LIBRARY UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SAN DIEGO J SAMUEL WHITING. &x ?, it hath fared with some of them as with many others, who having had a day of visitation from the Lord, and obtained a reputation through his goodness among them, by that holy and innocent conversation which they have had through his grace; yet becoming more loose, and not keeping in the grace of God, and the virtue and power of it, have ended in mere formalists ; and then, in a generation or two, little has appeared but the outside and foim of godliness, which the power of grace brought forth in those who went before. Thus in a great measure, it is with them : yet, in the main, they are preserved from the gross evils of the world ; and I hope the Lord hath a visita- tion of life and power yet in store for them. Among other things I obtained the form of words, used by them instead of an oath ; which is thus: "In the words of Truth, instead of a solemn oath, I declare," &c. The wind at length coming fair, and I inclin- ing to take the first likely opportunity, on the 13th of 9th month, being the first day of the week, after two good meetings, I went to the Briel, accompanied by Robert Gerard, his wife, their sister Bethia, and their brother-in-law John Davison. After staying here a day or two, I embarked in a ship, and through the good Pro- vidence of God, arrived safe at Yarmouth on 86 THE LIFE OF T. STORY. the 17th ; for which, and all the preservations of the Lord through so many dangers, I desire to remain thankful unto Him only. I staid at Yarmouth till the 20th, and was at their meetings ; after which I went to Norwich, and spent some time there to a good degree of satisfaction ; from thence I proceeded to visit several meetings in Norfolk, Suffolk, and Essex, till I came to Kelvedon, to Dr. John Fish's, who gave me medecines which proved helpful, as I was at this time much indisposed. The next day I went to John Osgood's, near Coggeshall, where I staid two weeks, in which time I was at several meetings near by ; and being much re- covered, went on the 18th to Chelmsford, and from thence to London. And during my stay about this city, the Lord was pleased to make my service acceptable to his people there in a general way ; and many good times we had together in his blessed presence. 1715. Section ¥W&. Visits Bristol. — Goes to Ireland. — Interview with the Coun- tess of Kjldare. — Visits his brother and sister at Bilboa. — Rude behaviour of the people at Ralphrj land.— Remarks on the Apostles' Creed — and on Predestination. — Visits his brother the Dean of Limerick. — Discourse with the Curate of Thirles. The Yearly Meeting at Bristol approaching, and having some drawings thither, on the 14th of 2nd month, 1716, I set forward from London, and that night lodged at Ruscomb, with our Friend William Pemxj where my company was acceptable, and we were mutually comforted one in another. The half-year meeting being at Reading on the 15th, I was there ; it was large and open. The next day I returned to Rus- comb, and from thence went to meetings at Henley, Newberry, Marlborough, and on the 23rd at Calne ; where the testimony of Truth ran sharp against such as colleague with priests underhand, and support them by payment of tithes, &c. 1 heard afterwards some there were guilty; and that the honest-minded were com- forted, the reproof being full and plain from the 1716. 88 THE LIFE OF testimony of one, who was so great a stranger to any of their conditions in particular. After this I had meetings at Charlecot, Chip- penham, and Crosham ; and on the 2^th went to Bristol, where I staid the time of their Yearly Meeting, and had some public concern among them to mutual comfort, especially in the part- ing meeting, which was very large and full, both of Friends and strangers. The Lord was pleased to raise his Truth and wisdom over all, to his own glory and the general satisfaction of those present : for it is not man, but the Lord that works effectually ; and the honour is due to God only, though the weak are apt to look to an in- strument, which in itself is nothing. On the 4th of the 3rd month I was at Bath : this was a comfortable meeting; and Samuel Bownas, that able and experienced minister of the Gospel, being there, I was also comforted in his ministry. On the 6th I was again at the meeting at Bristol ; from thence went to Thorn- bury and Nailsworth, Cirencester, Witney, and Oxford, taking meetings in my way to London ; where I arrived on the 17th, and staid there during the time of the Yearly-Meeting. On the 8th of the 4th month I set forward from London with a view of visiting Friends in Ireland. That night I went to Marshgate, and next day to Ruscomb to William Penn's, whom THOMAS STORY. 