his feeling is made the standard of my judgment, and the business is done. It is all over with the argument at once! I am sorry to have to record this: for I love the Friends whom I may inculpate by writing thus,—but there is no remedy. I have found by experience, that it is possible to be quite in the wrong, upon the matter, with very exalted feelings; and on the right side, as to the question, when we have to go away distressed! 6 What, I say, is now to rule, but the Holy Spirit operating upon our hearts, and giving us a willing mind to be subject to the truth, as found in the authentic record spread before us? Here we find the rule; in that sense in which a true measure of the length, and breadth, and depth, and height' of the subject can be said to be a rule. To be sure, we cannot measure by Scripture, the love of Christ which passeth knowledge'-nor the good wrought in our own affections hereby; but we may measure the consistency of our own notions with revealed and recorded Truth! It was from their own Law, as recorded iu the books of Moses, that the Apostles and Elders drew the precept to abstain from things strangled and from the eating of blood. But note, by abrogating circumcision, the initiatory rite, they had now reduced all to mere advice; it was no more THE LAW OF GOD, thundered, with its sanctions of death and ruin to the transgressor, from the top of Sinai, from the midst of black darkness and tempest; with the voice of the trumpet, and the sound of outward speech; menacing dreadfully those below! In like manner, are the Scriptures now to us the Rule, not of the letter, which killeth (or pronounceth that sentence upon the offender) but of the Law of the spirit of Life, setting as free from the law of sin and death.' They are written for our learning, (oh that we would learn!) not to be enforced by one upon many, (any more than our own rules and maxims) on pain of censure and excommunication-much less of imprisonment and the loss of his outward estate-if he observe them not. It is plain, to my observation, that we have among us as a Society, at the present moment, that source of dissention and disputation which so perplexed for a time the primitive churches, tradition and the authority of the fathers. The matter purports to regard doctrine chiefly-but it has a vital bearing also on practice. It is, instead of circumcision and the whole Law, the sense of the Meeting'-'the uniform practice of the society from the first' the authority of our antient friends in their writings'-in fact, the will of the uninformed, yet resolved, rulers of our Yearly Meeting-that stands now in the way of a further progress in the Reformation, and the right and efficacious use, in addition to the public acknowledgment, of the BIBLE among us. We have spent many hours, in different meetings, in dissension and disputation on the point-years have passed in which it might have been settled; for there were not wanting some to move it, from time to time. May the Great Head of the Church of his mercy grant us at length a good deliverance! But when shall our Apostles and Elders, or rather all the discreet and competent of our body, (be their station this or that, or none at all,) come together by themselves with the requisite time before them to consider of this matter?'-Ed. ART. I.-A Chronological Summary of events and circumstances connected with the origin and progress of the doctrine and practices of the Quakers. A. D. (Continued from p. 30.) William Pitt, the King's Prime Minister resigns office; being un1801. able to procure from the Sovereign his assent to the political emancipation of the Roman Catholics of Ireland. Act passed, to remove doubts respecting the [in] eligibility of persons in holy orders to sit in the House of Commons.' The latter enactment was occasioned by the circumstance of the election of the celebrated character John Horne Tooke to serve for the borough of Old Sarum! It was known that he was in priest's orders; and on the motion of Earl Temple for a new writ, on this ground, the Minister chose rather to have a bill passed declarative of the future ineligibility of clergymen to a seat in the House. I have introduced it here, both to keep it in memory with my readers, and to declare my own entire and hearty concurrence (for once) in principle with the author of the Bill. But how far shall this principle be now understood to extend :-to the case of every person who exercises the functions of a public preacher of the Gospel, or teacher of religion to the people? I apprehend, in the selection of our representatives to serve in a reformed Parliament, it will be expedient to pass by every such person-though he should be a member of the most remote of all societies from the hierarchy, the Society of Friends. VOL. V. D A. D. 