virtue, that she was enabled to accomplish
such a wonderful work. She had the inspiration of faith, and entered her
life-battle against Slavery with a divine hope, and not with a gloomy
despair.

The next great step in Lucretia Mott's career, was taken at the age of
twenty-five, when, "summoned by a little family and many cares, I felt
called to a more public life of devotion to duty, and engaged in the
ministry in our Society."

In 1827 when the Society was divided Mrs. Mott's convictions led her "to
adhere to the sufficiency of the light within us, resting on the truth
as authority, rather than 'taking authority for truth.'" We may find no
better place than this to refer to her relations to Christianity. There
are many people who do not believe in the progress of religion. They are
right in one respect. God's truth cannot be progressive because it is
absolute, immutable and eternal. But the human race is struggling up to
a higher comprehension of its own destiny and of the mysterious purposes
of God so far as they are revealed to our finite intelligence. It is in
this sense that religion is progressive. The Christianity of this age
ought to be more intelligent than the Christianity of Calvin. "The
popular doctrine of human depravity," says Mrs. Mott, "never commended
itself to my reason or conscience. I searched the Scriptures daily,
finding a construction of the text wholly different from that which was
pressed upon our acceptance. The highest evidence of a sound faith being
the practical life of the Christian, I have felt a far greater interest
in the moral movements of our age than in any theological discussion."
Her life is a noble evidence of the sincerity of this belief. She has
translated Christian principles into daily deeds.

That spirit of benevolence which Mrs. Mott possesses in a degree far
above the average, of necessity had countless modes of expression. She
was not so much a champion of any particular cause as of all reforms. It
was said of Charles Lamb that he could not even hear the devil abused
without trying to say something in his favor, and with all Mrs. Mott's
intense hatred of Slavery we do not think she ever had one unkind
feeling toward the slave-holder. Her longest, and probably her noblest
work, was done in the anti-slavery cause. "The millions of down-trodden
slaves in our land," she says, "being the greatest sufferers, the most
oppressed class, I have felt bound to plead their cause, in