, the Baroness de Stael, the Due de
Broglie, her brother, who reminded him of his
own father, he was so warm-hearted and
genial ;" and with many other persons of influence
and distinction. After " a quiet and comforta-
ble meeting" at Bordeaux, they had a pleasant
walk on the fine quay, though the recollections
of blood hang about this part of the Loire. It
was the scene of the Noyards, i. e. wholesale

EESULTS.

41

murders by drowning, effected by the opening
of a trap door by strings from the shore, in the
boats, which had been filled with the unhappy
aristocrats, their wives, and children. About
six thousand people, are said to have been de-
stroyed in this way here, under the orders of
Carriere, in 1793 — probably the largest horror of
the French Revolution." " In the evening," says
he, " we again repaired to the Casino, as I had
given notice, at the close of our meeting for wor-
ship, of my intention to tell the people my West
Indian story. TTe found a large and genteel
assembly all ready for us, in the greatest order ;
some four or five hundred people apparently.
Nothing could exceed their willing attention.
I was enabled to get through the ser\dce com-
fortably, so as to leave a strong impression
against slavery, in this notoriously pro-slavery
place."

Who can tell the amount of temporal and
spiritual good which may have already re-
sulted, and which may yet result from these
visits of mercy, by which both hemispheres have
been travelled and blessed ! What strenorth

o

and variety of intellectual and moral power was
exercised during these journeys; and how he
was enabled to adapt himself suitably to all cir-

42 KENEWING HIS STRENGTH.

cumstances, and to all persons, whether he was
visiting the prison or the palace ; and whether
he was preaching in the great congregation, or
standing before Kings, and teaching senators
wisdom ! What multitudinous works of faith,
and labours of love he pursued ; not becoming
faint and weary in well doing, but ever renew-
ing his strength with his toil ; not sinking down
into despondency, but deriving courage from
adverse circumstances ; and ever rising like the
eagle, aiming at the sun, " with an eye that
never winks, and a wing that never tires !"
What love to God, and what love to man,
must have mingled in his heart, and glowed
there continually? as the never failing and
ever inspiring spring of all that he was, and
of all that he did! And what works have
yet to follow him into that world, where
saved, not by works, but by faith and grace, he
now rests from his labours, finds his home
and his heaven in God, and enjoys a happiness
as large as his desires, and as lasting as his
immortality !

Hitherto it has been comparatively an easy
task to detail and delineate these various ser-
vices in the cause of humanity and religion ;
but, for obvious reasons, it will not be expected

SUBSCRIPTIONS AND DOXATIOXS. 43

that we should be able to give any adequate
estimate of the 'pecuniary support which he
afforded to public iustitutions, and to private
necessities. It may indeed be said, that re-
cently, for instance, he gave £500 to the Bible
Society; £500 to the British and Foreign
School Society ; £500 to the British School in
Palace Street; £500 to the Blind Asylum:
£500 to the present distress in Ireland; £100
three or four times over, to the Soup Society ;
and similar sums to the District Visiting Socie-
ty, and to the Coal Society. But who can tell
the sums which he gave, formerly as well as
latterly, to numerous public institutions, and to
numerous private individuals, at home and
abroad ? And who can tell the number and
amount of his annual subscriptions, to almost
every society in this city, and in the country,
which he could conscientiously support? But
though these things cannot be ascertained, yet
we know the principles by which his giving was
regulated. "Economy," says he, in his
' Thoughts on Habit,' "dictates the laying by
of such a proportion of our revenue, as our
circumstances justly demand; it also requires
such a care and prudence — such true and well
principled order, in our personal or family

44

HOW TO GIVE MONEY.

expenditure, as will leave a generous surplus to
meet the calls of benevolence, in the promotion
of both the temporal and spiritual need of our
fellow men. He is a good economist, in a
pecuniary point of view, who saves sufficiently ;
spends prudently; and gives with judgment,
generosity, and effect. It is, in fact, of the
utmost importance to the moral welfare of our
young people, whose worldly circumstances are
prosperous, that they sliould be led to form the
habit of giving easily, liberally, and yet wisely."
Not only did he act on the admirable principles
which he thus so clearly states, but he evidently
considered that giving money to proper objects,
and in suitable proportions, is a religious duty
which he was bound to practise ; that he was
not the absolute proprietor of his possessions,
but merely the trustee of them, under God;
and that he was to use them, and all his other
talents, according to the Divine directions, and
in anticipation of the summons, "Give an
account of thy stewardship, for thou mayest be
steward no longer." But while he thus gave
from principle, and as a religious duty, he did
not give grudgingly. He was "a cheerful
giver, such as the Lord loveth." He knew well
from his own experience, that " it is more blessed

THE TRUE EICHES.