89 I found in the same condition be had been in for some time, full of love and sweetness, but not able to express himself as formerly before the apoplectic fit, which had so much impaired his memory. On the 10th being first-day, I went to the meeting at Reading ; and was likewise at their meeting on the 12tb to good satisfaction. Agree- ably to what had been in my view before, I now used some endeavours to bring the rem- nant of those Friends back, who formerly, by means of John Story, &c. had separated them- selves. I went to some of their houses, and was kindly received ; found them not averse to re- turn, but loth to make an acknowledgment of any fault in separating, unless the Friends there would take blame also, which I could by no means yield to; for they had gone off under a jealousy that Friends were apostates and inno- vators, and had long continued in that error and schism. And now being satisfied that they had been mistaken, and that Friends were not so, as several of them owned, I thought they might well acknowledge their mistake and so be re- conciled. But I found one main obstruction was on account of their preacher ; therefore I spoke to him the next day, and found him con- descending : and though affairs could not then be brought to a conclusion, we parted in peace, and I was very easy and comforted in the Lord, 90 THE LIFE OF after a full and hearty endeavour for their re- conciliation ; having nothing in view but the honour of Truth and their own good. On the 14th I went to Upton, and from thence to Charlow, Painswick, Nailsworth, Tidbury, and Bath, attending their meetings; and on the 29th came to Bristol, where I was at several meetings that were open and comfortable. I was here informed that the separate persons at Reading, had laid down their meeting and re- turned to Friends ; which gave me great satis- faction. On the 20th of 5th month the vessel sailed from King's Road in which 1 had taken my pas- sage for Ireland ; but being detained by con- trary wind, we stopped at Minehead and did not arrive at Cork till the 28th ; here I was at several meetings, and at their week day meet- ing on the 31st which was larger, I suppose, by reason of the notice gone about of my being the Dean of Limerick's brother; which though it made my work the harder, their minds being outward, and their expectations high and off from the true object ; yet my mind being only to the Lord, He was pleased to be my helper; and things were pretty well. The 5th of 6th month being first-day, was their province meeting. In the morning I was at the meeting of ministering Friends, which THOMAS STORY. 91 ■was small and heavy, the weight of the ap- proaching meeting being upon us; but the Lord owned us with his good presence in some de- gree. And in the meetings this day, which were large both forenoon and afternoon, the Lord was with us in his power and wisdom; and many things were opened to general satisfaction. The next day in the morning we had also a ffood time; and at the afternoon meeting for the inspection of the affairs of Truth, things were well and peaceably managed, and ended in comfort. On the 7th was a meeting more select for the young people, in« which I had a very open and full time to them in the love of Truth ; and many of them were much reached : the Lord gave us a good meeting, and season of his love and celestial showers together, to his own praise and our mutual consolation, help, and edification. It being the time of the assizes, many of the higher rank were in town ; and one day came to ray friend John Pikes, the young countess of Kildare and her sister, with three others of less quality. We had some free and open conversa- tion, in which this lady and the rest, commended the plain dress of our women as the most decent and comely, wishing it was in fashion among them. Upon this I told her: ' That she and the rest of her quality, standing in places of emi- 92 THE LIFE OF nence, were the fittest to begin it, especially since they saw a beauty in it ; and they would be sooner followed than those of lower de- gree.' To this she replied : ' If we should dress our- selves plain, people would gaze at us, call us Quakers, and make us the subject of their dis- course ; and we cannot bear to be made so particular.' I answered : " The cause is so good, being that of Truth and virtue, if you will espouse it hearti- ly upon its just foundation, a few of you would put out of countenance with a steady and fixed gravity, abundance of the other side, who have no bottom but the vain customs of the times ; and you will find a satisfaction in it, an over- balance to all you can lose, since the works of virtue and modesty carry in them an immediate and perpetual reward to the worker." This seemed not unpleasant, being said in an open freedom; b but they all alleged the exam- ple of our own young women in London and Bristol, as an obstacle. I observed that " those among us who take such liberties, go beside their profession, to which they are a dishonour, and a daily and per- petual exercise to us ; and I hope you will not look at the worst, since amongst us every where, you may find better examples." b THOMAS STORY. 