on (having very imprudently, by giving way to wrong things, in a great meafure loft the garment of innocence), the furnace hath been made very hot, that fo his drofs might be done away.'

At length Mr. Griffith found his mind pretty ftrongly drawn, as he expreffeth himself, and much inclined to enter into a marriage state with a young woman, whofe name was Rebekkah. We took each other, fays he, in marriage the 30th of the tenth month, 1737, at a large and folemn meeting, under the precious over-fhadowing of the power of divine love- I think to a larger degree than I had often, if ever felt before, which was no fmall confirmation of our being rightly joined together.'

Mr. Griffith proceeds to journalize it through upwards of 400 pages; in which we have an account of his perils by fea and land-perils amongft falfe brethren-perils of the flesh and perils of the fpirit. The poor man, in company with a few friends, were moved to vifit their brethren and fifters in New England but after encountering the dangers of the Atlantic (for by the bye we ought to have remarked that the last scene of his labours was laid in America) he, with his companions, was taken by a privateer, and carried to France. Here he converfed with nuns, and difputed with friars. Some of their questions, fays he, were very enfnaring: however, I was enabled to answer them in fuch a manner as that they could take no advantage thereof, to bring me into trouble.' Cunning enough!

From France Mr. Griffith and his companions were carried to Spain, and ftaid at Sebaftian several weeks for the cartel hip's failing. The Spaniards, fays he, are much more dif agreeable to live amongst than the French. The men appeared to us, in a general way, poor, proud, and exceeding lazy; filled with high conceits of themselves, both in a civil and a religious fenfe. They fauntered about, walking with their cloaks. over their fhoulders, looking upon us with contempt, as we neither could bow to their pride, nor to their religion: nor could we look upon them in a favourable light when we obferved what flaves they make of their wives, and of their women in general, who are employed in all or moft of the drudgery, even in rowing their boats. I have seen in their ferries, and other business on the water, to fpeak within compass, more than a hundred women thus employed; and scarcely is a man feen to touch an oar, unless he goes a fifhing; and then his wife or fome woman muft bring his cloak and fword to the water-fide against he comes on fhore, and carry the fish home on her head, while he walks in ftate to the town.'

After congratulating English women on their privileges, he thus graphically defcribes the ftate of religion in that country.

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The darkness of Popery feems greater here than in France; although it may be feen and felt there beyond all expreffion. Oh! the pain and distress of foul I was almoft continually under by the muddy rivers of Babylon in thofe lands of darkness the harp being indeed, as it were, hung upon the willows. No fweet melody nor fong of Sion could be echoed forth (the Lord knoweth) under the power of the king of the bottomlefs pit, who rules in the mystery of iniquity. Yet fo it must remain until that almighty Arm that cut Rahab in pieces, and wounded the dragon *, is pleased to arife, and put on ftrength, that he may turn and overturn: pouring forth the vials of his wrath upon the feat of the beaft and falfe prophet, thereby making the fcarlet whore of Babylon defolate, and burning her fleth with fire, that the nations may no more be intoxicated with the abominations of the wine of her fornications.'

The method in which the Author relates his meeting with Friends in public worship, is generally confined to a few fingular expreffions, fuch as- We had a clofe, roufing time of ita trying laborious meeting-an open and comfortable opportunity-a heavy, afflicting feafon.' We fhall produce a fpecimen of the Author's manner of relating the event of a meeting at Sunderland, together with a hint which he throws out to the Friends who are too often inclined to make hearty dinners on firft days.

