and William Penn, and Robert Barclay, and Thomas Clarkson, and Henry Tuke, we still think it our duty in the sight of God, not to adopt Friends principles, but to continue members of the Church of England.

3. Our correspondent disapproves of our reverting to the period of the Commonwealth for our views of Quakerism. But surely, this also is somewhat unreasonable. He himself refers us, in his "Faith of the People called Quakers," to "the Journal of George Fox," as one "whose testimony may have the more weight," "as he was instrumental in gathering us to be a people, and is generally considered as the founder of our society." p. 7. We need not quote the high ealogium pronounced on the same individual by Mr. Clarkson; but shall content ourselves with referring to the testimony of William Penn, who, in his capacity of editor of "a Journal, or Historical Account of the Life, Travels, Sufferings, Christian Experiences, and Labour of Love, in the Work of the Ministry, of that ancient, eminent, and faithful Servant of Jesus Christ, George Fox*" thus writes :

"It was about that very same time" (the time of the Commonwealth)" that the eternal, wise, and good God was pleased, in his infinite love, to honour and visit this benighted and bewildered nation, with his glorious day-spring from on high; yea, with a most sure and certain sound of the word of light and life, through the testimony of a chosen vessel," (meaning George Fox), "to an effectual and blessed purpose." p. vii. "He was a man that God endowed with a clear and wonderful depth, a discerner of others' spirits, and very much a master of his own." Then follows a delineation of the character of George Fox, as a person sent of God, to set up his kingdom in the hearts of men;

• The edition before us is a fulio, printed in 1765.

which he closes with addressing "Friends," as those who "profess to walk in the way this blessed man was sent of God to turn us into." p. xxxi.

After this, we are at some loss to imagine on what ground our correspondent can object to our referring to the times of the Commonwealth, which were the times of this very George Fox. He intimates, that they were times of excessive zeal. It cannot, however, be his intention, that the founder of Quakerism should be comprehended in this censure; for he himself has referred us to George Fox as a safe guide. Mr. Clarkson, in his recent work on Quakerism, goes back to George Fox as its founder. Mr. Pean, as we have seen,represents him as a divinely commissioned person, sent to set up the kingdom of Christ in the heart; and both Mr. Penn and Mr. Clarkson speak of his Journal as containing a full view of Quaker principles. We, therefore, naturally looked to the Journal of George Fox, in preference to any other writing, ancient or modern, for information on this subject; and we feel a full confidence, that no unprejudiced person -we mean no person who is not himself a Quaker-who will read, as we have done, this Journal with care, will think that our Review of Clarkson's Life of Penn is justly chargeable with harshness, or with a want of candour and forbearance towards the Quaker doctrines.

4. In one point, indeed, we appear to have mistaken the fact. No women, it seems, ever went naked through the streets; this practice having been confined to men. We believe that we were misinformed in this particular, and that the authority on which we relied does not justify our statement. Thus far, therefore, we willingly admit that we were in error. But our correspondent blames us for adverting even to the case of men passing naked through the streets, as if it were unfair to draw our facts from

Adam, which he was in before he fell. The creation was opened to me, and it was shewed me how all things bad their names given them, according to their nature and virtue. I was at a stand in my mind, whether I should practise PHYSICK for the good of mankind, seeing the nature and oir tues of the creatures were so opened to me by the Lord." He finally fixed on DIVINITY as his department of service.

"As I was walking with several friends, I lifted up my head, and saw three steeple-house spires, and they struck at my life. I asked them what place that was? They aid, Lichfield. Immediately the word of the Lord came to me, that I must go thither. Being come to the house we were going to, I wished friends to walk into the house, saying nothing to them whither I was to go. As soon as they were gone I stept away, and went by my eye over hedge and ditch till I came within a mile of Lichfield, where, in a great field, shepherds were keeping their sheep. Then was I commanded by the Lord to pull off my shoes. I stood still, for it was winter, and the word of the Lord was like a fire in me. So I put off my shoes, and left them with the shepherds; and the poor shepherds trembled, and were astonished. Then I walked on about a mile; and as soon as I was got within the city, the word of the Lord came to me again, saying, Cry, Woe to the bloody city of Lichfield!' So I went up and down the streets, crying with a loud voice, Woe to the bloody city of Lichfield! It being a market-day, I went into the market place, and to and fro in the several parts of it, and made stands, crying as before, Woe to the bloody city of Lichfield! And no one laid hands on me. As I went thus crying through the streets, there seemed to me to be a channel of blood running down the streets, and the market place appeared like a pool of blood. When I had declared what was upon me, and felt myself

