The Journal of Daniel Wheeler

by: Daniel Wheeler

The life of Daniel Wheeler (1771-1840) is a monument to the heart-purifying power of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Left an orphan at a very young age, Wheeler was placed by as an apprentice on a sailing vessel where, along with learning sailing and navigation, he became acquainted with every form of vice and immorality. After six years in the navy and seven years in the army, the Lord made use of a hurricane at sea to awaken him to his lost condition. Being mercifully enabled to repent, and also to see the “entire spirituality of the Gospel dispensation,” he soon left the army and joined the Society of Friends in London. His growth in grace was quick and steady, and after some years he became a minister of great esteem. When Emperor Alexander I of Russia requested the assistance of a Quaker farmer from England, Wheeler moved his family to near St. Petersburg, where they lived for a number of lonely but instructive years. Afterwards, he was led by the Lord to preach the gospel of Christ throughout the South Pacific Ocean. (Original title: Memoirs of the Life and Gospel Labors of the Late Daniel Wheeler: a Minister of the Society of Friends)