We went to Sunderland, and attended their meetings on firft day. That in the morning was very open and fatisfactory; the teftimony of truth going forth freely to the several states of those persons who were much affected therewith. In the afternoon it was a heavy afflicting meeting: but little felt of that which crowned the meeting in the morning. We often find afternoon meetings are the moft heavy and painful, occafioned,

Our poor Friend meets with this fame dragon, not only in Spain, but in Ireland; and perhaps, where fuch a terrible animal would not have been expected, viz. in a Quaker's meeting: I went, fays he, to Meath-street [in Dublin] in the morning, where I had thorough fervice to my own great comfort and eafe, though my fpirit was much grieved to view the havock made amongst Friends in that great city by undue liberties: but most of all under a mournful fenie, that the dragon's tail had drawn down fome of the flars again into earthly pollution, and caufed a bad favour. This was offenfive to my foul-even as a nuisance in that meeting.'-Exbalans mephitim!-This could not be the dragon of the Apocalypfe: for we read nothing of his favour. It must have been the dragon of Wantley,' whole flink, as well as whofe terror, is recorded in the celebrated ballad of the Achievements of More of More-Hall.' Vid, the DEAN of Carlifle's Collection of the Reliques of

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no doubt, in part at leaft, by answering the cravings of nature to the full whereas they fhould be denied a full gratification, as little fuftenance for that space of time would anfwer much better. If any think this hint, by way of caution, impertinent, there is reason to doubt that they are yet too much strangers to the nature of true worfhip, and the many impediments in the way of its performance: that abovementioned being none of the leaft. I was quite fhut up as to miniftry in the afternoon.'

Mr. Griffith hath not informed us whether he was shut up through a full belly that overpowered the spirit, and kept it down under a grofs load of flefh; or that fympathetic principle, which he frequently speaks of, that anfwers to the fituation of others, and feels, by a fecret impulfe, the workings of a good or an evil fpirit in the fociety of Friends. This is the very quinteffence of myfticifm and foars above the comprehenfion of all but Quakers indeed. This fpiritual fympathy-this interchange or reciprocal communication of fecret feelings, is particularly defcribed by the celebrated Robert Barclay in his Apology and as it enters deeply into the ancient system of Quakerifm, we think it fufficiently curious to be laid before our Readers:

"Such is the evident certainty of that divine ftrength that is communicated by thus meeting together, and waiting in filence upon God, that fometimes when one hath come in, that hath been unwatchful and wandering in his mind, or fuddenly out of the hurry of outward bufinefs, and fo not inwardly gathered with the reft: fo foon as he retires himself inwardly, this power being in a good measure raised in the whole meeting, will fuddenly lay hold of his fpirit, and wonderfully help to raife up the good in him, and beget him into the fenfe of the fame power, to the melting and warming of his heart; even as the warmth would take hold upon a man that is cold coming into a five; or as a flame will lay hold upon fome little combuftible matter being near unto it. Yea, if it fall out, that feveral met together be ftraying in their minds, though outwardly filent, and fo wandering from the measure of grace in themselves (which through the working of the enemy, and the negligence of fome, may fall out), if either one come in, or may be in, who is watchful, and in whom the life is raifed in a great measure; as that one keeps his place, he will feel a fecret travail for the reft in a fympathy with the feed, which is oppreffed in the other, and kept from arifing by their thoughts and wanderings. And as fuch a faithful one waits in the light, and keeps in the divine work, God oftentimes anfwers the fecret travails and breathings of his own feed through fuch a one; fo that the rest will find themfelves fecretly fmitten without words; and that one will be

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as a midwife through the fecret travail of his foul, to bring forth the life in them; just as a little water thrown into a pump brings up the reft; whereby life comes to be raised in all, and the vain imaginations brought down: and fuch a one is felt by the reft to minifter life unto them without words. Yea, finally, when there is not a word in the meeting, but all are filently waiting; if one come in that is rude and wicked, and in whom the power of darkness prevaileth much, perhaps with an intention to mock or do mifchief, if the whole meeting be gathered into the life, and it be raised in a good measure, it will ftrike terror into fuch a one, and he will feel himself unable to refift; but by the fecret ftrength and virtue thereof, the power of darkness in him will be chained down; and if the day of his vifitation be not expired, it will reach to the measure of grace in him, and raise it up to the redeeming of his foul."

