QUAKERS. 



Obferving, as he thought, more of the fruits of this 

 internal teaching among the " didenting people," he went 

 for a while among them ; but, he continues, " as I had 

 forfaken the priefls, fo I left the feparate preachers alfo, and 

 thofe called the moil experienced people ; for I faw there 

 was none among them all that could fpeak to my condition. 

 And when all my hopes in them, and in all men, were 

 gone, fo that I had nothing outwardly to help me, nor 

 could tell what to do, then, O then, I heard a voice, which 

 faid, ' There is One, even Chrift Jefus, that can fpeak to 

 thy condition.' When I heard it my heart did leap for 

 joy. Then the Lord let me fee why there was none that 

 could fpeak to my condition, namely, that I might give 

 him all the glory. For all (he contniues, alluding to 

 Rom. xi. 32.) are concluded under fin, and (hut up in 

 unbelief, as I had been, that Jefus Chrilt might have the 

 pre-eminence, who enlightens and gives grace, faith, and 

 power." 



The preceding is a fpecimen of Fox's own account of the 

 manner in whicli the doftrine he afterwards preached arofe in 

 his mind. The reader will perceive that he refers all his real 

 edification to the means which have been already indicated, 

 ilnmediate revelation. He fays, " though I read the fcrip- 

 tures, that fpoke of Chriil, and of God, yet I knew Him 

 not but by revelation, as he who hath the key did open, 

 and as the Father of life drew me to his Son by his Spirit." 

 Yet that he was fenfible of the importance of the holy 

 fcriptures, as the fource from whence, under this influence, 

 Chriftian inftruftion muft be drawn, is evident, both from 

 his declaring that they were very precious to him, and from 

 his having inceffantly ufed, and conftantly appealed to them, 

 both before and after beginning to promulgate his fyftem. 



Having at length attained to a view of Chriftianity in 

 which he found peace or mind, he believed himfelf required 

 and divinely comraiflioned to become a teacher of it to 

 others: and from the year 1647, the reader may conceive 

 him always engaged in this office. He travelled as before, 

 preaching firft to fmall companies of enquiring perfor.s, then 

 to pubHc congregations, fuch as upon his appearance among 

 them were willing to hear him, and at length to large affem- 

 blies of people, convened on purpofe. This he did with 

 the courage and perfeverance of a reformer ; in the face of 

 oppofition from the national and ftipendiary preachers, of 

 frequent pcrional abufe from their hearers, and occalional 

 fevere treatment by the magiltrates. In moft places where 

 he came, he met with perfons who received his doftrines, a 

 proportion of whom, after affociating with him for a time, 

 became imprefled with the like apprehenfions of duty to 

 propagate their principles ; which they attempted by fimilar 

 methods. Thus, although interrupted at different periods 

 by imprifonment, he found himfelf, before many years had 

 elapfed, in connexion with a numerous band of fellow- 

 labourers, and a widely diffufed and refpeftable fociety of 

 religious friends. No inconfidcrable number of thefe quitted, 

 for the fake of their principles, livings in the church, com- 

 ' miffions in the army, or feats as magiltrates. 



When we confider that this happened in an age equally 

 remarkable for religious zeal and political turbulence, it 

 will appear that fome deviations from Chrittian propriety, 

 fome fruits of the mixture of imagination with good inten- 

 tions, could fcarcely fail to be exhibited among them. If 

 the new fociety, from a regard to its principle of internal 

 impulfes to particular duties, was flow to condemn thefe, it 

 was careful, on the other hand, not to engraft them, by 

 imitation on its praftice. Individuals, therefore, were alone 

 refponfible for fuch afts, and the general condudl of the 

 members, from the period of their firft affociating together. 

 Vol.. XXIX. 



was found in no mean degree conformable to the morality 

 of the gofpel. 



The moft ferious inftance of mifconduft occurred in the 

 cafe of James Nayler and his followers. This fell out in 

 1656, and was magnified beyond its real importance by 

 being fuffcred to occupy for ten days tlie attention of par- 

 liament. Nayler had been an Independent, and a quarter- 

 malter of horfe under major-general Lambert. He was one 

 of George Fox's earlicft converts, and for fome years an able 

 preacher and difputant in the lame caufe. Coming to 

 London, he found a fet of people who extolled him in his 

 office above meafure. His friends, and George Fox among 

 the reft, feeing his danger, gave him fuitable cautions ; but 

 flighting thefe, he became expofed to the flatteries of a 

 train of followers, chiefly women, whom he fuffered, at 

 lengtli, from a delufive notion of its being done to Chri/l in 

 him, to addrefs liim with the name and titles of the Saviour, 

 and with afts amounting to worfhip. In j)arlicular, his 

 entrance into Briftol was conduAed, by thefe infatuated 

 people, in imitation of the proceflion of Chrift into Jerufalem. 

 The parties implicated in this tranfaftion were committed 

 to prifon ; but Nayler alone was felefted by parliament, 

 after examination and long debates on his cafe, for punifti- 

 ment as a blafphemer. Cromwell kept aloof from the pro- 

 ceedings, which, by their exceffire feverity, moved great 

 commiferation in the public. The culprit was twice 

 fcourged through the ftreets, twice pilloried, branded in the 

 forehead, and bored through the tongue with a hot iron : 

 all which he endured with furprifing patience and fortitude. 

 His punifhment ended with two years' clofe imprifonment 

 in Bridewell, during which he attained to repentance, and a 

 founder mind. Having given proof of this by feveral 

 public confeflions, the Quakers, who had difowned both 

 him and his followers, received him back into their com- 

 munion, in which he lived circumfpeftly the fliort remainder 

 of his life. 



Quakerifm prevailed at firft chiefly in the northern coun- 

 ties ; but many preachers having rifen up here, who travelled 

 in different direftions, it was not long in fpreading to the 

 metropolis, and the remoter fouthern and weftern parts. 

 Wherever its profeffors appeared, the ordeal of fuffering 

 awaited them ; for which their negative tenets commonly 

 furnifhed the occafion. They refufed to the priefls every 

 kind of payment, to the government military fcrvice, to the 

 magiltrate oaths, and to all perfons the cufiomary, and at 

 that time much looked for •worjhip, of kneeling or bowing 

 with the head uncovered. They adhered too, in every in- 

 llance, to their northern Englifh of thou and thee, judging 

 the plural mode of addreffing one perfon to have originated, 

 together with all empty titles, in a fpirit of flattery unbe- 

 coming Chriftians. Thefe peculiarities were a check to 

 fuperficial converlions ; fince an upright conformity to the 

 profelTion was in moft cafes purchafed by the lofs of friends, 

 contempt, and hardfhips. Even the privilege of meeting 

 to worfhip, apart from the national congregations, was ac- 

 quired only by perfevering in the praftice, through almoft 

 every kind and degree of coercive obftruftion, down to the 

 period of complete toleration, the revolution of 1688. 

 Hence their hiftory confifts in great part of a detail of buf- 

 fetings, imprifonments, and fpoiling of goods. So early 

 as 1659 they ftated to parliament, that in the preceding fix 

 years about two thoufand individuals had fuffered m perfon 

 and eftate, for being Quakers : and this reprefentation was 

 accompanied by one of the moft extraordinary public acts 

 on record. One hundred and fixty-four Friends offered 

 themlelves by name to the houfe, to be imprifoned in the 

 places of an equal number, who from ficknefs or the hard- 

 Y fhips 