1802. The Peace of Amiens. Concordat between France and the "The definitive treaty of peace between the French Republic, the King of Spain, and the Batavian_Republic, on the one part; and the King of Great Britain and Ireland [such was the new style adopted by our sovereign] on the other, was signed at Amiens on the 27th of March this year." Aikin, ii. 116. "In April, the Concordat' between the See of Rome and the French Republic was published at Paris. Its principal articles were, the establishment of a free exercise of the Roman Catholic religion in France, and a new division of the French dioceses, by the Pope in concert with the French government: the First Consul to nominate to the archbishoprics and bishoprics of the new division, and the prelates, before entering on their functions, to take an oath of fidelity to the French Republic: the bishops to appoint the curés, but under confirmation of the government. The Pope in no manner to disturb the possessors of alienated Ecclesiastical effects: Catholics permitted to make endowments to churches. Articles were at the same time drawn up, for the regulation of the Protestant worship in France. Previously to the publication of this code of religion, the Papal legate, Cardinal Caprara had a formal audience of the First Consul, in which he spoke the following passage: The same hand which gained battles, and which signed peace [on its own terms] with all nations, restores splendour to the temples of the true God, re-edifies his altar, and re-establishes his worship." Idem. p. 124. Let the reader now pause for a moment—and reflect that, just before the period of such an ascription of the qualities, though not of the actual title, of Defender of the Faith' to Buonaparte, this vain and incongruous assumption had been renounced by our own kings. He will also be sensible that, by this agreement of her ruler with the Ceremonial head of the whole state-priesthood of Christendom, (before fallen so low under her arms,) France actually renewed the alliance, and set up again the relation, between 'Church and State' on that side the channel. Certainly, an atheistical nation with a government that protected no religion, but oppressed all, was here exchanged for something more tolerable to such characters as Protestant dissenters and Friends:-not, however, without leaving great room for both, to desire and pray for something better still! A subscription having been made among Friends, in the different Yearly Meetings of North America, for the relief of their brethren here, in distress through the scarcity of provisions, exceeding Eight thousand pounds in amount, it is distributed among the latter in this year. The Yearly Meetings which afforded this help, with their several contributions are as follows:-Pennsylvania, 57987. 15s. 7d.; New York, 13751. 4s. 1d.; New England, 9281. 2s. 6d.; Maryland, 1827. 18s. 6d. : to which adding 80l. 9s. 3d. for interest, which accrued on the money here, we have for the total 8365l. 9s. 11d. Before noticing the distribution, I may refer to the Records of the Meeting for Sufferings, for An Extract from the Minutes of the Yearly Meeting of New York, 25-28th 5th Mo. 1801,' in which the Friends say, 'From well-authenticated accounts received, there is cause to believe that, owing to the scarcity of provisions in Great Britain and Ireland, the price is so enhanced as to reduce many to very trying circumstances, for want of the necessaries of life.' This record then goes on to express the sympathy of the meeting with their brethren in this land, and to direct a subscription; the proceeds of which were to be remitted to London by the correspondents, to be disposed of as, in the judgment of the Meeting for Sufferings, might best answer the benevolent purpose of the American Friends. And in a subsequent letter (in reply to inquiries) they state, that the relief need not be confined to persons in membership with us. such condition appears to have been annexed to the remaining gifts. No The Meeting appointed, for the purposes of the distribution, a Committee which appears to have taken much previous pains, by correspondence, to ascertain the wants of our members; and of others deemed suitable objects of relief. In the 3rd Mo. 1802 this Committee reported progress, having already distributed 5000l.; and with the following conditions, upon the Friends made the immediate almoners of the gift, viz. On remitting the money to the Friends through whom it was proposed to be handed, a request was made, that the whole assigned to each respective case might be handed at once; and that the feelings of none might be hurt, by disclosing to others what was severally distributed.' In this delicate and unostentatious manner were relieved (as appears by the final reports of the Committee in