93 On the the 19th I was at Limerick ; being the first day of the week the meetings were crowded and things opened well; but the greatest part having no want of Truth, but being drawn by curiosity, I had not so much satisfaction there as in some other places, where the people's coming had a belter inducement. They had conceived a notion, as I heard, that I was for high church and the Pretender ; the reverse to my senti- ments on these affairs : but so far as my thoughts have been employed on them, and that is as little as most men, I have ever left those things to Pro- vidence, being content with what the Lord orders therein, without murmuring or meddling; and this has been productive of great peace to me ever since the beginning of the Revolution. After this I was at several more meetings at Limerick to a good degree of satisfaction : things opened well on several points, especially con- cerning freedom from sin in this life, and the necessity of it : in which " I urged the catechism of the church of England, and the great vows and promises therein mentioned ; that the com- posers of it, either believed the possibility of this attainment, or they did not ; if they did, then they taught a perfection higher than ever we had done : viz. " That men may live from their infancy to the day of their death, even if they live to a great age, and never sin: 94 THE LIFE OF for he lhat renounces the devil and all his works, the pomps and vanities of this world, and all the sinful lusts of the flesh; keeps God's holy will or law, and commandments, and walks in the same all the days of his life ; and finally believes all the articles of the Christian faith, never sins or errs in faith or practice. But if they did not believe the attainment, and yet enjoined and promised the thing, then they committed great sin in so doing: for what is not of faith is sin. But alas ! though despising the covenant of grace, they have thus invented to themselves a covenant of works which they have not kept, being by their own confession, misera- ble sinners, leaving undone those things they ought to have done, and doing those things they ought not.' " M I directed them therefore to God's covenant of Light, and to that grace which came by Jesus Christ, which they mention in their catechism, though they regard it not in practice, but com- monly dispute that v.o man can be free from sin in this life ; yet that is the only means to attain such freedom, and perform those vows ; which would be exacted in a day lhat was hastening over all nations, when all must give an account before the great Judge of all the world, and every one be rewarded according to his works." " All this they seemed to bear with patience ; THOMAS STORY. 95 but in rejecting purgatory as a satanic invention to render poor weak mortals secure in their sins in vain hopes of purification after death, and thus elude the end of the coming of Christ ; which was to destroy the works of the devil, to finish sin, put an end to transgression, and bring in everlasting righteousness, some of the papists went out of the meeting, being preju- judiced against what is good and true; and encouraging the slavery of sin, satan, and priestcraft to the end of the world ; which God will disappoint, and destroy by the brightness of his coming and glory, now advancing as the rising sun through the thickest darkness; and none shall be able to hinder it. On the 28th I was there again ; and the meeting being more select, it was very open to Friends ; and the Lord gave us a baptizing season of his love together ; and things ended here to general satisfaction. Having had a kind invitation by my brother and sister to their house at Bilboa, I went thither accom- panied by Joseph Phelps, George Pease, and my cousin Charles Story, one of the prebends of Limerick. This was an uncommon mixture, but no occasion of offence was given or taken on any hand : my sister was a person of a good natural temper and very discreet, and my bro- ther also well pleased with our company. He 96 THE LIFE OF showed us his deer, park, and some of his fields. The two Friends went back to Limerick ; but I staid till the first of 7th month, when my brother went with me about five miles, to the house of Waller, where the same Friends met me; and that evening we went within five miles of Birr, and had a large meeting next day, but not very open. From hence I proceeded to Birr, Greenough, Old Castle, and other places, having meetings to good satisfaction. On the 22nd I was at the six weeks meet- ing at Grange, to which some strangers came; and among others one Moses Cleck, who had received his education at Glasgow, and been a preacher in good repute among the Presby- terians : but having fallen in with one of our meetings providentially some years before, was reached by Truth, under the ministry of Hugh Hamilton, and afterwards by John Salkeld, though he still continued in his old way till the week before this, when he had declined his ministry and left them ; though they had taken great pains to reclaim him, and offered him his choice of several parishes or places, but in vain: for he owned himself convinced of Truth, as professed by us in many things ; though not in all at that time. We had a good meeeting ; but taking exceptions at some things I delivered after the meeting, he discoursed with me upon THOMAS STORY. 