45

to give than to receive;" and probably there
was not, in all the world, a man more really
happy than he was in the exercise of his perso-
nal faculties, and in the use of his various
possessions. This personal happiness, however,
so far as it was derived from the comforts of
life, which he so abundantly enjoyed, was
always connected with a keen and practical
sympathy with the sufferers of want and hard-
ship, and especially with those, who, through
much tribulation, were entering the kingdom of
heaven. A poor, blind, and aged Christian,
who had occasion one day, to be at the Hall,
when kindly spoken to by our friend about his
infirmities and privations, replied, " To be sure
I have not much of this world's good, and my
• sight is nearly gone, but I have food to eat, and
clothes to wear; and then, I am heir to a
kingdom, prepared for me by Christ ; think of
that." This contented and joyful language of
the good old man, greatly affected him, and he
said to one of his sisters, "What is all the
wealth and glory of the world, compared with
the good hope of this poor man, that it is ' his
Father's good pleasure to give him the king,
dom!'" The sufferings of the poor, in this
country especially, were, it is well known, a

46 DISTRICT VISITING SOCIETY.

subject of much thought and anxiety to him
His own abundance perpetually reminded him
not only of the divine goodness to himself, but of
the necessities and sorows of others. There was
much in such a state of society, that was per-
plexing to him, and he often said, " Surely
there is a radical error somewhere ; this state of
things is most unnatural; here are people
starving in the midst of abundance ; what can
be done to remedy the evil ?" These reflections
which led to considerations on political economy,
on the general frame work of society, and on
the mysterious permissions of divine providence,
did not terminate however in mere speculation
or opinion ; but they prompted him to do what
he could personally, to alleviate the calamities
which he deplored. We all know well, how
ready he always was, with time, and eflfort, and
money, when the claims of want and suffering
were presented. The last public meeting he
ever attended, had been summoned by the
District Visiting Society, in accordance with
his own suggestion, to make some additional
provision for the poor, during the severities of
winter. The venerable Bishop, who loved to
honour his Christian character, and who cordially
sympathized with his liberal spirit, moved the

AX AUTHOR.

47

Resolutions, which Mr. Gurney seconded : and
a handsome subscription was the result. It was
in going home from that meeting, that his horse
fell, and he received his mortal injury. But he
had finished the work which his Master had
given him to do, and then the Master said,
"Well done, good and faithful servant, enter
thou into the joy of thy Lord."

Though it will not be expected, that in this
brief sketch, any extensive analysis of his
writings should be given, yet we must not
entirely omit to notice him as an author.
Some of his publications have ah'eady been
referred to. His " Observations on the Distin-
guishing Views and Practices of the Society of
Friends," first published in 1824, has passed
through seven editions: and wliile it is
"intended not so much for the information of
the public in general, as for the use of the
junior members of the society," it is a source of
authentic information, relative to the religious
views of the body, to which general readers
may confidently refer, m order to ascertain
the principles and peculiarities of the Friends,
and to form a judgment respecting them. His
"Essays on the Evidences, Doctrines, and
Practical Operation of Christianity," is a body

48

PUBLICATIONS.

of sound divinity, written for the use of the
church at large, and from which Christians of
every denomination may derive instruction and
improvement. While it contains a perspicuous
statement of the doctrines of Christianity, it
presents its internal and external evidences of
truth, in a clear and forcible manner, and points
out the practical influence which it is intended
and adapted to produce. The arrangement of
the whole, is exceedingly lucid and logical ; and
no one can thoughtfully peruse it, without
great advantage to his head and his heart. The
work has been well appreciated by the public.
It has been translated into the German and
Spanish languages; and, together with his
other works, has been printed in America.
These two works, the " Observations" and the
" Essays," may be considered as comprising his
theology; the former, shewing wherein he
differed from others; and the latter, shewing
wherein he agreed. It need not be said, that
the points of agreement comprise all that is
vital and essential in Christianity. The " Bib-
lical Notes and Dissertations," are chiefly critical
and philological examinations of several passages
of scripture, relative to the deity and incarnation
of Christ ; and discover a surprising degree of

PUBLICATIOXS.

