l would not do, his father plainly telling him that he
should quit the house. The evening before, he applied to him for leave to
come to the meeting at Highflatts to-day; but he refused, and treated him
with very rough language. However, as the concern remained with him, he
rose early in the morning and got himself ready; but his father came and
violently pulled the clothes off his back, and his shirt also, and took
all his other clothes from him but those we met him in, telling him to get
a place immediately, for he should not stop in his house. Being thus
stripped, he went to his work in the stable; but, not feeling easy without
coming to meeting, he set out as he was, not minding his dress, so that he
might but be favored to get to the meeting.

This evening we had an opportunity with him in my parlor, much to our
satisfaction. The language of encouragement and consolation flowed freely
and plentifully towards him through William Wass, John Bottomley, and
myself; and afterwards, in conference with him, we found liberty to advise
him to return home (he having before thought of procuring a place),
believing if he was preserved faithful, way would in time be made for him,
and that it might perhaps be a means of his father's restoration; as at
times, he said, he appeared a little different, not having wholly lost his
love to Friends, and always behaved kindly to them. He took our advice
kindly, and complied therewith. After stopping two nights at my house, he
returned home.

Joseph Wood did not suffer much time to elapse before he paid another
visit to Blacker, to comfort the afflicted family. It was from this visit,
as we apprehend, that John Yeardley dated his change of heart. "I was
convinced," he said on one occasion, "at a meeting which Joseph Wood had
with our family."

7 _mo_. 17, 1803.--Thomas Walker Haigh and William Gant accompanied
us to Joel Yeardley's, where we tarried all night; but the two young men
from Barnsley returned home after supper. Joel was from home, but after
tea we had a religious opportunity with the rest of the family, in which I
had a very long consolatory and encouraging testimony to bear to the
deeply-suffering exercised minds from John xvi. 33. Afterwards I had a
pretty long time, principally to their son John, who I believe was under a
precious visitation from on high. He was much broken and tendered, and I
hope this season of remarkable favor will not soon be forgotten by him.