This learned Apologift produceth himself as an example of this furprising power of fpiritual fympathy and Mr. Griffith relates, from his own experience, feveral inftances of its effect on him in the public meeting. It ferved both for eyes and ears. By it he could

• See and tell of things invifible to mortal fight.'

I went, fays he, to Wigton, and attended both their meetings on first day. It was an exceeding painful, exercising time. My mouth was as it were closed up in mournful filence: yet not without a pretty clear view and fenfe of the forrowful states of those amongst them who had been the principal caufe of the death and mifery I felt. I faw what they were doing in the dark, as it were, through the hole in the wall.'-There would be no living in this world if all men were fuch peepers as our Author: there are so many things done in the dark, that if men had the faculty of Mr. Griffith, they would furely find or make holes enough in the wall to peep through to fee what is going forward-fome to fpoil fport-others to blab it-and a third class to fatisfy curiofity.-We may fay of Mr. Griffith what Garrick faid of Shakespeare

No maid could live near fuch a man.'

Another inftance of uncommon fagacity Mr. Griffith records of himself towards the latter part of his Journal. I had, fays he, a large meeting at Goofe Creek (viz. in Maryland). It was an exceeding dark, afflicting time. My mind was deeply impreffed with a fenfe of a corrupt, blafting miniftry being amongst them and the people having itching cars loved to have it fo. This was fo ftrong upon my mind, that I feared for fome time I fhould have been under a neceffity of declaring it publickly in the meeting. I was an entire firanger, and did not know by any outward information that they had any who appeared in public. After meeting I took fome of my elderly

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Friends afide, and told them how it had been with me as above, for I was filent through the whole meeting. I was informed' afterwards that there was a forward, unruly man who had given fenfible Friends much trouble.' At Ofwego Mr. Griffith' was in the fame predicament of the fpirit. I was quite a ftranger, fays he, and did not know by any outward information, that they had any one who ufually appeared in public; yet my mind was ftrongly impreffed with a fenfe that the meeting had been much hurt by a wrong miniftry and for that reafon chiefly my mouth was fhut up there in that respect. It feemed as if the very perfon was fhewn to me in the meeting, though I had never seen him before, that I know of: but I found afterwards it was a true fenfe, and I told Friends in his hearing how things appeared to me in that meeting, which feemed to strike him, and he ftruggled a little. But I left it upon him.' Could an Apostle have spoken with greater authority? Could an infpired difcerner of the fpirits have penetrated deeper into the hidden closet of the heart? So much then for Mr. Griffith's fecond fight. So much for that most fenfible of all poffible fenfes that is tremblingly alive' all o'er, and received impreffions from the most diftant and minute of all poffible impulfes, and affimilated his fpirit to the fpider, which, though lurking in its hole, perceives if a breath disturbs the utmost extremity of its web, and (as Pope fays) lives along the line."

We fhall be much wronged and misunderstood if, by the preceding remarks, any of our Readers should imagine that we mean to throw any ridicule on the general body of the Quakers. Nothing is more foreign from our wifhes or intentions. As a religious and civil fociety, we hold them in particular respect : and numbers of its members would be an ornament to any church or any profeffion. Religious fects generally owe their origin to fome fpecies of enthufiafm. The earlier votaries of a new mode of worship, or a new system of faith, are, for the moft part, perfons of warm imaginations, and determined refolution; but too feldom of correct judgment, or confiftent practice. Their hopes of reformation are fanguine; but their method of conducting it generally precipitate, and frequently abfurd. This was the cafe with Quakerifm in the days of George Fox. But in procefs of time its harfhnefs was foftened: its irregularities were corrected: and the good that had been fcattered amidst a heap of abfurdity and fanaticifm, was at length collected into a confiftent mafs, and, by degrees, modelled into fome decency of form and order. Some of its original peculiarities indeed were retained by its moft fenfible and learned advocates, But we are convinced that they are held in little account by the more judicious part of its prefent profeffors. Prudence may adhere to the form, but good fenfe will

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