49

acqiiaiutance with Hebrew and Eabbinical
literature, as well as a con amore sympathy with
the investigation wliich he pursues. His
"Hints on the Portable Evidence of Christi-
anity," is a book, the title and subject of which
was suo^o^ested to him in a conversation with
Dr. Chalmers, and the treatise itself is an
argument in proof of the truth and excellency
of Christianity, derived from the accordance of
its descriptions of mankind with human experi-
ence, and of its peculiar doctrines with man's
necessities as a sinner. This evidence he calls
portable, because both the Bible itself and
personal experience, are things which every man
can cany about with him. His "Thoughts
on Habit and Disciphne" is a book which every
person, and which especially every young person
should most carefully "read, mark, learn, and
inwardly digest." It relates principally to self-
government — a subject little understood, and
less practised; but of immense importance to
intellectual and religious character, cultivation,
and usefulness. His " Essay on the Habitual
Exercise of Love to God, considered as a pre-
paration for Heaven," may be regarded as a
chapter of the former book; and the charm

E

50

PUBLICATIONS.

conveyed by its very title, is sustained and
strengthened through the whole of the holy
and heavenly treatise. All honour to the
memory of the man who could write and live
such a book as that. His " Puseyism Traced
to its Root," not only contains his objections, as
a Friend, to a Christian ministry receiving
pecuniary support either from endowments or
from congregations ; but exhibits a view of
Episcopalian, Presbyterian, and Congregational
polity, which all the parties concerned should
seriously ponder. But we must not proceed
with this analysis. His other works contain
treatises " On the Observance of the Sabbath ;"
"The Right Application of Knowledge;"
" The Accordance of Geology with [Natural
and Revealed Religion;" and on many other
subjects, all of which declare a mind sacredly
imbued with the spirit of wisdom and piety, and
strongly desirous to instruct and bless mankind.

While those persons who are not Quakers,
will, of course, object against many of his " pecu-
liarities," all who are christians will liarmonise
with his statements of the great doctrines of the
gospel, and with the spirit of holy piety which
pervades his writings. It seems, from some of
his expressions, as if he thought that the body

STEADFAST IN QUAKEEISM. 51

to which he belonged, had always been as ortho-
dox as himself, and that both Fox and Barclay
were, in the main, sound expositors of Bible
truth. There are probably some persons in the
Society, as well as out of it, who think dif-
ferently. But if his orthodoxy be suspected by
any who compare him with the early Friends,
it will be confirmed by those who compare him
with the earlier Apostles. Perhaps all parties
will unite, in thinking that his writings have had
no small degree of influence in instructing and
establishing the minds of the Friends in sound
evangelical truth, and in elevating the body to
its present improved condition in the christian
church. During the crisis through which it has
recently passed, several secessions have indeed
taken place, in this country, by which other
denominations have been enriched with some
of the excellent of the earth; but many such,
no doubt, remain; and amidst both secession
and controversy, the subject of this Memoir
held fast by his " pecuharities," which he al-
ways thought of sufficient importance to re-
quire his adherence to Quakerism as it then
was, and his continued membership with the
rehgious body, of which he had long been the
advocate and the ornament. Whether this de-

E 2

52 TESTmONY OF FRIENDS.

termination was tlie best that he could have
adopted, will be questioned by many who are
not members of his Ecclesiastical Society ; whe-
ther this determination was regulated by a desire
to serve God, in accordance with conscience and
with Scripture, will be questioned by no one,
either in the Society or out of it, who is ac-
quainted with his character. The testimony
which was so unanimously and affectionately
borne to him, at his funeral, by so many distin-
guished and influential ministers of his own deno-
mination, afforded satisfactory evidence that, to
no inconsiderable extent, the body to which he
belono;ed harmonised with his sentiments, and
that evangelical religion was prevailing among
its members. The writer of this Memoir,
though he has never belonged to the denomina-
tion, and though, as a Congregationalist, he differs
materially from its peculiarities, nevertheless
cordially rejoices, with all the friends of hu-
manity and religion, that in Great Britain, and
in America, there are so many in this " tribe of
Israel," who are steadfast adherents to gospel
doctrine, to the great principles of civil and reli-
gious liberty, and to various institutions, which
are established to secure the purity and peace
of the world.

LABOUR AND LEISURE.

53

It must not be forgotten, that the man who
was thus occupied from day to day, and from
year to year, in living and labouring for others,
was, during a considerable part of his life,
engaged in secular business, in one of the most
extensive banking^ establishments in the kino--
dom. During this long and laborious period,
he was also writing the preceding works, and in
addition to his Letters on America, and to
several pamphlets printed for private circula-
tion, he sent forth no less than twenty separate
publications, some of which are large volumes,
and on subjects which required much thought,
and research, and learning ; and yet all of them
were composed with great care, both as to the
style and sentiment. How then was he able to
fulfil these various and multitudinous eno-ao-e-
ments ? Partly because he was a man of orderly
and industrious habits, and a great economist in
time. Every day was well packed up ; and
hours and seasons were set apart for leisure and
relaxation, as well as for employment and labour.
By these means he could attend the bank, speak
at a public meeting, write an essay, and take a
long and laborious journey ; and he could also
be the companion of his beloved family; walk
in his fragrant gardens ; admire, with intelligent

