328 
‘fets it afide, by conftituting the word of 
God, not a perfon, but, as has already 
been faid of the holy Spirity an attribute - 
of the Deity, and his power exerted in a 
particular direétion, or to.a particular 
.end. . 
We may conclude, therefore, that the 
uakers, according to the diftinftion 
above made, are’ Dezjts of Revelation, 
nearly agreeing in their leading tenet 
with the Socinians, or Unitarians, though 
they differ from them in points of difci- 
pline, and with refpeét to the miniftry. 
This. conciufion at leait is deducible 
from JI. N.’s ftatement, which feems 
taken from the. Friend’s laft thoughts on 
the fubject*, publifhed, I believe, by 
order ot, the fociety.. 
._ It mutt, however, be confeffed, that 
individual writers of the fociety give dif- 
erent views of the poimt in queition. 
Some acknowledging the Trinity, though 
faintly and rather evafively ; others, from 
what they have faid, and trom the quota- 
tions they have carefully. fele€ted, appear 
more inclined to the Arian doétrine; but 
the greater number feem defirous of wav- 
ing the queftion altogether, or, in fpeak- 
ing of it, content themfelves with bring- 
ing forward fome very general texts of 
Acripture. 
From a fhynefs in the Friends, of com- 
paring ideas on thele fubjects with other 
profeflors of chriftianity, and from their 
holding the {criprures only in a fecondary 
degree or eftimation (‘¢ Jefus Chrift, and 
not the fcripture, being,” according to 
them, “ tne word of God’’), fome fuf- 
picion of heterodoxy has at all times at- 
tached to their fe&t. . By maintaining that 
none can rightly underftand or profit by 
the {criptures,' except who read 
them under the influence of the fame fpi- 
it, aS was communicated to the prophets, 
or evangelifts, ia writing them ; and that 
men, at this day, may be fo immediately 
actuated and enlightened by divine mfpi- 
ration, that no external teacher whatever 
can be requifite for them; they not only 
diminifh the importance of the {eripture 
as 2 rule of practice, but feem to render, 
in fome meaiure, unneceffary the revela- 
tion therein contained. Hence, the Ca- 
holics, Lutherans, and many members 
of the church. of ‘England, ‘not attending 
erly to the mode m which the Friends 
prop 
~ at, 25 . f ‘ 7 
qualify their do&rines, denounce them 
+t {; 
thoie 


hehitation, and unjuftly arrange. 
% 
Religious Opinions, Se. of Quakers.....Biondi. 
the profeffors of them among the firft 
kind of Deifts. . naa 
It is fcarcely poflible, Mr. Editor, for 
a perfon not a member of the fociety, to 
be acquainted with. every circumftance 
relating to it. Should there be any mif- 
ftatement in what has been faid, I fhall be 
very happy to fee it corrected; and am 
confident it would afford fatisfaction to 
many others, to fee the opinion of the 
fociety more explicitly detailed than it 
has yet been, refpecting the points above 
mentioned. If it fhould appear that the 
Friends, as a body, have no effablijhed 
creed, no fyftem at all, but leave indivi- 
dual members to interpret nice {criptural 
points for themfelves, as well as they 
may be enabled, I fee no harm there 
would be in openly avowing this. . Who 
will not think it better to do fo, than en- 
deavour to enforce.a belief, the terms of 
which can fcarcely be underftood, under 
the threatened penalty of temporal fuffer- 
ance, or eternal damnation? .- - 
A free communication on thefe fub- 
jects, from fome enlightened Friend, 
would, I think, be highly farisfatory to 
the public, and might give additional 
reputation to the feciety, which is al- 
ready fo much admired for its correctnefs, 
and for its exemplary internal difcipline, 
The fociety can now boaft of many emi- 
nent literary characters, both male and 
female: and furely the information de- 
fireable could in no wife be diffufed toa 
ereaterextent than through the channel 
of the Monthly Magazine. 
Hermitage, May 7,1798- M.N. 
To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
SIR, 
Eee Correfpondent T. Y. in your 
Mifcellany for laft March, {peaks 
of Biondi, an hiftorian recommended to 
young ftudents by the Spanifh poet, Ber- 
nafdino de Rebolledo, © as a name with 
which he is unacquainted.”” It may, 
therefore, be an acceptable piece of inform- 
ation to him, and to your other readers, 
to be told; that Biondi, or rather Sir 
Giovanni Francifco Biondi, was a native 
of Liefena, an ifland of Dalmatia, in the 
gulph of Venice. Sir Henry Wotton, 
the ambaflador there, introduced him to 
the notice of King James the Firft, by 
whom he was employed on fecret com- 
miffions to the Duke of Savoy. He was 
afterwards honoured with the knight- 
hood, and made gentleman of the bed- 

‘chamber ‘to’ King Charles the Firft, to 
whom he dedicated the hifterical work, 
which 