97 them; and I explained them fully, so that all ended well. On the 30th I came to Lurgan, where I staid a few days, being a little wearied with my jour- ney and service, and willing to take some rest, especially where I found the most service. On the 7th of 8th month I was at the meeting at Grange, by Charlemount, which was a large and an open good meeting ; I had a long time in it, and many things were fully and clearly opened ; after which I was as easy and much comforted, as at any hitherto in Ireland. On the 13th I was at the Province meeting at Lurgan ; it was large and open. I had some time after the meeting for business ; which was satisfactory to all, being concerning ray own experience in the time of my convincement, and the satisfaction 1 had in secret in these meetings for business, before I found myself at all qualified to act in them ; which was not till my peace began to lessen by reason of my aversion and neglect ; for if I could have had peace and enjoyment of the good presence of the Lord, without either preaching, or answer- ing the concerns incumbent on me from Him, in matters of discipline and affairs of the church, I had much rather never have meddled in it; observing the tempers of some men professing Truth, and what spirits they are of, for the most TOL. II. F 98 THE LIFE OF part, who are to be dealt with in it. And that though the discipline now in use in the church, was of God, through the openings of his wis- dom, and dictates of his Spirit ; yet it may be said now of discipline, as Paul personating that state, said of the law : " The law is spiritual, holy, righteous, just, and good; but I am carnal, sold under sin." The discipline is settled to great and glorious ends ; but as satan regards not what is the law, if he can be judge to prevent it, so, even in this age, the mystery of iniquity has so wrought as that ungodly men, in some places, have advanc- ed themselves into the seat of judgment, whose spirits and ways merit judgment and con- demnation ; who by that means being unseen of some and awing others, turn the edge of judg- ment backwards, and prevent all right; put truth for error, and error for (ruth ; which being the highest abomination and indignity to the Lord, He will shortly arise every where, to the discovery and overthrow of all such, with their evil work, throughout the world. The Province meeting at Lurgan being over, on the 15th I proceeded on my journey, and on the 18th had a meeting at Kalphryland. c After notice was given the people seemed inclinable to come ; but some of the professors of religion not only prevented those of their own sect, but THOMAS STORY. 99 encouraged rude boys to disturb the meeting, by making a noise and throwing dirt and stones near the door. Our peace nevertheless remain- ed in us ; and we were comforted in the Lord ; and, after awhile, John Turner of Lurgan, being there, went out with some other Friends into the street, there being many people in the shops and houses, as near the meeting as they could ; and I went after him, having the same thing also in my mind. He stood by the end of a house which had a view several ways, with some shops and houses on the opposite side, and there he preached to them a pretty while ; and by the time he had done we had a far greater auditory than the meeting-place could have contained. After him I stood up, and then the Friends came to us there out of the meeting, and I had a full time among them. But all the time we spoke to them, the boys made a noise and threw stones, dirt, and turfs ; and though at times some of the people would reprove them and drive them off, yet others gave countenance, and encou- raged them ; and some who by the distance they stood, must be stronger than boys, threw turf and stones among us over a house, standing out of sight behind it most part of the time ; one stone hitting me on the right breast, but falling dead did little harm. This manner of throwing stones, if any had been killed, would VOL. II. F 2 100 THE LIFE OP have rendered the thrower guilty of murder by the law of England ; yet the Lord pre- served us from their violence, so as no great harm was sustained by any of us. This opportunity being over, after a full and open time among them, we retired to the meet- ing, where some of the people came, and we had further service there; but the work of that spirit of envy was not yet at an end ; for some renewed their disturbance, and one fellow came into the meeting with water, and in a scoffing manner said : " The preacher must needs be very dry by much speaking, here is water for him ;" and seemed to intend to throw it among us by some motion he made; but a person in the meeting turned him out and some boys also that were with him ; and at last things ended peaceably, and we were generally comforted. On our going out of the town, the rabble of boys followed us along, stoning us and say- ing : " We will drive them out of the town like dogs." Upon which I rode back till I met with some of the inhabitants, and told them we understood the meaning of all that, and where to place it ; not only on those poor children, who Avere thus depraved and ruined by their wicked leaders and abettors, for we were certainly informed that they had hired them, by giving THOMAS STORY. 