54 LIVING WELL AND LONG.

taste, the varieties of nature; or go and describe
to the children in a school, the wonderful struc-
ture of the human eye. While he thus per-
formed the labours of life, he enjoyed its com-
forts ; what was great, was well attended to ;
what was small, was not neglected ; he was as
domestic as he was pubUc ; he seemed to have
time and place for everything, except idleness ;
he was most thoroughly a man, as well as a
christian, and could consistently say with the
apostle, " the life I live in the flesh, is by the
faith of the Son of God." "For my own part,"
says he in his " Winter in the West Indies, " I
consider it to be greatly to our advantage, while
we are engaged in the pursuit of serious and
interesting objects, to catch the passing recrea-
tion afforded us by birds, flowers, blue skies,
and bright sunsets." In this respect, as well as
in most others, he affords a fine model for the
imitation of young persons. They may learn
from him the art of living well, and of living
long; for as the length of life is to be calcu-
lated by the man, as well as by the clock, by
what is done in the day, as well as by the day
itself, we all have the means of equalling the
years of Methuselah, in these times of easily
accessible knowledge and of stirring activity.

CHRIST ALL, AND IX ALL. DO

But the excellency of his example was his piety.
He never could have been what he was, on any-
other principles than those of the gospel of
Chi'ist. He was a conscientious and a holy man,
in whose estimation, idleness, negligence, and
unprofitableness, were sins against God, which
every man should scrupulously avoid and depre-
cate. His religion was not in one part of his
mind and the world in another, " as the manner
of some is but it was a principle which per-
vaded his whole soul, and by which his conduct
and conversation were regulated. He was evan-
gelically, spu-itually, and practically religious ;
and those persons who never heard his speechcg
or his sermons, might at any time have read
them, for they were written in his life. There
can be no character acceptable to God, but that
which is derived from the gospel of Christ, and
we can have no personal interest in the gos-
pel unless it be received by faith. This was
the doctrine and rehgion of om' departed friend.
In himself a sinner, guilty and condemned, he
obtained justification and holiness from the pre-
cious blood of Christ, and from the regenerating
power of the holy Spirit. All the graces by
which he was adorned, had been shed on him
abundantly by the hand of Chi'ist; and we

56

DOMESTIC HAPPINESS.

should be wrong by denying either the servant's
degree of conformity to his Master, or the Mas-
ter's power and grace, by which that conformity
was produced. How rich and glorious is that
saving mercy, which, from our depraved and
ruined nature, can raise up a spiritual and per-
fect man in Christ Jesus; and, even in this
world of sin and death, can prepare him for that
heaven, where his knowledge, and holiness, and
joy, shall increase for ever !

Those who have been accustomed to associate
with him in public life, will readily believe that
he was well qualified to enjoy, and to diffuse
domestic happiness, A man is, in reality, what
he is found to be in his own house. In other
places, and in other society, he may act artifi-
cially, and under the influence of restraint ; but
at home he is free and genuine, and his own
wife and children are sure to be well acquainted
with his real temper and character. And he
too, who combines in himself the relations of
husband, father, and master, must be very
powerful for good or for evil in his own house,
and for making those around him happy or
miserable. The verdict of Mr. Gurney's
domestic jury, was always in accordance with
the esteem with which he was regarded by the

HEAD AND HEAET.

57

public. He had perhaps more of both the
internal and the external sources of domestic
influence and happiness, than falls to the lot of
many. ^Mth an ability to acquire, and a dis-
position to use and to relish, the comforts and
elegancies of life, he had much simphcity as
well as refinement in his tastes, and his " mode-
ration was known unto all men." His intellec-
tual powers were nicely balanced by his social
and benevolent affections. He could be at
home in his study, communing with philoso-
phers, and in his drawing room, conversing on
ordinary topics, or playing with a child. The
bow wliich he manfully bent, he could gracefidly
unstring: and when \isitors had the privilege
of associating with his family, he often mani-
fested remarkable tact in leading general con-
versation into an agreeable and useful direction.
In an unpubhshed letter, addressed by him to
a noble and influential friend, on political and
electioneering business, he says, " 1 am going
to perform the oflice of a true friend, and to
find a little fault with thee. Thy heart is
remarkably set upon a variety of benevolent
objects, and I can truly say, ^ Euge f rater, i,
secundis afflatus zephyris f but it appeared to
me, (and I have heard it remarked by others,)

58

SOCIAL INTERCOURSE.