clear, I went out of the town in peace, and, returning to the shepherds, gave them some money, and took my shoes of them again. But the fire of the Lord was so in my feet, and all over me, that I did not matter to put on my shoes again, and was at a stand whether I should or no, till I felt freedom from the Lord so to do: then, after I had washed my feet, I put on my shoes again. After this a deep consideration came upon me, for what reason I should be sent to cry against that city, and call it the bloody city! For though the parliament had the minster one while, and the king another, and much blood had been shed in the town during the wars between them, yet that was no more than had befallen many other places. But afterwards I came to understand, that in the em peror Dioclesian's time a thousand Christians were martyred in Lichfield. So I was to go, without my shoes, through the channel of their blood, and into the pool of their blood in the market-place, that I might raise up the memorial of the blood of those martyrs, which had been shed above a thousand years before, and lay cold in their streets. So the sense of this blood was upon me, and I obeyed the word of the Lord. Ancient records testify how many of the Christian Britons suffered there. Much I could write of the sense I had of the blood of the martyrs, that hath been shed in this nation for the name of Christ, both under the Ten Persecutions and since; but I leave it to the Lord, and to his book, out of which all shall be judged; for his book is a most certain record, and his Spirit a true recorder." Fox's Journal, pp. 48, 49.

"In the afternoon I went to another steeple-house, about three miles off, where preached a great highpriest, called a doctor, one of them whom Justice Hotham would have sent for, to have spoken with me. I went into the steeple-house, and staid till the priest had done. The words which he took for his text

were these: Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters; and he that hath no money, come ye, buy and eat; yea come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.' Then was I moved of the Lord God to say to him, 'Come down, thou deceiver; dost thou bid people come freely, and take of the water of life freely, and yet thou takest three hundred pounds a year of them for preaching the Scriptures to them? Mayst thou not blush for shame! Did the prophet Isaiah and Christ do so, who spake the words, and gave them forth freely? Did not Christ say to his ministers, whom he sent to preach, Freely ye have received, freely give?' The priest, like a man amazed, hasted away." Fox's Journal, p. 51.

"After some time I went to a meeting at Arnside, where Richard Myer was, who had been long lame of one of his arms. I was moved of the Lord to say unto him amongst all the people, Stand up upon thy legs,' for he was sitting down; and he stood up, and stretched out his arm that had been lame a long time, and said, 'Be it known unto you, all people, that this day I am healed.' Yet his parents could hardly believe it; but after the meeting was done, had him aside, took off his doublet, and then saw it was true. He came soon after to Swarthmore meeting, and there declared how the Lord had healed him. Yet after this the Lord commanded him to go to York with a message from him; which he disobeyed, and the Lord struck him again, so that he died about three quarters of a year after." lb. p. 95. "When Oliver Cromwell set forth a proclamation for a fast throughout the nation for rain, in a very great drought, it was observed, that as far as truth had spread in the North, there were pleasant showers and rain enough; yet the South, in many places, was almost spoiled for, want of rain. At that time I was moved to write an answer to the Protector's pro

clamation; wherein I told him: If he had come to own God's truth, he should have had rain; and that drought was to them a sign of their barrenness, and want of the water of life.' lb.. p. 231.

"

"The same day (1658), taking boat, I went to Kingston, and from thence to Hampton Court, to speak with the Protector about the sufferings of friends. I met him riding into Hampton Court park; and be fore I came to him, as he rode at the head of his life-guard, I saw and felt a waft (or apparition) of death go forth against him; and when I came to him, he looked like a dead man." lb. p. 282. The issue was, the Protector soon died.

