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of the Lord's day, and published on the subject, and his views are now held by the body generally. Their opinion of the impulse of the Spirit in directing their worship must of necessity exclude the singing of psalms or hymns. They totally disallow the separation and edu cation of a particular class for the work of the ministry. They have ministers, but these are called out exclusively by a divine impulse, and after trial approved by the body, and they are neither separated from secular callings, nor do they receive any stipends. They allow the public ministry of females. Their meetings for worship are usually silent, except when any one feels himself moved by the Spirit to speak or pray. They do not read the scriptures in their public worship, though they are known to be exemplary in this exercise in their families and in their private retirements.

The Quakers go beyond all others in bearing their testimony against the interference of the magistrate with religious matters; and hence suffer themselves always to be distrained upon, rather than pay tithes or church rates. They never take oaths; and condemn all war, even that which is defensive, as unchristian and therefore unlawful, and of course never bear arms. They very rarely go to law with each other, but settle matters by arbitrators chosen by themselves. They support their own poor, and never allow them to receive parochial relief. Marriages are always celebrated among themselves, and none are allowed to intermarry with persons of other denominations under pain of being disowned. They refuse to use titles; and believing that the plural number when addressing a single person originated in puerile vanity, they invariably employ the singular" thee" and "thou," to a single individual, though it be to the monarch. Because the days of our

months and weeks are borrowed from Paganism they reject them, and call each by numerals. Their dress is singular, and adopted with an utter rejection of what may be called the finery, and follies, and changes of fashion. They never take off their hats to any mortal, even to the monarch, conceiving this a mark of homage exclusively due to the Deity. In their discipline they are exceedingly watchful over the moral character and conduct of their members.

The government and discipline of the Quakers are unique, and cannot be classed with either Episcopacy, Presbyterianism, or Independency. Monthly meetings, usually comprising several congregations, are held, at which members are admitted, discipline is carried on, overseers are appointed to take superintendance, and other matters are attended to. In addition, quarterly meetings are held, which are composed of several monthly meetings, whose business it is to receive reports from the latter, and to hear appeals from them, which every individual has a right to do who feels himself aggrieved in what may be called the lower court. Then comes the yearly meeting, which has the general superintendance of the whole society, and to which appeals may be carried up from the quarterly meetings. The yearly meeting is partly representative, as delegates are appointed to attend it from the quarterly meetings, while any members who may feel inclined have liberty to attend. This meeting gives forth its advice, adopts rules, transacts by committees various matters connected with the body, and issues an annual epistle of counsel and consolation. To a certain extent, then, so far as the yearly meeting is concerned, the government is democratic, and yet by the gradation of meetings it resembles Presbyterianism. No president is ever appointed at any

of the meetings, as they look up to and rely upon God's illuminating Spirit to preside over their deliberations. Besides these meetings, they believe that as women may be called to the work of the ministry they may bear a part in the support of their Christian discipline, some parts of which appertaining to their own sex devolves on them with peculiar propriety. Accordingly, they have monthly, quarterly, and yearly meetings of their own sex held at the same time with those of the men, but separately, and without the power of making rules.

In the promulgation of such a system we are not surprised that in an age of intolerance they should have been for a sign, a wonder, a gazing stock, and a reproach to the ignorant and bigotted of all parties, and the object of much bitter and cruel persecution. This, it must be admitted, was a little increased by the very injudicious manner in which some of them obtruded their sentiments on public attention. Not content with preaching them, and explaining and defending them from the press, they were in some instances aggressive upon the peace and order of other assemblies. Fox himself would sometimes, in his early career, interrupt public worship in bearing his testimony against what he considered to be the errors of the preacher. These mistakes of judgment he subsequently corrected, and adopted more legitimate methods of promulgating his opinions. His errors, however, were venial indiscretions compared with the rancour with which he and his followers were treated by nearly all parties, not excepting the Independents.

It need be scarcely mentioned that the designation of Quakers is not that which this body appropriate to themselves; they have selected a cognomen to which their conduct entitles them, "Friends." When George Fox

was brought before two justices of the peace in Derbyshire, in 1650, one of them indulged himself in a vein of scoffing merriment against the serious manner and strange doctrine of the individual who stood before him, when nothing daunted, Fox turned upon the magisterial buffoon and bade him tremble at the word of the Lord; upon which the scoffer in derision gave him and his followers the name of Quakers. Their early history consisted in a great part of a detail of buffetings, imprisonments, and spoiling of goods. So early as 1659 they stated to parliament that in the preceding six years about two thousand individuals had suffered in person and estate for being Quakers; and this representation was accompanied by one of the most extraordinary public acts on record. One hundred and sixty-four Friends offered themselves by name to the House to be imprisoned in the place and stead of an equal number, who, from sickness or the hardships of their confinement, were conceived to be in danger of perishing. Their congregations were broken in upon by the military and the mob; their meeting-houses were burnt or pulled down; and the worshippers treated with the greatest indignities and cruelties.

Whatever was the feeling of many of his followers and friends who were not indeed exempt from the crime of persecuting the Quakers, Cromwell was himself far more tolerant. His eyes were ever open and upon every thing, and perceiving the increase of their numbers he deemed it prudent to guard against any danger from this quarter, and therefore required Fox not to disturb his government. This engagement was to be given in writing, but to be expressed in whatever terms the writer chose to employ. Fox therefore wrote to the Protector by the name of "Oliver Cromwell," declaring "that he did deny the wearing or drawing of a sword,

or any outward weapon against him, or any man." Cromwell afterwards admitted Fox to an interview, when the preacher delivered some wholesome truths, which were received in a manner highly to the Protector's honour. He who held the sceptre of Britain and the balance of Europe, with true magnanimity so far condescended to meet the scruples of this humble individual, as to allow him to remain covered in his presence.

In 1665, a hundred and twenty Quakers were in Newgate, sentenced to transportation under the "Conventicle Act." The masters of ships generally refusing to carry them, an embargo was laid, and it was made a condition of sailing to the West Indies, that some Quakers should be taken there by every vessel. Unwilling to be active in their own banishment, the sufferers refused to walk on board, as did also the seamen to hoist them in, till a mercenary wretch was found who, assisted by some soldiers from the Tower, carried fifty-five of them to the ship. The vessel being detained till the plague broke out, twenty-seven of them died of that fearful scourge, and the vessel having been taken by a Dutchman, the rest were liberated in Holland, and sent home. Other parties were set on shore by different vessels, so that only few of them were in the end sent to the West Indies.

The Quakers held their first general meeting, 1660, at Skipton in Yorkshire; a few years after which meetings for discipline were established throughout England and Ireland, chiefly by the incessant personal labours and epistolary recommendations of George Fox. At this period the society received a considerable accession of respectability by the conversion of William Penn and Robert Barclay: one the founder of the Transatlantic State, called after him, Pennsylvania, and the other the individual who first gave to the world a full and method

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