ing of the most eminent ministers; spent in their views was great, and many and much time in reading the holy scriptures, deep were their searchings of heart, trying in fasting, meditation and prayer, and in-"the fleece both wet and dry," ere they creased the strictness of their lives and yielded; lest they should be mistaken and religious performances; but still they put the workings of their own imaginawere not wholly freed from the dominion tion for the unfoldings of the Spirit of of sin. Christ; but as they patiently abode under its enlightening operations, every doubt and difficulty was removed, and they were enabled to speak from joyful experience of that which they had seen, and tasted, and handled of the good word of life. Some, after wearying themselves with the multitude and severity of their duties, without finding the expected benefit from them, separated from all the forms of worship then practised, and sat down together, waiting upon the Lord, and earnestly looking and praying for the full manifestation of the kingdom and power of the Lord Jesus. In this humble, seeking state, the Lord was graciously pleased to meet with them; sometimes without any instrumental means, at others, through the living ministry of George Fox or other anointed servants, who were prepared and sent forth to preach the gospel. Then they were brought to see that that, which made them uneasy in the midst of their high profession and manifold observances, and raised fervent breathings after the God of their lives, was nothing less than the Spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ, striving with them in order to bring them out fully from under the bondage of sin, into the glorious liberty of the children of God. They were brought to see that they had been resting too much in a mere historical belief of the blessed doctrines of the gospel, the birth, life, miracles, sufferings, death, resurrection, ascension, mediation, intercession, atonement and divinity of the Lord Jesus; but had not sufficiently looked for, and abode under, the heart-changing and sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit or Comforter; to seal those precious truths on the understanding, and give to each one a living and practical interest in them; so that they might really know Christ to be their Saviour and Redeemer, and that he had, indeed, come into their hearts and set up his righteous government there. This was the dawning of a new day to their souls; and, as they attended in simple obedience to the discoveries of this divine light, they were gradually led to see farther into the spirituality of the gospel dispensation. The change which it made The rapid spread of the doctrines preached by George Fox, was surprising; and, among those who embraced them, were persons of the best families in the kingdom; several priests of the Episcopal denomination and ministers of other societies; besides, many other learned and substantial men. A large number of ministers, both men and women, were soon raised up in the infant society, who travelled abroad, as they believed themselves divinely called, spreading the knowledge of the truth, and strengthening and comforting the newly convinced. In a few years meetings were settled in nearly all parts of the United Kingdom; and, notwithstanding the severe persecution to which the society was subjected, by which thousands were locked up in jails and dungeons, and deprived of nearly all their property, besides being subjected to barbarous personal abuse; its members continued to increase, and manifested a zeal and devotedness which excited the admiration even of their persecutors. Their sufferings seemed only to animate them with fresh ardor, and to unite them more closely together in the bond of gospel fellowship. Instances occurred where all the parents were thrown into prison, and the children continued to hold their meetings, unawed by the threats of the officers, or the cruel whippings which some of them suffered. As early as the year 1655, some ministers travelled on the continent of Europe, and meetings of Friends were soon after settled in Holland and other places ;some travelled into Asia, some were carried to Africa; and several were imprisoned in the Inquisitions of Rome, Malta, and in Hungary. About the same period the first Friends arrived in America, at the port of Boston, and commenced their religious labors among the people, many of whom embraced the doctrines which they heard. The spirit of persecution, from which Friends had suffered so deeply in England, made its appearance in America with increased virulence and cruelty, inflicting upon the peaceable Quakers various punishments; and finally put four of them to death by the gallows. Notwithstanding the opposition they had to encounter, the principles of Friends continued to spread in America; many eminent ministers, actuated by the love of the gospel and a sense of religious duty, came over and travelled through the country; others, removed thither and settled; and in 1682, a large number, under the patronage of William Penn, came into the province of Pennsylvania, and founded that flourishing colony. At that time, meetings were settled along the Atlantic provinces, from North Carolina as far as Boston in New England; and, at the present day, the largest body of Friends is to be