A BRIEF NARRATIVE OF THE LIFE OF GILBERT LATEY; COMPRISING SOME ACCOUNT OF THE FIRST SETTLEMENT OF FRIENDS' TO render lines harmonious to every ear, is hardly possible; yet since no part of history is more instructive and delighting than the lives of good and worthy men; and though the present treatise may not entertain the reader with a great variety of passages, it is hoped it will afford him some things acceptable, as well as plain and familiar instances which deserve imitation, and may be a means to persuade him to religion and virtue; which having been asserted, maintained, and suffered for with constancy, to a great degree in this age, such memorials are fit to be delivered to posterity, as may carry with them evident tokens of the Divine goodness and protection to succeeding times; yet not to be done to procure glory to man, to set up his wisdom, or natural or acquired parts, but altogether the abasing of self, and to exalt alone the Lord 86748 Jesus Christ. Time to man here is short, in comparison of eternity; it glides away apace: and possibly it may not be long ere thy forehead, Reader, begin to wrinkle, and thy hair change grey, thy eyes become dim, and knees tremble, and thou perhaps to all enjoyments here, be as though thou hadst never been. And as the following passages of the life of my deceased dearly and well beloved uncle came chiefly from himself, as to what relates to, and was brought to pass in, the last century, at the first breaking forth of the blessed truth in this great city; and much of the latter part of his time was within the compass of my own knowledge, (we having lived together above forty-two years,) I have in commemoration of the deceased, gathered these few passages of his life, and shall set them forth in no other dress than in that plainness which in those early times attended the Lord's servants, and accompanied our dear friend, and carried him through all the powers and governments which were in his time, he still keeping in the selfdenial, bearing the cross of our only Mediator and blessed Redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ; by which he became crucified to the world and its glory, not valuing the lofty empty titles of men, high and great in the world, so as to be dismayed or hindered thereby from approaching any in authority; he being with great humility furnished in the love of God to attend them when the Lord's servants were under sufferings, in order to get the oppressed eased, and imprisoned set at liberty: wherein by the perusing of his life, thou wilt find how indefatigable he hath been, yet walking inoffensively both to Jew and Gentile, and the church of God. And as to the book itself, it is not my intention to prepossess the judgment of the reader; but I may adventure thus far to say, that if it shall please the Lord to accompany thee with his Divine light, it will discover to thee the path our blessed friend trod through many straits. Yet if thou, as he was, art found to submit to the Divine will, and the disposition thereof, thou wilt feel sweet peace and tranquillity. And thus I shall conclude with desires both for myself, and all those who are quickened in the Lord, that we may persevere in the way wherein this his blessed servant while with us walked, and not be like those of old mentioned in Judges, (chap. ii. v. 10,) who arose after the death of Joshua and the elders, and "knew not the Lord, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel." |