his writings have been beneficial to the world, for he always appeared the friend of piety and morals. His religious writings show him to have been well acquainted with the nature of the Christian life, and to have highly valued the practices and modes of piety and domestic government of the old dissenters. He was, indeed, a stedfast dissenter, and wrote various pamphlets in defence of their principles. He entered the lists with Mr. Howe, on the subject of occasional conformity, and it was allowed that he maintained his ground. Mr. Defoe wrote a multitude of political pamphlets, from 1683, till after the accession of George the first, in which he ever shewed himself the patron of the protestant religion and of civil and religious liberty. For two of them he was prosecuted: the reward of one was the pillory, and for the other he had a pardon from the queen; but in neither case was there any thing to his dishonour. Some of his satirical pamphlets were mistaken for serious compositions. On commercial subjects he wrote much and with singular ability'. His Robinson Crusoe was first published in 1719. Attempts have been made by malice and envy to rob him of his character or his fame in this extraordinary performance, but without success. The "Family Instructor" in two volumes had gone through sixteen editions in 1787, and "his Religious Courtship" twenty one in 1789. There have been between twenty or thirty editions of his "Trueborn Englishman." By such unequivocal marks has the public testified its value for his works 3. f Biographia Britannica, art. Defoe, JOSEPH WILLIAMS. As the example of eminent ministers, which ecclesiastical history presents, is frequently rendered inefficient to private Christians by the notion that their superior religion was a professional excellence, which is not to be expected from those who are employed in secular affairs; the same propensity to excuse ourselves from resembling the eminent, may have induced some to remark, that the memoirs which we have given of persons not in the ministry, were taken from the higher ranks in life, where independent circumstances and freedom from the distractions of business, render devotedness to the service of God and his church comparatively easy. It is, therefore, with peculiar pleasure, that we now introduce to our readers a devout tradesman, whose religion, excellent for its own superiority to the ordinary standard, becomes still more valuable for the stimulus it furnishes to the great mass of mankind, who must ever, like him, be occupied with the labours of a secular calling. Joseph Williams was born about the year 1691, and was the son of a pious clothier, at Kidderminster. His first serious impressions of religion were occasioned by the death of a boy in the neighbourhood, when he was but seven years old. These solicitudes were increased, about six years after, by his father's remarks on the death of his sister. "I felt myself," he says " much inclined to get into some place of retirement, to meditate on death, and an interest in Christ appeared to me better than all the world." After this he bewails the pollution which his mind experienced by being put to work among the weavers in his father's shop. To a similar cause many a youth, once modest and virtuous, may ascribe, the debauchery of his life, and the perdition of his soul. Vexed with their filthy conversation, he at last prevailed on his father to allow him a separate room for work, where he kept a religious book close by him, and without any interruption to his duties, committed to memory the whole of Mason's hymns. * I About this time, his father taking him out for a walk, to impress on his heart the importance of early religion, related to him the following anecdote. was coming home one evening with an elderly gentleman and his son.. They had been spending some hours with persons who had thrown out severe reflections on dissenters, which the old gentleman, who never came to meeting, except when he was in London, had the courage to oppose. After relating to me what he had said to them, he turned to his son, and exclaimed, son, though I have not myself been so religious and careful of my soul as I should be, I cannot but have a tender concern for your everlasting happiness; and here, before Mr. Williams, I admonish you not to live after my example, but keep close to such persons as the dissenters. I have often advised you to make this man your associate, he will lead you in the way to heaven. You are got in with a knot of young fellows who will do you no good: but I will not stir from this place, till you have promised me to abandon that set, and make this man your daily associate. Mind religion in your youth, and do not do as I have done. I have slighted many convictions, and now my heart is hard and brawny." These last words struck young Mr. Williams as a clap of thunder, and the design of his father, in relating the anecdote, seemed happily accomplished. A young companion with whom he afterwards associated, was exceedingly useful to him, though at length he exemplified the melancholy close of Mr. Baxter's lines, which they often read together. He warmed me with his zeal, when I was cold, In the year 1719, he lost his father, of whom he says," he was an excellent pattern of self-denial and diligence in his heavenly calling. He redeemed much time from his bed, rising commonly by four, and spending two or three hours in reading, meditation, and prayer, before the family were up. He was a man of a passionate temper, but through his great watchfulness and close walking with God, it seldom appeared. His death greatly impressed my mind, and roused me out of the spirit into which my intended marriage betrayed me." After his marriage he went on very prosperously in business, for some time; but in the year 1725 he lost to the amount of almost the whole of his capital, which he says became the means of enriching him with a more spiritual state of mind and stronger assurance of his salvation than he had before enjoyed. When, shortly after, some aggravating additions were made to his temporal afflictions, he wrote thus to Mr. Pearswell, of Taunton. "I have not suffered loss, but reaped the greatest gain, the tidings were at first surprising, and the swelling billows began to toss my mind, and disturb my rest; but O what serene calm follows when God speaks peace! How sweetly did he assure my soul that by this cross providence he was faithfully pursuing the great end of electing love to take away sin." On the return of prosperity, he was agitated with solicitude lest he should be lifted up with the pride and self importance which wealth too frequently generates, and seek his happiness in the world rather than in God. But in his diary he writes, “ I humbly hope, yea surely in this I may be confident, by the experience now of twenty-seven years, but more remarkably of the last twelve years, that the love and favour of God is what I prize above all things." The letters and the verses which he wrote on his journey at this time, display a heart amazingly detached from the world and ardently devoted to God. A copy of verses which were addressed to his wife, he sent to the Gentleman's Magazine, with the just and useful remark, that many fine things are published which were written to young ladies to win affection, but he deemed it worthy of the muse to address something to a wife, to cherish conjugal attachment. After having been married twenty years, he recorded the various favours of heaven, and recalled some of his severe afflictions, among which he observed that the loss of five children, all dear to him, but especially the two last, was the most severe. "The rending of such branches gave my heart sensations the most painful; but, blessed be God, who enabled me quickly, without a murmuring word, or repining thought, to submit, because it was his will." As the church at Kidderminster, of which Mr. Williams was a member, had been deprived of a minister by the death of Mr. Bradshaw, in 1742, Mr. Williams united with several friends, twice a week, in |