Friendly reader, ascertain, if possible, what is truth, and where you can get the most good, and at the same time do the most good; that is the place for you.

Praying the Great Head of the church, to direct and guide you to the best, and safest results, I remain yours, reader, in the kingdom and patience of Jesus.

FEW persons, who have arrived at any degree of eminence. in life, have written memorials of themselves, that is, such as have embraced both their private and public life; but many, very many, who never arose to any thing like eminence in this life, have written such memorials of themselves; therefore, knowing as I do, that I have never arisen to any thing like eminence, and that it is the custom of such only, to write out a full history of themselves, I proceed to the performance of the task. However, the public transactions of many great men, have been recorded by their contemporaries or themselves, apparently too with the best of motives: but why such and such things occurred, and are thus recorded; and why such and such other events which are not related, have been passed by in silence, we are rarely told.

Now, I maintain, that the bad as well as the good acts of a man should be related; and then, the reader, having the whole man before him, is the better prepared to award to him a righteous verdict. But it will, perhaps, be urged, that a man should so conduct himself as to be wholly free from improprieties, especially a minister of the gospel. To this I reply, that if the memoirs of only such as have lived and died without fault, were written, we should seldom, if ever, see a production of the kind.

But if there be more evil than good attached to a man, what are we to do? Why, put your veto upon him, and determine not to follow his footsteps. But what shall we do when there is more good than evil attached to the life and travels of a man? Why, faithfully relate the whole, and then profit by his example, in that he has done good. But when the scale is so perfectly poised that neither end preponderates, what shall we do? Why, balance accounts and strike off even! Few men can be said to have inimitable excellencies, or in

imitable failings; let us watch them in their progress from infancy to manhood, and we shall soon be convinced that while we imitate their virtues, we should shun their vices. Then to profit by the past lives and conduct of others, we should exhibit them in full. This done, we cannot fail to receive benefit by an attentive perusal of what has past, unless we are "such as cannot teach, and will not learn.”

That a man, engaged solely in the work of propagating christianity-in carrying the light of the gospel among the people-in opposing error, and defending the cause of truthand, finally, in going about like his Saviour, endeavoring to do good to all, should find himself exposed to enemies, or should meet with opposition, may seem strange! But history and observation inform us, that this has been the lot of all public men, in a greater or less degree. While some embla-. zon a man's virtues, others will amplify his faults. jority, however, labor,

"The struggling pangs of conscious truth to hide,

To quench the blushes of ingenuous shame,"

A ma

rather than pursue the opposite course; and, it is not unlikely, that on this account, so few public characters have justice done them.

Again: While the shafts of unmerited censure are hurled against some men, and they are doomed to bear the base insinuations of invidious tongues, they nevertheless rise to victorious eminence, having to all appearance, taken fresh courage from the circumstance! But alas for others! they seem to sink beneath the load, and, with the poet they are ready to exclaim:

"While sorrow's encompass me round,

And endless distresses I see:

Astonish'd I cry! can a mortal be found,

That's surrounded with troubles like me?"

Perhaps it may be asked, who is the person that offers this volume to the world? In this the inquisitive reader shall be gratified, for short and simple are the domestic annals of one who has not even reached his thirtieth year. I am the eldest son of JOSEPH A. BROWNLOW, who was born and raised in Rockbridge county, in Virginia, in the year 1781, and died. in Blountville, in Tennessee, in the year 1816. My father died when I was so young, that I could not have been a judge of his character;-but it has been a source of comfort to me, to hear him spoken of by his old associates, as a man of good sense, brave independence, and great integrity.

The death of my father, was a grievous affliction to my

mother, as she was left with five helpless children, three sons and two daughters, all of whom are still living. Her maiden name was CATHARINE GANAWAY, a Virginian likewise, and of respectable parentage. But she departed this transitory life, in less than three months after the death of her husband. Being naturally mild and agreeable in her temperament, she was strongly endeared to a large circle of friends and acquaintances. But their consolation is in this, that when sinking into the cold embrace of death, she was happy in the religion, of Christ.

However, accounts of the parentage of a man, unless connected with some very peculiar circumstances, are generally uninteresting; and more particularly, when their names are not intimately interwoven with the history of their own country, or of any other. Beside this, if a man's parents, whether dead or alive, are known to have possessed great merits, they will be appreciated, and therefore need not to be blazoned by the pen of eulogy.

I was born (and chiefly raised) in Wythe county, in Virginia. After the death of my parents, I lived with my mother's relations, till within three years of the time I joined the Methodist itinerancy, and was appointed to labor as a circuit preacher. I can say, and I think it my duty not to pass over the fact in this brief narrative,--that I feel towards those relations for their paternal care over me, a degree of gratitude and affection, which can only spring from the laws of nature, and the social relations of life.

As to the days of my childhood, they passed away as those of other children, carrying with them the pleasures and pains, common to that season. I could, however, relate many interesting incidents, connected with the history of my boyhood: but lest I justly incur the charge of egotism, I will them by in silence.

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At a very early period of my life I had impressions of a religious nature, which were never erased from my mind; and though I made no profession of religion until I arrived within two years of mature age, and was even rude, yet, I had the utmost respect for professors of religion, and particularly ministers of the gospel.

During the month of September, in the year 1825, at which time I resided in Abingdon, I attended a camp-meeting, at the Sulpher springs, twenty miles east of that, when it pleased God to give me the witness of the Spirit. There is a concentration of feeling,-a glow of fancy,-I may say of religious affection, connected with the recollection of that circum