"About this time (1688), great exercise and weights came upon me (as had usually done before great revolutions and changes of government), and my strengtb departed from me; so that I reeled, and was ready to fall as I went along the streets; and at length I could not go abroad at all, I was so weak for a pretty while; till I felt the power of the Lord to spring over all, and had received an assurance from him, that he would preserve his faithful people to himself through all." Ib. p. 636.

George Fox has also told us (p. 325), "that when the Quakers were persecuted in New England, and put to death, he was in prison at Lancaster, and had a perfect sense of their sufferings, as though it had been himself, and as though the halter had been put about his own neck, although he had not at that time heard of it." But in truth, few great or interesting occurrences took place, of which George Fox did not receive, according to his own statement, Divine premonitions. The death of Cromwell, the restoration of Charles II., the pu nishment of the Judges of Charles J., the fire in London, the war with Holland, had all been previously revealed to him. We have met, however, but with one prophecy which is left to be verified by sub

sequent events; the rest appearing to have been fulfilled before their promulgation. It is the following:"This was the last meeting I had in Scotland. The truth and the power of God was set over that na tion, and many, by the power and Spirit of God, were turned to the Lord Jesus Christ, their Saviour and Teacher, whose blood was shed for them; and there is since a great increase, and great there will be in Scotland, though the time may be far distant at present. For when first I set my horse's feet upon Scottish ground, I felt the seed of God to sparkle about me, like innu'merable sparks of fire. Not but that there is abundance of thick, cloddy earth of hypocrisy and falseness atop, and a briary, brambly nature, which is to be burned up with God's word, and plowed up with his spiritual plough, before God's seed brings forth heavenly and spiritual fruit to his glory. But the husbandman is to wait in patience." Fox's Journal, p. 263.

The accomplishment of this prediction is still future: we believe there are at this day very few Quakers in Scotland.

But the revelations of future events which George Fox represents himself to have received, do not respect national revolutions exclusively, whether political or moral: they still more frequently have a reference to the cases of particular individuals, by whom he or his friends were opposed, and against whom he was instructed, by divine inspiration, to denounce judgments.

A justice Sawrey and a priest Lampitt are stated to have raised persecutions against Friends; and they certainly appear, from Mr. Fox's Journal, to have conducted themselves in a most unjustifiable manner. Mr. Fox writes a letter to each. He tells the Justice, among many other things, that God has shortened his days, and that he should be "gnawed and burned one day," and should "feel the flame, and have the plagues of God poured

CHRIST. OBSERV. No. 146,

upon "him, and have his "back bowed down always." It is added, "this justice Sawrey was afterwards drowned." p. 88.

The letter to priest Lampitt begins thus: "The word of the Lord to thee, O Lampitt." The letter is filled with vehement reproaches, and threatenings of eternal condemnation, unless he repent. He writes at the same time, "The word of the Lord God to all the people that follow priest Lampitt, who is a blind guide,” and denounces a woe generally upon them. To one of them in particular, of the name of Adam Sands, "a very wicked and false man," and whom he addresses "Adam Sands, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness," he declares the Lord will strike thee down;" « the plagues of God are due to thee;" and at the close of the letter, we are categorically informed, "This Adam Sands died miserably." p. 91.

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In one of these letters, is this extraordinary passage: "The Lord made one to go naked among you, a figure of your nakedness, and as a sign amongst you before your destruction cometh;" (p. 91); but we are not told to what sex this person belonged.

It would be endless to mention all the instances of divine judgment executed on the opposers of Quakerism. One man, who played pranks at a meeting of Friends at Dorchester, and lolled out his tongue at “a friend" who was speaking, as he left the meeting, came in the way of a bull, which struck his horn under the man's chin, and thrust his tongue out of his mouth, and swung him about on his horn in a remarkable manner. p. 293. A Mrs. Preston, abused him at Lancaster: but "the Lord God cut her off, and she died in a miserable condition." p. 393. In Wiltshire, the estates of some opposers wasted away; and of one John Line" the flesh rotted away." p. 345. In Cornwall, one Colonel Robinson, a very wicked man and a crnet persecutor of Friends, when going what he called, "a fanatic truming, was dreadfully gored by a bull, and

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