preclude their being introduced at the fix weeks' meetings in Ireland. This circumftance, concurring with a defire of uniformity in the practice of the fociety, it was recommended by the national half year's meeting, now affembled, that the expediency of difcontinuing the fix weeks' meetings, in each of the three provinces, should be taken into confideration the following fpring.

The national half year's meeting of Ireland was held in the fpring of 1792, and the discontinuance of the provincial fix weeks' meetings was concluded upon, as ftated in the following minute.

At a national half year's meeting held in Dublin, from the twenty-ninth of the fourth month to the third of the fifth month, 1792.

"A committee having been appointed, &c. &c. "brought in the following report, which was read and "agreed to by this meeting, viz.

"The committee, appointed to take into confidera"tion the expediency of difcontinuing the holding of "the province fix weeks' meetings, report, that they

met, in company with fundry women-friends, and "after a season of humble waiting for the influ66 ence of truth upon their spirits, the matter was "taken into folid deliberation, and under this folemn "covering, divers favoury and weighty offerings and "observations were made; and it is the general sense "and judgment of this committee, that it is expe"dient, that the bolding of the faid province meetings

"Should,

"Should, for the prefent, be discontinued throughout this "nation.

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"And the committee propofe to the national meet

ing, preffingly to recommend to the quarterly meet❝ings in the three provinces, to take into their weighty "confideration the ftate of their respective monthly "and particular meetings, and frequently to appoint "vifits thereto as occafion may require; and earnestly "to recommend to friends, not to confider the difcon❝tinuance of our province fix weeks' meetings, as an "opportunity given to be more at leifure to attend to "their temporal affairs; but that friends in the sundry quarters, who have the caufe of truth at heart, "keep in view the low ftate of things amongst us, not

only in their own particular fituation, but to extend "their profpect to neighbouring meetings and pro"vinces; feel deeply after the pointings of truth; and "in fympathy with their exercised brethren, go and "fit with them in their monthly and quarterly meet"ings. We believe that such movements would tend "much to mutual help and edification.

"And the faid committee, having confidered the "expediency of an uniform mode of bolding the meet"ings of difcipline throughout the nation, propofe, that "the Preparative Meetings in Ulfter province be no longer Meetings of Record.

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JOB SCOTT, of Providence, in the State of Rhode Ifland, North America, having left his children, his near connexions, and his native land, under an apprehenfion of religious duty, arrived at Dunkirk, and

proceeded

proceeded to England in the first month, 1793. He travelled through feveral of the counties in England and Wales, vifiting the meetings of our Society, and frequently appointing public meetings, at which the members of other Societies were prefent, until the fifth month following. He then attended the yearly meeting in London, and foon afterwards proceeded towards Ireland, and landed in Dublin on the ninth of the seventh month. He vifited moft of the meetings of our Society in Ireland, and had frequent public opportunities, which were largely attended by perfons of different religious perfuafions. But towards the clofe of his fervices in that kingdom, he was feized with the fmall pox at Ballitore; and the diforder, overcoming every effort which medical skill and the unremitted kindness of his friends could make to fubdue it, terminated his valuable life on the twenty-fecond of the eleventh month, 1793, in (as was fuppofed) the forty-third year of his age.

As a man and a minister he was esteemed and beloved, both in his native country, where his religious labours had been frequent and extenfive, and also by those perfons who had the opportunities of being acquainted with him in Europe. In Ireland his vifit was manifeftly influential in producing an expansion of mind, especially among thofe with whom his acquaintance was intimate. He was a man of strong natural abilities, of fingular piety, and of exemplary dedication of heart to whatever appeared to him in the light of duty. He confidered religious truth as a pearl of ineftimable value; hence he became accustomed to habits of frequent and ferious reflection; and thefe

habits he was defirous of encouraging in others. It was his belief, and the subject of his frequent regret, that the profeffors of the gospel generally, these of our own fociety not excepted, were too much in the practice of resting in forms and ceremonies-taking up their religion on truft-depending on the labours and experience of others,--and too implicitly adopting their opinions. To counteract this tendency, and to excite a ferious, diligent, and individual fearch after truth, and a faithful attention to all its dictates, were the great objects of his miniftry, conversation, and epiftolary correfpondence. These, as well as the journal of his life, labours, and religious experience, exhibited striking proofs of a mind defirous of penetrating beyond the furface, and accustomed to original and inftructive views of truth.

It has however been greatly regretted by feveral of his friends, that fome controverted opinions, which are known to be at variance with thofe of his ma turer age, are published, without any comment, in the early parts of his journal; and that feveral other paffages, fome of which were peculiarly striking and energetic, are wholly fuppreffed. Letters written by him after his arrival in Europe, and expressly ftating his peculiar opinions on fome religious fubjeas, are alfo carefully withheld from the infpection even of his intimate friends, from a fear that his opinions might be misunderflood or misapplied.

His converfations with those who attended him in his laft illness, were inftructive and confolatory; and a few days before his death, he dictated a very interefting letter, addreffed to his "DEARLY BELOVED PA"RENTS,"

"RENTS," (meaning his own father and the parents of his deceased wife) "BROTHERS AND SISTERS, ❝ RELATIONS AND FRIENDS." An extract from this letter is inferted in his journal; but from caution or timidity on the part of those to whom the publishing of that work was committed, the greater part of the following paffage was fuppreffed.

"There is scarce any thing that makes longer life "defirable, but to finish the field of religious labour, "which I had hitherto moftly thought was not yet "done; efpecially with regard to digesting my journal, "and fome other writings. Indeed it has often felt "as if I fhould probably die in debt to the world, if I "did not even make some confiderable additions upon fome "fubjects, that may have been thought a little peculiar to myself, but which I ftill believe are as flrictly in the very life and effence of the Gospel, as I believe any truth "whatever; there is not the leaft fcruple in my mind "about them. I truft I as firmly believe in the divi"nity of Chrift as any man living; but I have no more belief that there are two divinities than two “Gods. It is altogether clear to my mind, that that

one divinity actually became the feed of the woman, "and bruised the ferpent's head, as early as any man "ever witnessed redemption from fin; and is one in

the head and all the members, he being like us in "all things except fin. My only hope of eternal fal❝vation is on this ground; nor do I believe there has "ever been any other poffible way of falvation but that "of a real conception and birth of the divinity in "man. It is not now time to enlarge. There are se• veral sketches of this doctrine in my journal, and several

"other