found in the United States. When we consider the great numbers who joined the society; that, without any formal admission, all those who embraced the principles of Friends and attended their meetings were considered members, as well as their children, and of course, the body in some measure implicated in the consistency of their conduct; the numerous meetings which were settled, and the wide extent of country which they embraced; it is obvious that the organization of the society would have been imperfect, without some system of church government by which the conduct of the members might be inspected and restrained. in England and America. Under the influence of that Christian love which warmed his heart toward the whole human family, but which more especially flowed toward the household of faith, he was very tender of the poor, and careful to see that their necessities were duly supplied. This principle has ever since characterized the society, which cheerfully supports its own poor, besides contributing its share to the public burdens. The first objects to which the attention of these meetings was directed were the care of the poor and destitute, who had been reduced to want by persecution, or other causes; the manner of accomplishing marriages; the registry of births and deaths; the education and apprenticing of children; the granting of suitable certificates of unity and approbation to ministers who travelled abroad, and the preservation of an account of the suf ferings sustained by Friends in support of their religious principles and testimonies. It also became necessary to establish regu lations for preserving the members in a line of conduct consistent with their profession. In this imperfect state of being, we are instructed from the highest authority, that offences must needs come; but it does not necessarily follow, either that the offender must be cut off from the church, or that the reproach of his misconduct should be visited upon the society to which he belongs. If in pursuance of those Christian means laid down in the gospel, he is brought to acknowledge and sincerely condemn his error, a brother is gained; the church is freed from reproach by his repentance and amendment of life; and thus the highest aim of all disciplinary regulations is attained. Where these effects, however, do not result from the Christian care of the church; it becomes its duty to testify against the disorderly conduct of the offender, and to declare that he has separated himself from its fellowship, and is no longer a member thereof. The views of George Fox on this subject were marked by that simplicity and scriptural soundness which distin The enlightened and comprehensive mind of George Fox was not long in perceiving the necessity for this; and he early began to make arrangements for carrying it into practice. Under the guidance of the light of Christ Jesus, which had so clearly unfolded to him the doctrines and precepts of the gospel in their true spiritual character, he com-guished his whole character. menced the arduous work of establishing meetings for discipline; and, in a few years, had the satisfaction to see his labor and concern crowned with success, both He considered the church as a harmonious and compact body, made up of living members, having gifts differing according to the measure of grace received, yet all dependent one upon another, and each, even the weakest and lowest, having his proper place and service. As the very design of religious society is the preservation, comfort and edification of the members, and as all have a common interest in the promotion of these great ends; he considered every faithful member religiously bound to contribnte according to his capacity toward their attainment. The words of our Lord furnish a short but comprehensive description of the order instituted by Him for the government of His church: "If thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone. If he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it to the church; but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be to thee as an heathen man and a publican." Here is no limitation of this Christian care to ministers or any other class; but any brother, who sees another offending, is to admonish him in love for his good. The language of our blessed Saviour respecting the authority of his church; and his being in the midst of it in the performance of its duties, is very clear and comprehensive: "Verily I say unto you, whatsoever ye shall bind on earth, shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say unto you, that if two of you shall agree on earth, as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." The doctrine of the immediate presence of Christ with his church, whether assembled for the purpose of divine worship, or for the transaction of its disciplinary affairs, is the foundation of all its authority. It was on this ground that George Fox so ten exhorted his fellow-believers to hold their meetings in the power of the Lord; all waiting and striving to know Christ Jesus brought into dominion in their own hearts, and his Spirit leading and guiding them in their services, that so his living presence might be felt to preside over their assemblies. In a church thus gathered, we cannot doubt, that the gracious Head condescends to be in the