that thou art too much in the habit of making
these matters the subject of much conversation.
Thou wilt perhaps think me heretical, but it
does not suit my notions about these things,
that they should much intrude themselves into
the intercourse of private life. I would not
entirely exclude them; but I feel this, that
those things are our business, our labour ; and
that the intellectual and social intercourse
between friends, is our recreation, our refresh-
ment, our play. I very often have to com-
municate with others on these subjects; and
when this is the case, I endeavour to take a
suitable opportunity of saying ' my say,' rather
as a matter of business and duty, than any
tiling else ; and the ^ say,' if necessary, can be
repeated, and then there is probably an
end of it. I do not find it answer with
others, nor do I like it myself, to make
these things very prominently the subjects
of what may be called social intercourse.
I know not whether thou wilt quite understand
me, for I find it difficult to express my meaning
clearly ; but I am confident thou wilt bear with
me, and we can talk more about it when we
meet." In perfect accordance with this nice
sense of what is suitable and edifying in domestic

APPROBATION OF LOVE.

59

and social intercourse, the numerous and varied
guests which surrounded his table, after the
public meeting of the Bible Society, or of some
other Institution, were either induced to say or
privileged to hear something, at his suggestion,
which was acceptable and useful. He seemed,
on such occasions, to diffuse himself throughout
the room, and to make you feel as much at home
as he was, and as happy too. " I think he has
a great love of approbation," said a friend, in
reference to his character. " I think he has
a great approbation of love," was the suitable
reply. And most assuredly he had a due degree
of both ; for, while he desired to have the appro-
bation of the wise and good, he always deserved
it, because of the universal charity wliich he dif-
fused. Those who are the fittest for heaven,"
it has been said, " are the best prepared for the
enjoyment of earth;" and it is very remark-
able that our beloved friend's attachment to
the sources of his personal and domestic hap-
piness, seemed to increase as he advanced in
spiritual mindedness, and as he approached the
celestial world. Durinor the last months of his
earthly sojourn, he often referred, with peculiar
emphasis, to the goodness of God in supplying
him so liberally with temporal blessings, and

60

PARADISE.

especially with the endearments and enjoyments
of home. His spacious mansion ; his select and
extensive library ; his comfortable and well fur-
nished rooms ; his beautiful and fragrant gardens ;
his lovely and beloved family ; all the arrange-
ments, and associations, and sympathies of liis
own " sweet home," filled his heart with grate-
ful, joyful love to God ; and on a recent occa-
sion, when walking in his garden, and admiring
its beauties, as reminding him of the paradise
lost by sin, and of the yet brighter paradise in
which Christ has planted the tree of life, he
exclaimed impromjotu,

" From paradise to paradise my upward course extends,
My paradise of flowers on earth in heaven's elysium ends.*'

It did not accord, however, with the will or
with the wisdom of our Heavenly Father, that one
of his children, so richly gifted and honoured,
should pass through life without the discipline
of tribulation — " for whom the Lord loveth he
chasteneth." In addition to the losses which
he sustained in the death of his parents; of
brothers and sisters ; of his beloved Buxton, to
whom he had said, " from our very early years,
we have been bound together in the ties of
friendship and brotherhood ;" and by the death

TEIBULATIOX.

61

of mauy others ; his own habitation had twice
become "the house of mournino'." His first
wife, Jane Birkbeck, died in 1822 : his second
wife, Mary Fowler, died in 1836 : his third
wife, Eliza P. Kirkbride, still survives, to
cherish his beloved memory, and submissively
to lament her loss. Thus over all "the glory,"
derived from rich intellectual and spiritual
endowments, abundant wealth, great labours and
usefulness, and the praise of all the churches,
there was "the defence" of dark tribulation;
which mercifully prevented the glory from
either utterly destroying, or unduly dazzling.
How wise, paternal, and sovereign is the
government under which we are placed: how
much we owe to the painful, yet profitable
discipline of afiliction; and when, in eternity,
we look back upon time, what reason shall Ave
have to say, " He hath done all things well !"

