- Joseph Cash, the son of John and Elizabeth Cash, both Ministers, was born at Coventry in the year 1784. There are no special memoranda of his inner life, but a few extracts from his letters may give some insight into it; his outward life abundantly testifying to his discipleship, by the uniform consistency of his character, and his daily walk with God.
He had an humble opinion of his own attainments, but felt constrained by the love of christ to invite his fellow-man to come and believe in Jesus, particularly dwelling upon the fulness of the Gospel message; having himself in early life sought acceptance with God by the performance of moral works, and having found them insufficient to give peace of mind.
In the years 1830 and 31 he was one of the Yearly Meeting's Committee appointed to visit the Quarterly meetings, and he seems to have had peaceful satisfaction in the service; remarking, "I am often baptized into much poverty of spirit under a deep sense of my utter unworthiness. Still the refreshing influence of my Saviour's love is vouchsafed to me at seasons, to the comforting of my weary soul; and I am enabled through His grace and good Spirit to cast my all into His hands, and say 'Thy will be done.'"
On recovering from a severe illness, he says: "I know myself o be unworthy of the notice of my friends and neighbours: yet I have reason to believe, their prayers and intercessions, offered on my behalf when I was much prostrated, were under the blessing of a merciful and gracious God, the means of my being raised up from a bed of sickness." His love for the Scriptures was deep and reverent. On one occasion he writes: "I feel it my required duty to give much time to the reading of them: praying to my heavenly Father for the guidance of the Holy Spirit, that I might more fully understand these inestimable records of the will of God; for I find the more I love them."
He thus alludes to his early training respecting the indwelling and guidance of the Spirit of Truth: "Even from my very early youth this was inculcated by the tender care of pious parents; and through the continued blessing of my gracious God and Saviour, was never more firmly believed in, than at the present time. Perhaps few individuals have carried this conviction of the important agency of the Holy Spirit further that I have, and yet I think not further than sacred Scripture warrants. I have not confined its operation and guidance to merely scriptural truths; but have believed those individuals who love and serve God, are also favoured with its gracious help, in directing their movements in the outward avocations of the present life: and I consider this a very high and merciful privilege."
About the time of his middle life, our society was much agitated by controversy: when his advanced views of Gospel truth were misunderstood by dome of his friends. This deeply pained his sensitive mind; but he did not feel at liberty to withdraw from the society, believing it would ultimately more fully recognize Evangelical truth. On one occasion he writes: "What joy is there to be compared with the joy of God's salvation! what peace to be compared with that peace which the believer has in Jesus! What hope is like unto that hope which is afforded in the Gospel!"
Thus at the end of a long pilgrimage he was prepared, through the mercy of God in Christ Jesus, to enter that city, that "needeth not the light of the sun, neither of the moon, to shire in it: for th glory of God doth lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof."
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Waterfall Family History
1784 - 1870 (85 years) 
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