IV.

CHAP. had stolen the good words of the apostles, or their forefathers, whose testimony had stood equally against all flesh, and who had suffered for righteousness sake.

24. All agree that GEORGE Fox did not receive Eccl. His his sentiments from ORIGEN, nor the schools. "His v. p. 458. ignorant and inelegant simplicity, says one, places

tory, vol.

176.

him beyond the reach of suspicion in this matter." God generally chose such ignorant and inelegant teachers to deliver his messages, of which the following is an example.

25. These (the professors of christianity, says Fox'sJou. ' Fox,) paint themselves with the prophets', and with vol. i. p. Christ's and with the apostles' words most fair.Whited walls, painted sepulchres, murderers of the 'just you are. Your eyes are double, your minds are double, your hearts are double. Ye flatterers, re'pent and turn from your carnal ends, who are full of mischief; pretending God and godliness, taking him for your cloak; but he will uncover you, and ' he hath uncovered you to his children."

ibid. p. 179.

26. "He will make you bare, discover your secrets, 'take off your crown, take away your mantle and your veil, and strip you of your cloathing; that your nakedness may appear, and how you sit deceiving the nations. Your abomination and your falsehood is now made manifest to those who are of God;who in his power triumph over you, rejoice over " you, the beast, the dragon, the false prophet, the seducer, the hypocrite, the mother of all harlots. 'This is the generation which God is not well pleas'ed with; for their eyes are full of adultery, who cannot cease from evil. These be they that live in 'pleasures upon earth; who glory not in the Lord but in the flesh."

27. George For bore a plain and living testimony of truth, according to the will of God at that time. But, unhappily for the Friends, the testimony of truth was, exchanged for the illustrations and comments of great men, to suit the taste of the great and popular ones of the earth: hence the wise and learned of this world have had occasion to make the following distinction.

IV.

V. p. 459.

28. "The tenets which this blunt and illiterate CHAP. man [Fox] expressed in a rude, confused and am'biguous manner, were dressed up and presented Eccl. His' under a different form, by the masterly hands of tory, vol. BARCLAY, KEITH, FISHER, and PENN, who diges'ted them with such sagacity and art, that they assu'med the aspect of a regular system." And hence it is, that the writings of Barclay and Penn, are more recommended than those of Fox or Burrough.

29. And what was all this digesting and regulating, but laying another foundation for those very whited walls and painted sepulchres, against which their testimony first came forth? Jesus of Nazareth might have been called a blunt and illiterate man, when among his own nation the Jews, he denounced judgment against both them and their most solemn place of worship. His apostles were blunt illiterate. fishermen; and such were generally the principal instruments by which God promoted the best of causes; and the true witnesses never attempted to sof ten the matter, or to suit their testimony to the taste of the great ones of the earth.

30. The truth is, the Friends were led astray from the power of a living testimony by popularity; in this case they were deceived; and while they clothed themselves with the words of their ancients, they came under the condemnation of those who had clothed themselves with the words of Christ and his apostles, against whom their ancients testified.

31. Popularity and persecution could never abide with each other. When the Friends became numerous and popular, and the life and power of their testimony was on the decline, then they were prepared to sue for an establishment as a true Christian sect, worthy of protection under the power of the secular arm; and here ended both their power, and their extraordinary sufferings.

562, 585,

32. Many of the petitions, which they presented sewel's to King JAMES II. and also to King WILLIAM III. History.p and Queen ANN, now stand on record. WILLIAM, 598, 599. Prince of Orange, first established liberty of conscience by law in England, about the year 1689. To his honour, the "Friends partook of that righteous

CHAP.

IV.

Sewel's

p. 646.

grant, but to their shame, as the witnesses of God, it was granted to them, in particular, upon their humble request, and their religion established by act of pariiament.

33. In the year 1702, WILLIAM died, and PrinHistory, cess ANN, was proclaimed queen. To her also, the Friends sent many addresses. Thus their petitions for the redress of their grievances, were mixed with addresses of applause to the great ones of the earth, until they were placed upon equal ground of respectability with other Protestants; and thus the offence of the cross ceased, the glory of their ancients passed away, and left another people in the outward form, but destitute of the power; so that chosen witnesses were raised up, among themselves, to testify of their fall and apostacy from their original spirit.