Such a review of life has, no doubt, begun
to be taken by om* departed friend ; and, pro-
bably, he now derives, even from the circum-
stance of his rapid removal from earthly scenes,
unspeakable gratitude and joy. After an acci-
dental fall with his horse, wdiich did not appear
to injure him at the time, but wliich was the
means of stirring up a latent disease, and after an

62

READY TO DEPART.

illness of only one short week, during the greater
part of which no danger was apprehended, he
fell asleep in Jesus. The very manner of his
removal was, however, a manifestation of his
heavenly Father's mercy. Possessing, in some
degree of strength, a physical fear of death ;
afraid of dying, rather than of being dead, " he
was heard in that he feared," and received "the
bliss" without " the pain" of dying. " He had
walked with God; and he was not, for God
took him." But though the event of death
may have been sudden and unexpected to him-
self, it was not so to his Lord and Master. He
who intended so to close his life, had been pre-
viously preparing him for the dispensation.
There were, probably, not many dying declar-
ations for the hand of Christian friendship to
record; but if so, it is well, for we are the
more thrown upon the language of his life.
Still, how evident it now is, that, for some days
previously, he was gathering up his mantle, and
approaching nearer to the cross, that he might
fall at the Saviour's feet. Those who had
the opportunity of observing him, especially
during the few months preceding his decease,
now clearly perceive, that many things which
he then said and did, indicated a state of mind

GATHERED TO HIS FATHERS.

63

the most desirable to be possessed, in the near
approach of death and heaven. ^Miat an
instructive and wondrous commentary does
the future often write upon present scenes
and circumstances, which are now, perhaps,
but little noticed, or but imperfectly under-
stood! How we thus get to know hereafter, what
we know not now! And when we reach the
heavenly temple, and " enter into the holiest by
the blood of Jesus," where the "Urim and
Thummim" always beam with light and per-
fection, how correctly we shall be able to inter-
pret all the incidents of earth, and how clearly
we shall see in them all, the tender love and the
marvellous wisdom of our heavenly Father,
who is "now leading us, by a right way, to
that city of habitation !" How beautifully, too,
the close of our friend's life was in harmony
with its course. His last speech besought his
fellow citizens to remember the poor. His last
sermon was full of evangelical doctrine, and
pathos, and admonition. His last public prayer
was a devout entreaty that he, and all around
him, might be ready for the coming of their
Lord. " And so, having served his generation
according to the will of God, he fell asleep,
and was gathered to his fathers."

64

THE CITY MOUKNS.

The extraordinary scene presented by our
city, subsequently to his death, and on the day
of his funeral, cannot be better described than
in the following language of my esteemed
friend, the editor of the Norfolk News : —

" During the interval between the death and
the funeral of Joseph John Gurney, the sen-
sation created by the mournful event which
has cast so unprecedented a gloom over the
ancient city of Xorwich, has continued rather
to increase than abate. By realizing their loss,
the inhabitants have come to feel so much the
more intensely its gravity and its extent. It
has furnished the principal topic of conversa-
sation in every family, in every private circle,
in every group by the way side. Persons of
all classes and of every age, however various in
opinion on other subjects, have united in their
high estimate of the character of the deceased,
and in the melancholy satisfaction of recalling
excellencies of which now, alas! the memory
alone remains. Each individual has had his
owm story to tell of some public benefit, or of
some kindness shown to others or himself ; and
innumerable acts of beneficence, long forgotten
amidst the crowd of more recent instances,
have been related and listened to with the

THE bishop's sermon.

65

mournful pleasure incident to such a theme.
The very street gossip of Norwich during the
past week, if it could have been collected and
recorded, would doubtless furnish an almost
unparalleled tribute to departed worth. In the
mean while, the outward manifestations of
public grief remained, until the day of the
funeral, unchanged. The half closed shops and
the darkened windows of the private houses in
every part of the city, gave unequivocal testi-
mony to the sorrow which reigned within.

Other demonstrations of affection and esteem
were made. On Sunday, the subject was
referred to in the pulpit by a large number of
the ministers of religion, as well of the estab-
lished, as of dissenting churches. Several
funeral sermons were preached, and, amongst
the rest, one by the Bishop, in the Cathedral,
where anthems appropriate to the occasion were
sung by the choir. It is, we believe, the first
time since the days of George Fox, that the
death of any one of his followers has elicited
so high a tribute of respect from any of the
heads of the English hierarchy; nor are we
aware that either history or tradition tells us of
seven days' civic mourning in the case of any
private individual whatever.

F

66

FUNERAL PROCESSION.

The funeral itself, as might have been
expected, from these unusual preliminaries, was
an extraordinary scene. The morning of Tues-
day, the appointed day, was ushered in by the
tolling of the bells of the various churches.
At an early hour, the few shops that had
opened, closed again, and the entire city sus-
pended business, in order to witness, or to take
part in, the approaching ceremony. A number
of gentlemen, among whom were the Mayor,
the ex-Mayor, and the Sheriff^ went out in car-
riages as far as Earlham Hall, the residence of
the deceased, about two miles distant from
Norwich. Other persons, including a large
portion of the scholars of Palace Street British
School, walked to the same spot. The proces-
sion set out from Earlham at about ten o'clock.
It consisted of the hearse, and the carriages
containing the relatives, followed by the equi-
pages which had arrived from Norwich, making
in all more than fift}^, and accompanied by a
considerable body of pedestrians. The cortege
would no doubt have been more numerous, but
it was understood to be the wish of Mr. Gur-
ney's family, that no empty carriages should
attend. A simplicit}^, in harmony alike with
the practice of the Society of Friends, and