midst, qualifying the members to worship the Father of spirits, in spirit and in truth, or enduing them with wisdom rightly to manage the business which may engage their attention. Nor can we question that so far as they are careful to act in his wisdom and under his direction, their conclusions, being in conformity with his will, have his authority for their sanction and support. The discipline of the Society of Friends, established in conformity with these views, embraces four grades of meetings, connected with, and dependent upon, each other. First, the preparative meetings receive and prepare the business for the monthly meetings, which are composed of one or more preparative meetings, and rank next in order above them; in these the executive department of the discipline is chiefly lodged. The third grade includes quarterly meetings, which consist of several monthly meetings, and exercise a supervisory care over them, examine into their condition, and advise or assist them as occasion may require;-and lastly, the yearly meeting, which includes the whole, possesses exclusively the legislative power, and annually investigates the state of the whole body, which is brought before it by answers to queries, addressed to the subordinate meetings. im In each preparative meeting there are usually two or more Friends of each sex, appointed as overseers of the flock, whose duty it is to take cognizance of any proper conduct in the members, and endeavor by tender and affectionate labor to convince the offender, and bring him to such a sense of his fault as may lead to sincere repentance and amendment. Violations of the discipline by members are reported by the overseers to the preparative meetings; and from thence, if deemed necessary, to the monthly meeting, where a committee is usually appointed to endeavor to convince and reclaim the delinquent; and if this desirable result is not produced, a minute is made declaring the disunity of the meeting with his conduct and with him, until he is brought to a sense of his error, and condemns it in a satisfactory manner. From the decision of a monthly meeting, the disowned person has the right of appeal to the quarterly meeting, and if that gives a judgment against him, he may carry his case to the yearly meeting also, where it is finally determined. The women have also overseers, appointed to extend Christian care and advice to their own sex; and likewise preparative, monthly, quarterly, and yearly meetings, in which they transact such business as relates to the good order and preservation of their members; but they take no part in the legislative proceedings of the society; and in difficult cases, or those of more than ordinary importance, they generally obtain the judgment of the men's meetings. There are also distinct meetings for the care and help of the ministry, composed of ministers and elders, the latter being prudent and solid members, chosen specially to watch over the ministers for their good, and to admonish or advise them for their help. In these meetings the men and women meet together; they are called meetings of ministers and elders, and are divided into preparative, quarterly, and yearly. There are at present in the society ten yearly meetings of Friends, viz., London and Dublin, in Great Britain and Ireland. New England, held at Newport, Rhode Island; New York, held in that city; Pennsylvania and New Jersey, held in Philadelphia; Maryland, held in Baltimore; Virginia, held in that state, at Cedar Creek and Sumerton, alternately; North Carolina, held at New Garden in that state; Ohio, held at Mount Pleasant; and Indiana, held at Richmond in Wayne county. These include an aggregate of from one hundred and twenty to one hundred and fifty thousand members. The doctrines of the society may be briefly stated as follows. They believe in one only wise, omnipotent, and everlasting God, the creator and upholder of all things, visible and invisible; and in one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, the mediator between God and man; and in the Holy Spirit which proceedeth from the Father and the Son; one God blessed for ever. In expressing their views relative to the awful and mys. terious doctrine of "the Three that bear record in heaven," they have carefully avoided the use of unscriptural terms, invented to define Him who is undefinable, and have scrupulously adhered to the safe! and simple language of Holy scripture, as contained in Matt. xxviii. 18-19, &c. They own and believe in Jesus Christ, the beloved and only begotten Son of God, who was conceived of the Holy Ghost, and born of the Virgin Mary. In him we have redemption, through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins; who is the express image of the invisible God, the first born of every creature, by whom all things were created that are in heaven or in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, dominions, principalities or pow ers. They also believe that he was made a sacrifice for sin, who knew no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth; that he was crucified for mankind, in the flesh, without the gates of Jerusalem; that he was buried and rose again the third day, by the power of the Father, for our justi fication, and that he ascended up into heaven, and now sitteth at the right hand of God, our holy