34. The spirit and power of eternal truth confirmed the testimony of George Fox, and many of those who were cotemporary with him, that they were sent of God as true witnesses. But there is decided proof that a people of the same name followed after, who, as a people, were not the true witnesses: for as God never did raise up one true witness to testify against another; therefore the testimony of John Griffith, whom they acknowledge to have been sent of God, stands as an undeniable proof that their power, as a people, was gone, in about sixty years from the time of their addresses to the queen.

35. From the many lamentations of this faithful labourer, over a back-sliding people, it will be suffiGriffith's cient to notice the following. "Many under our reJournal,ligious profession, (says he,) resting in the profes'sion only, is the principal reason that we find divers ' under our name more insensible, harder to be reached unto, and awakened by a living powerful ministry, than any other religious persuasion. This may seem strange to some, but I know it is lamentably 'true."

ibid. P. 105.

36. On his visiting the Friends in America, he makes this reflection. "When I have considered the 'low, indifferent, languid state of those under our name, in many places, both in this and other nations, chiefly occasioned by an inordinate love of the

world, and the things thereof, my soul has been CHAP 'deeply humbled in awful prostration."

IV.

p. 108.

37. In speaking of the meetings managed by un- Griffith's sanctified spirits, he saith, "The seed of God, which Journal, 'should have dominion in all our meetings, is de'pressed-This spirit getting in amongst us, in every part of the body or society, cannot fail of laying waste; therefore let all consider what spirit 'rules them. It is a mournful truth, (adds he,) that 'among the many thousands of Israel, there are but 'few, in comparison, who really stand quite upright ;— 'who cannot be at all warped by fear, interest, favour, ' or affection."

38. How far this character falls below the testimony and expectations of the first true witnesses called Quakers, is evident from all their writings, especially from those of Edward Burrough. The truth is, those blunt and illiterate men, as they are called, who first broke out with such rude and ambiguous expressions, were never commissioned to found a church, nor to build up any people upon the authority of their extraordinary testimony: for no church or people could be established till the reign of Antichrist was at an end.

39. But while they testified against all the false churches, and false systems, that existed on earth, they were commissioned from heaven to announce their certain downfall, and the setting up of that church or kingdom which should stand forever; but the work was not given them to do; their commis. sion extended no further than to declare that God was about to effect it, and would, by means of his own chusing, most certainly accomplish it in his own time.

40. This will appear most strikingly evident from the writings of Edward Burrough, who was cotemporary with George Fox, and who, in the year 1662, in the 28th year of his age, died a prisoner at Newgate, London, for the word of God, and for the testimony which he held. The following short extracts, from his own writings, may show the nature of that testimony for which he patiently suffered unto death.

Bur

rough's

41. "All ye inhabitants of the earth, in all nations works, throughout the world; hearken and give ear, the 24

p. 201,

IV.

CHAP. word of the Lord God, that made heaven and earth ' is toward you; he is coming to set up his kingdom · ' and his dominion, which never shall have an end; ' and the kingdoms of this world shall be changed, ' and shall become the kingdom of the Son of God. 'The kingdom of Christ is near to come, and the 'kingdoms of this world shall be changed, and none 'shall have any part therein, but they that are re' deemed out of kindreds, tongues, and people: this 'we believe; he that can receive it let him."

Bur rough's

Works,p.

42. "This is the time in which all the men of this generation are fallen, and the scripture is fulfilled; 193, 194. the night wherein no man can work is upon the world; and further, this is the time of Antichrist's 'dominion. And also we know, the time is now ap'proaching, that the dominion of the beast is near an end, and the holy city shall the saints possess, and 'the Gentiles shall be driven out of it, according as John said. I say, the time is well nigh expired, ' and finished, and the Lord God Almighty, and the 'Lamb is risen to make war against the beast and his 'image, who hath reigned over the kingdoms of the ' world. But now the mighty day of the Lord, and the judgment of the whore is approaching, wherein she shall be rewarded according to her works." 43. "This I have received from God, I say the P. 195,&holy city shall be measured, and she shall be adorn'ed, and as a bride for her husband shall she be pre'pared; and God's tabernacle shall be with men. The kingdom of the beast must down, and the 'princely power of darkness must be overthrown, and laws, and times, and things, and powers of men shall be overthrown, and overturned, till he come 'to reign in the earth, whose right it is to reign over 'nations and people."

ibid.

197.

44. This is written as moved of the Lord, to go ' abroad through the nations, that all may understand concerning the times, and the changing of times, and how the beast hath reigned in dominion-and the kingdom of Christ hath not been known upon the earth for many generations; but the beast hath 'been established in his throne of rebellion against Christ Jesus."