SILENT SORROW,

67

with the habits and character of the departed,

marked all the arrancrements. As was fittino-

ill such a case, there was no parade, no hired

sorrow^, no needless insignia of grief. There

was, however, the pomp of mom-ning multi-

titudes. As the procession moved on towards

the city, it was met by a gradually increasing

number of the inhabitants, who had issued

forth in a continuous stream to pay their last

tribute to the memory of Joseph John Gur-

ney. Silently and sadly they stood while the

hearse passed slowly by, and many a tearful

countenance, among the crowd, bore witness to

their sympathy with the surviving relatives,

and their reverential attachment to the dead.

At St. Giles' gates, the throng became yet

more dense and imposing. Every vacant space

w^as occupied with spectators, and the road

sides were like living walls. All, however,

appeared to be impressed with the solemnity of

the occasion, and with the desire to preserve a

becoming order. But for the obvious traces of

sorrow everywhere displayed, it might ha^e

been imagined that the voice so often heard

with dehght amongst us, was not yet stilled by

death, and that the w^ell known benignant smile

and the accustomed eloquence were employed

F 2

68

BEREAVED COMMUNITY.

in marshalling that vast assembly. The
departed spirit seemed to resume for the time,
its wonted influence over the citizens of
Norwich.

At this point a body of Sunday School
Teachers, to the number of about two hundred,
joined the procession, now greatly swollen by
numbers who had already fallen in with the
line of carriages, and accompanied it on foot.
The passage through the city presented a
striking spectacle. The closed shops, the
thronged but quiet streets, the windows every-
where filled with persons looking on with mute
emotion, the unadorned hearse and its attendants
moving slowly through the motionless and
crowded ranks, with the accompaniment of
numerous church bells tolling at measured
intervals, and heard at different and constantly
varying distances — all this spoke of a sentiment
alike deep, universal, and irrepressible. It was
the language of a bereaved community, lament-
ing the loss, and bearing a last testimony to the
virtues of a fellow citizen beloved and honoured
in life: still more beloved and honoured now
that he is gone.

The procession, welcomed everywhere in the
same manner, and continually growing as it

THE BURYING GROUND.

69

went along, passed through St. Giles' street, the
Market place, Exchange street, St. George's
Bridge street, and Pitt street, to St. Martin's
lane, on its way to the burying ground attached
to the Friends' ^Meeting house in the Gilden-
croft. Long before it reached tliis spot, many
persons had assembled there, some for the pur-
pose of taking their places near the freshly
opened grave, others for the sake of preventing
the pressure whicli, on account of the extraor-
dinary crowd, was to be anticipated. With this
view a number of gentlemen formed, and main-
tained during the whole ceremony, a close double
file, sufficiently extended to secure an uninter-
rupted passage from the entrance of the ground
to the place of interment, and from thence to
the adjoining meeting house. By this means,
by the excellent arrangements of jNIr. Yarington,
and still more by the spontaneously quiet and
respectful demeanour of the public, the most
perfect order was preserved throughout. At
about half-past eleven the hearse arrived at the
narrow gateway leading to the burying ground,
from whence the coffin was borne to the o^rave
by six members of the Society of Friends, fol-
lowed by the mourners.

After the procession had reached and sur-

70

THE GRAVE.

rounded the grave, at the mouth of which the
coffin was supported, a profound silence ensued,
according to the simple but solemnly appropriate
practice of the " Friends." This was, at length,
broken by Mr. John Hodgkin, who made a
brief reference to the 55th, 56th, and 57th
verses of the 15th chapter of the 1st of Corin-
thians. "O death where is thy sting? O
grave where is thy victory? The sting of death
is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.
But thanks be to God which giveth us the
victory, through our Lord Jesus Christ !" An-
other pause took place, followed by an address
delivered by Mrs. Lucy Maw, of Needham.
The coffin was then lowered. It was an impres-
sive and affecting moment. The circle of mourn-
ing relatives, the surrounding crowd of spec-
tators— scarcely less moved or less warmly at-
tached to the deceased — persons of all ranks, of
all ages, of all communions. Magistrates and
artizans. Clergymen and Dissenting ministers,
Churchmen, Independents, Baptists, Methodists,
and Friends — in short, representatives of the
whole population of Norwich, now took their
last farewell of Joseph John Gurney. "We
shall not desecrate the feelings of that moment
by attempting to describe them. It will be

FUNERAL SERVICE.

