256 FOTHERGILL AS A FRIEND CHAP. 



matters of faith that passion for freedom which he showed 

 in things political. But we must remember the corruption 

 of morals in the general community at the period. It 

 might well seem that strait walls the " fence of the 

 discipline " were needed to enclose the saints from 

 harm. The work was successful, in that it tended to 

 preserve the society's life for generations to come little 

 changed. But it was the narrowed life of a small com- 

 munity, hedged in from the world around by its " testi- 

 monies ' ' and scruples, and the strictness of its discipline 

 mundus mundulus in mundo immundo " a clean little 

 world in a world unclean," as it has been called facetiously 

 in words attributed to Southey. The word " system " 

 came to be used in writing of the society's polity " the 

 system propagated by their predecessors " and some- 

 thing like a pride was taken in the uniformity of its 

 course. 1 Luke Howard wrote of the foundation of 

 Ackworth School as marking an era of reformation in the 

 society. Such an era undoubtedly occurred at this 

 epoch ; but it was not due alone to advance in education : 

 other causes must be taken into account, especially the 

 reorganisation of the discipline, the care of the indigent 

 members, and the reflex influence of work in great moral 

 causes, notably the anti-slavery movement, and the 

 provision of schools for the poor. Nor should we omit 

 the Methodist revival, with its close touch on the heart 

 of humanity, and its missionary fervour, for this not only 

 roused the Church of England from its lethargy, but had 

 an influence on the dissenting bodies. Although this 

 influence was not obvious at the time in the case of 

 Friends, who read William Law but stood apart from 

 Wesley, yet it cannot be doubted that the society shared 

 in the accession of spiritual life which the evangelical 

 apostles brought to the community. Its own faith was 

 insensibly quickened and brought into closer relation 

 with the Scriptures and with historical Christianity. 



Dr. Fothergill and his brother Samuel drew up about 

 1769 an account of Quakerism for publication in the first 



1 Lettsom, in Foth. Works, iii. pp. xciv, xcv. 