mediator, advocate, and intercessor. They believe that he alone is the redeemer and saviour of man, the captain of salvation, who saves from sin as well as from hell and the wrath to come, and destroys the works of the devil. He is the Seed of the woman that bruises the serpent's head, even Christ Jesus, the Alpha and Omega, the first and the last. He is, as the scriptures of truth say of him, our wisdom, righteousness, justification, and redemption; neither is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men whereby we may be saved. The Society of Friends have uniformly declared their belief in the divinity and manhood of the Lord Jesus: that he was both true God and perfect man, and that his sacrifice of himself upon the cross was a propitiation and atonement for the sins of the whole world, and that the remission of sins which any partake of, is only in, and by virtue of, that most satisfactory sacrifice, and no otherwise. Friends believe also in the Holy Spirit, or comforter, the promise of the Father But while it entertrins these views of the lost and undone condition of man in the fall, the society does not believe that mankind are punishable for Adam's sin, or that we partake of his guilt, until we make it our own by transgression of the divine law. But God, who out of his infinite love sent his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ into the world to taste death for every man, hath granted to all men, of whatever nation or country, a day or time of visitation, during which it is possible for them to partake of the benefits of Christ's death, and be saved. For this end he hath com whom Christ declared he would send in his name, to lead and guide his followers into all truth, to teach them all things, and to bring all things to their remembrance. A manifestation of this Spirit they believe is given to every man to profit withal; that it convicts for sin, and, as attended to, gives power to the soul to overcome and forsake it; it opens to the mind the mysteries of salvation, enables it savingly to understand the truths recorded in the holy scriptures, and gives it the living, practical, and heartfelt experience of those things which pertain to its everlasting welfare. They believe that the saving knowledge of God and Christmunicated to every man a measure of the cannot be attained in any other way than by the revelation of this spirit ;-for the apostle says, "What man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? Even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God, that we might know the things which are freely given to us of God." If therefore the things which properly appertain to man cannot be discerned by any lower principle than the spirit of man: those things, which properly relate to God and Christ, cannot be known by any power inferior to that of the Holy Spirit. They believe that man was created in the image of God, capable of understanding the divine law, and of holding communion with his Maker. Through transgression he fell from this blessed state, and lost the heavenly image. His posterity come into the world in the image of the earthly man; and, until renewed by the quickening and regenerating power of the heavenly man, Christ Jesus, manifested in the soul, they are fallen, degenerated, and dead to the divine life in which Adam originally stood, and are subject to the power, nature and seed of the serpent; and not only their words and deeds, but their imaginations, are evil perpetually in the sight of God. Man, therefore, in this state can know nothing aright concerning God; his thoughts and conceptions of spiritual things, until he is disjoined from this evil seed, and united to the divine light, Christ Jesus, are unprofitable to himself and to others. light of his own Son, a measure of grace or the Holy Spirit-by which he invites, calls, exhorts, and strives with every man, in order to save him; which light or grace, as it is received and not resisted, works the salvation of all, even of those who are ignorant of Adam's fall, and of the death and sufferings of Christ; both by bringing them to a sense of their own misery, and to be sharers in the sufferings of Christ, inwardly; and by making them partakers of his resurrection, in becoming holy, pure and righteous, and recovered out of their sins. By which also are saved they that have the knowledge of Christ outwardly, in that it opens their understandings rightly to use and apply the things delivered in the scriptures, and to receive the saving use of them. But this Holy Spirit, or light of Christ, may be resisted and rejected; in which then, God is said to be resisted and pressed down, and Christ to be again crucified and put to open shame; and to those who thus resist and refuse him, he becomes their condemnation. As many as resist not the light of Christ Jesus, but receive and walk therein, it becomes in them a holy, pure and spiritual birth, bringing forth holiness, righteousness and purity, and all those other blessed fruits which are acceptable to God, by which holy birth, viz.: Jesus Christ formed within us, and working his works in us, as we are sanctified, so we are justified in the sight of God; according to the apostle's words; "But ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified, in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the |