71

sufficient to say that, after gazing for an instant
down into the narrow and final resting place,
the procession slowly turned their footsteps
towards the meeting-house, where a public reli-
gious service was to be held.

This service differed in no respect, but in the
numbers who attended, from the usual meeting
for worship in the same place. It consisted of
the accustomed silence, broken at intervals by
the language of unpremeditated prayer and
preaching. The first ministers who addressed
the dense and attentive assembly were Mrs.
Mary Ann Bayes, Mr. Cornelius Hanbury, and
Mr. William Ball. ]Mrs. Gurney, the widow
of the deceased, with whom all hearts sympa-
thised, then offered up a prayer full of resigna-
tion and thanksgiving. The next speaker was
Mr. John Hodgkin. A prayer by Mr. Braith-
waite concluded the meeting. The service was
deeply impressive, and, pervaded as it was
throughout by the spirit of pure Evangelical
Catholic Christianity, formed an appropriate con-
clusion to the funeral of Joseph John Gurney.

Thus terminated the proceedings of a day
destined to be memorable in the annals of ^^or-
wich : of a day when the simple obsequies of a

72

A FUTURE BIOGRAPHY.

private individual were converted into an august
public ceremony by the whole body of the
citizens, as a memorial of his exalted virtues, and
of their irreparable loss."

In concluding this brief and imperfect me-
moir of one who has occupied so large a space
in society, and who has produced such extensive
and beneficial influence in the church and the
world, the writer indulges the hope that a his-
tory of his life, more comprehensive and more
worthy of his name, will soon be prepared by
some one who possesses the needful information,
and who can fully sympathize with his mind
and character. In the meanwhile, this little
sketch may serve to remind those who knew
him, and to inform those who knew him not,
of some features of his character, and of some
of his abundant labours. May it also be the
means of inducing every reader to imitate his
example, and to trust with increased confidence
and love in that Redeemer, who was all his
salvation and all his desire. He is now " dead,
and buried, and his sepulchre is with us," but
his spirit is still engaged in the service of
Christ, and the memorial of his earthly labours
shall endure for ever.

HIS MONUMENT.

73

" Si monumentura requiris, circumsfice
If yoli ask for his monument, look around —
not, indeed, on sculptured marble, or on splen-
did architecture, but on works of faith, and
labours of love; on ignorance instructed, and
captivity released; on poverty supplied with
bread, and misery deprived of its sting; on
sinners saved, and Christ glorified.

Monumentura tere perennius,

Regalique situ Pyramidum altius :
Quod non imber edax, non Aquilo impotens
Possit diruere, aut innumerabilis
Annorum series, et fuga temporum.

And yet a monument, on which liis own hand
would be the first to inscribe, " By the grace

OF God, I AM WHAT I AM ; AND HIS GRACE
WHICH AVAS BESTOWED UPON ME W AS NOT IN
YAIN ; FOR I LABOURED MORE ABUNDANTLY
THAN THEY ALL; YET NOT I, BUT THE GRACE

OF God which was w^th me."

BY THE SAME AUTHOR.

The Preacher from the Press. Sermons to explain and
to recommend the Gospel of Jesvis Christ. 2 vols., cloth boards,
Price 6s.

The Death of a Minister ax Event of Peculiar
Importance. A Funeral Sermon for the Rev. John Sykes, of
Guestwick.

The Mourning Congregation reminded of the -work
of their deceased Minister. A Funeral Sermon for the Rev.
Joseph Kinghorn, of Norwich.

Church Membership. An Appeal to Christians on the
Duty and Importance of Community with the Church.

The Objects and Motives of Modern Nonconformists.
A Sermon preached at the Opening of Hingham Cnapel.

The Baptism of the Prince. A Sermon preached in
anticination of the Baptism of his Koval Highness the Prince of
Wales*.

Apostolic Ways in the Church. The Introductory Dis-
course delivered at the Ordination of the Rev. Andrew Reed,
B. A. in the Old Meeting House, Norwich.

The Christian serving his own Generation. A
Sermon occasioned by the lamented death of J. J. Gurney, Esq.

WORKS

BY THE LATE

JOSEPH JOHN GUPxXEY.

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NOTES ON A VISIT TO SOME OF THE PRISONS
in Scotland and the North of England, in company with Eliza-
beth Fry, with some general remarks on the subject of Prison
Discipline, 1819.

REPORT ADDRESSED TO THE MARQUIS W^EL-
lesley, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, by Elizabeth Fry, and
.Joseph John Gurney, respecting their late visit to that country,
1828.

SPEECH ON BRITISH COLONIAL SLAVERY.

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