the 5th Mo.) the cases of 810 families, or particulars, in Great Britain, comprising about 2150 persons, with 63097. the parties being of our members in Great Britain: and of those not members, 419 cases or families, made up of about 1100 individuals, with 8187. In Ireland, under the care of Friends there, our own members received 9527. and other persons 250l. The expenses, chiefly for postage, were satisfied out of the small balance of 36l. 9s. 11d.: and I see not the least reason to doubt, that the trust was both prudently and faithfully administered. It is impossible for me to close this satisfactory narrative of the effects of brotherly kindness among us, without recurring to the language of the great apostle, Moreover, brethren, we do you to wit of the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia, [they were receivers of his blessing, while they bestowed alms on others]: how that in a great trial of affliction, the gifts of their cheerful poverty abounded beyond the measure of the liberality of the richest,' (2 Cor. viii. 12.) Nor, without reminding my fellow-members of the rising generation, in this land, (nursed up for the most part in plenty,) that time was, when their fathers were tried with poverty and distress. Let us daily strive, in the recollection of such changes in our outward estate, to show how thankful we can be (in act, as in acknowledgment) to the God of our lives; by whose providential favour we enjoy what we have. And let us also remember, that he who hath blessed can also blast our labour: He blesseth them, so that they are multiplied greatly; and suffereth not their cattle to decrease. Again [by the turning of his hand upon them] they are minished and brought low through oppression, affliction and sorrow.' (Ps. cvii. 38, 89.) May the prevalence of Christian doctrine and Christian charity, under His gracious guidance, make us worthy His protection, and avert such evil from us! A. D. The little close of William Symonds, (a Northamptonshire Friend,) 1802. containing about three roods of land, and worth forty shillings a year, is seized and detained by the Rector of Nether Hayford, for two shillings and eight pence TITHE, and the costs. We have, here exemplified, the case supposed in a former part of this work, of the absolute taking, under an Act of Parliament, for tithe as for rent, of the land on which stock sufficient to satisfy the distraint might happen not to be found. See Ackworth Tithe and Enclosure,' &c. vol. i. p. 331, with some observations on the subject communicated by a Friend. The common-fields of Nether Hayford, &c. were enclosed by Act of Parliament about the middle of last century. A fee-farm rent was assigned to the Rector in lieu of tithe, with a penalty of 1s. per day, after twenty days delay of payment,-and beside this after thirty days, a power to enter and distrain on property, (real in defect of personal,) taking the rents, issues, &c. to the use of the claimant, until the demand should be satisfied the means whereby to do this being already thus alienated for an indefinite time! In the present instance the Rector, John Lloyd Crawley, had a demand against three Friends, viz. William Ashby for tithe, 87. Os. 101d. and penalty 41. 7s. The parties were summoned; but the Justices refused to grant the warrants for the penalties. The Rector then entered, and distrained on Ashby and Robinson for the full amount: taking cattle, which in value considerably exceeded it. But Symonds he served with a writ of ejectment from his close. The poor man cut his grass, but the claimant got it made into hay for himself, adding the cost of making to his charges. Several conferences were held by Friends with this clergyman; at which he gave them a patient hearing, but did not appear at all moved with any thing they said. He refused the books they offered him, concluding that himself was right, and Friends wrong, and that the law was made for the punishment of such obstinate people. Sir Vicary Gibbs, being consulted, could only confirm the priest's legal right to act as he had done. Near the close of 1803, two Friends waited on Spencer Madan, Bishop of Peterborough; considering it not only the interest but the duty of such sufferers to let the superior clergy know of the cases. The bishop received them with great civility, and treated them with unabated kindness while they staid. He promised to write to the claimant, but lamented that his power did not extend to the prevention of such doings: and it was thought this application was not without its use; for in 1804, distress being made on William Ashby, there were taken from him and sold, For Tithe 71. 3s. and forty-two days' penalty, nine sheep, which brought 137. 10s. Whereas, before, there had been taken for 87. tithe, and eighty-seven days' |