101 them money for that evil service of thera and satan ; and therefore they must answer for it in time. c We next had meetings at Newry, Dundalk, Drogheda, Dublin, Tiraaho, Edenderry, Bally- tore, and Castledermont. On the 7th of 9th month we returned to Dublin and were at the half year's National Meeting. All the affairs of it were carried on with great ease and unity, and in much sweetness. Finding an openness at Dublin, and many people of divers sorts frequent- ing our meetings, especially in the afternoon, I staid there till the 20th of 10th month, and had services of several kinds. On the 22nd, being the seventh day of the week, we went to the Province meeting at Carlow ; which held that day and the day following, and was a good open meeting. On the 25th I had a meeting at Kilionore, which being the day commonly called Christ- mas, there were a pretty many strangers pre- sent, and the Lord was withj us to our comfort. At this meeting it was upon me to set forth the Word of God made flesh or appearing in the flesh, born of the Virgin Mary, sent to the Jews in that manifestation according to the foreknow- ledge, purpose, and promise of God ; though they, save a remnant of them, rejected and cru- cified Him : and yet at the same time were VOL. II. F 3 102 THE LIFE OF magnifying Moses, and garnishing the tombs and sepulchres of the Prophets, boasting them- selves to be of them, but refusing the Son of God Himself, Lord of all the Prophets. And that even so uow, the nominal Christians of several notions, whilst they keep feastings, under pre- tence of honour to Christ, in commemoration of his birth, behave themselves so as rather to represent a triumph of sin and satan ; rejecting his Divine Light and grace in themselves ; crucifying to themselves the Son of God afresh by wicked works ; in which they abounded, especially at that period. It was a good meet- ing and ended to satisfaction. On the 30th we were at the monthly meeting at Lamb's Town, which was large, consisting of several neighbouring meetings. In the be- ginning of it heaviness attended, the ears of the people being outward for words; but the Lord condescended to us ; and was pleased to appear after some time, and the way of Truth was opened clearly and fully ; and many were reached, Truth being over all. On the third-day following the 1st of the 11th month, I went to a meeting at Wexford, which was large and open, and therein 1 had to declare to the people the abominations of Ire- land in her different parties, covering her fields with the blood of one another ; the inconsistency THOMAS STORY. 103 of this, with the nature of that love through, which Christ died for all, whilst yet enemies ; the ingratitude of Ireland to the Lord for her many deliverances; and the threatnings of the Lord of further punishments yet to come in case of continuance of wickedness, by the sword, pes- tilence, fire, and famine ; in the delivery where- of all were bowed, and the meeting concluded in a weighty frame. On the 4th of 1 1th month I had a meeting at New Ross, at which were many of the in- habitants. The Lord seasoned my heart with his grace, and renewed his Holy Spirit in me, for I had been somewhat low in my mind that day. On the 6th being first-day, I was at their meeting at Waterford, which was open and comfortable, many being bowed under the bless- ed Truth, and some sweetly broken and melted ; and a comfortable time the Lord gave us, to his praise. In the afternoon we had a large meeting, many strangers being present, and things opened fully, and with good authority. I had something to say about transubstantiation, and the unprofitableness of such eating and drinking of the body and blood of Christ, if really true, which I could not grant but oppose. I attended several more meetings at this VOL. II. f 4 *J4 THE LIFE OP place, to satisfaction. In one of them I was concerned to open to the people that called the apostle's creed, as to the article : " He de- scended into hell." I took exceptions to it thus : " His being dead and buried, sets forth He was in the state of the dead ; and his de- scending into hell, as they suppose, cannot mean He tasted of the state of the damned ; which does not agree with what He said to the thief upon the cross : viz. ' To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.' The word thou, respecting the thief, being intended of his soul only ; for his body was broken and buried, or disposed of after the manner of criminals, and was not in paradise ; and the word Me, respect- ing Christ, must intend his holy and innocent soul, in an inseparable union with the Divine Word, for so it was from the beginning, to be in paradise, at the same time when the body lay dead in the sepulchre ; and since the body was in the grave, and the soul in paradise, what was there of Christ to be in hell? Which I recommended to their further consideration." Another point also fell in my way : viz. Predestination, wherein it is said : " That God from all eternity, hath decreed some men and angels unto life and salvation, and others unto damnation or destruction ; and the number is so certain and definite, that not one can be THOMAS STORT. 