This appears to me to be your present business—­to give all diligence to your present duties; and I cannot help believing, if this be the case, that the day will come when you will be brought into much usefulness.

As the years rolled on, her boys went to school also; but they were followed by a loving mother’s counsels.  From her correspondence with them we cull a few extracts to prove how constant and tender was her care over them, and how far-reaching her anxieties.  Two or three specimens will suffice.

Upon the departure of each of her boys for boarding-school she wrote out and gave him a copy of the following rules.  They are valuable, as showing how carefully she watched over their mental and moral welfare.

“1st.  Be regular, strict in attending to religious duties; and do not allow other boys around thee to prevent thy having some portion of time for reading at least a text of Scripture, meditation and prayer; and if it appear to be a duty, flinch not from bowing the knee before them, as a mark of thy allegiance to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  Attend diligently when the holy Scriptures are read, or to any other religious instruction, and endeavor in Meeting to seek after a serious waiting state of mind, and to watch unto prayer.  Let First Day be well employed in reading proper books, etc., but also enjoy the rest of innocent recreation, afforded in admiring the beauties of nature; for I believe this is right in the ordering of a kind Providence that there should be some rest and recreation in it.  Show a proper, bold, and manly spirit in maintaining among thy play-fellows a religious character, and strict attention to all religious duties.  Remember these texts to strengthen thee in it.  ’For whosoever shall be ashamed of Me, and My words, of him shall the Son of Man be ashamed, when He shall come in His own glory, in His Father’s, and of the holy angels.’  ’But I say unto you, whosoever shall confess Me before men, him shall the Son of Man also confess before the angels of God; but he that denieth Me before man shall be denied before the angels of God.’  Now, the sooner the dread laugh of the world loses its power, the better for you....  But strongly as I advise thee thus faithfully maintaining thy principles and doing thy duty, I would have thee very careful of either judging or reproving others; for it takes a long time to get the beam out of our own eye, before we can see clearly to take the mote out of our brother’s eye.  There is for one young in years, much greater safety in preaching to others by example, than in word, or doing what is done in an upright, manly spirit, ’unto the Lord, and not unto man.’