105 added or diminished." Upon this I thus re- marked, among other things ; that there is a con- tradiction in the terms in which it is laid down : for the act of the Divine will, moving to a de- cree, must have a beginning, in order to effect that decree ; and therefore cannot be from all eternity, or without beginning, which is all one. And if God had at all made such a decree, whether before or since the world began, he had not then left any room for that saying: "As I live saith the Lord, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live." Ezelc. xxxiii. 11. But so the Lord hath said long since the world began, and since the time of the supposed de- cree ; and therefore He had not made any such before at all. Again, when God, by his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, offered salvation to the people of the Jews, especially at Jerusalem, and they, most of them refusing it, at last he wept over them, 6aying : " O Jerusalem ! thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would 1 have gathered thy children together, as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, but yc would not !" Matt, xxiii. 37. Now if God had decreed these to destruction, why did he offer them salvation, and charge it upon themselves as an VOL. II. F 5 106 THE LIFE OF act of their own will to refuse it ? It cannot consist with any notion of justice, which God hath given to rational beings, that He should decree any to damnation ; offering terms of sal- vation to the same persons, whom He rejects for non-compliance, when He, that is Almighty, hath determined they should never comply." After this I had meetings at Carrick, Clon- mel, and Youghall, to satisfaction ; and on the 19th, at Cork, was at their Province meeting, which was pretty large and well ; it held two days. On the 22nd and 25th I was at their week-day meetings, consisting mostly of Friends, in which I had opportunities to speak to some things more peculiar to their states, than in the mixed meetings. d The first-day following being the 27th, accompanied by many Friends from Cork, I was at a meeting at Kinsale, which in the morning was not very large, yet pretty open : that in the evening was greatly crowded by peo- ple of all ranks and sorts, and many things were declared to general satisfaction ; though errors both of Papists and Protestants were laid plainly open. The crowd was so great that many who coming late could not get in, and not being able to abide the cold, or stand so long with- out doors, went away. This was a good meet- ing, and Truth over all ; and the people gene- rally, officers, soldiers and others, were very civil THOMAS STORY. 107 to us ; especially the next morning as we passed the streets, wishing us well. 4 I proceeded from hence to Malo, and Char- leville, and had meetings : and on the 9th of 12th month went to Limerick, accompanied by several Friends. Having had letters of invi- tation from my brother George Story, then Dean of Limerick, and also from his wife to take up ray lodging at their house, I accepted it ; and was with them during the time I staid in town. They were kind; but in a short time I found my spirit under a great load, which rendered my stay there uncomfortable ; though things to outward view were agreeable. I at length perceived from some conversations that passed, they were under a deep prejudice against the Truth, being poisoned by the invi- dious and wicked writings of Lesly. e As for instance, one of them in some serious and pri- vate discourse, commending the satisfaction to be reaped in prayer ; and I in the mean time having an eye on the result and end of all prayer in a state of Paradise, happened to say : " It was true in all them, who addressed them- selves to God in the spirit of prayer ; but that 'tis much better to be in a state where there is no need of prayer ; that which was once needful to be prayed for being now obtained, and be- come the enjoyment of him that prayed for the VOL. II. f 6 108 THE LIFE OF same before he obtained it." This was wrested, as if I had said : " We, the Friends, were in such a high stale in this life, as that we had no need of prayer at all." Again, I happened to say in discourse: "That as the apostles living long after the days of the prophets, and having the same spirit, saw some things clearer than the prophets themselves did, relating to their own prophecies, as saith the apostle Peter ; so we in our days, having the advantage of nearly seven- teen hundred years time and experience since those ages, might see some things written obscurely by some of the apostles, clearer than they themselves did." This was immediately wrested to intend : " That we were wiser and had more knowledge than the apostles, &c." Thus perceiving what kind of snares were all around me, I from thenceforth conversed as little as I could, during the rest of that tedious and bur- thensome week I staid there; though in every thing else, they made me very welcome. As they had mentioned those books, e I therefore procured the answer to Lesly, written by Joseph Wyelli, and left it with them, in order that they might be better informed concerning us. During my stay at Limerick, finding things thus with my relations, I was as much as I well could be in the conversation of Friends, as more for whatsoever any man professeth, as any part or incident of the Christian religion, he ought to be sincere therein ; and it were more manly and Christian to act openly as one is inwardly persuaded, than to profess one thing openly, and act another contrary in secret ; for that is hypocrisy, and we would not have one such among us." Then I related to the bishop how far we think any society of Christians may and ought to contribute to the necessary charge of a Gospel ministry, and how that matter stands among us at this day : " That we believe the true Gospel ministry and Christian religion comes not by tradition, imitation or succession, as from the apostles and primitives, but imme- diately from Christ Himself; who, according to his promise, hath ever been with his Church, and ever will be to the end of the world, as a Fountain of Life and salvation unto her : that 234 THE LIFE OF He only liath right and power to call, sanctify, and qualify whomsoever He pleases, as ministers and officers in his congregation, or amongst his people ; which is of his pwn seeking, con- gregating, baptizing, and saving by the revela- tion, operation, and agency of his Holy Spirit. And we observe that now as in times past, He taketh the weak things of this world whereby to overpower the strong and foolish, and to confound the wisdom of the wise ; that no flesh may boast before Him. " And when at any time we are sitting together in silence, as we usually do, waiting upon the Almighty for the influence of his Holy Spirit, that we might be comforted, refreshed, and edified thereby, if any one hath his understand- ing enlightened into any edifying matter, and is moved and enabled to speak, the rest have proper qualifications, by the same Spirit, to discern and judge, both of the soundness of his speech and matter, and also of the Spirit and Fountain from which his ministry doth arise ; and if from the Holy Spirit of Chirst who is Truth, it hath acceptance with the congregation, and though but in a few words, it is comfortable and edifying ; for as the palate tasteth meats, so the ear, or discerning faculties of an illuminated, sanctified mind, distinguisheth words and the Fountain from which they spring. THOMAS STORY. 235 "And such a person thus appearing, may so appear at another time, and be enlarged in word and in power, and so on gradually, till he hath given proof of his ministry to his friends and brethren, among whom, in the neighbourhood, he hath been exercised therein, until he becomes a workman in the Gospel, in some good degree fitted for the service ; and then it may so hap- pen, as often it doth, that this person is moved or called by the word of God, to travel in this service in some other places remote from his habitation, which will take him off from his business, whereby he maintains himself, his wife, and family ; and suppose him to be a cobbler of old shoes, a patcher or translator of old clothes, or the meanest mechanic that can be named, poor, and not able to fit him- self with common necessaries for his journey, and he wanteth a horse, (though some only walk,) clothing and the like ; in such a case, the Friends of the meeting to which he belongs, provide all such things, and furnish him. "And if in that service he is so long from home, as that his horse fails, and his clothes wear out, and necessaries are wanting unto him, then the Friends where he travels, where his service is acceptable, take care to furnish him till he returns to his family and business. And in the time of his absence from them, some Friend 236 THE LIFE OF or Friends of the neighbourhood visit his family, advise in his business, and charitably promote it (ill he returns. But as to any other temporal advantages, or selfish motive, or reward for such service, there is no such thing among us ; for if our ministers should have the least view that way, and insisted upon it, or our people were willing to gratify that desire, we should then conclude we were gone off from the true Foun- dation of Christ and his apostles, and become apostates. " But though our principles allow such assist- ance to our ministers as I have related ; yet I have not known any instance, save one, of any such help : for by the good Providence of God> our ministers have generally sufficient of their own to support the charge of their travels in that service, and are unwilling that the Gospel should be chargeable to any ; only as their ministry makes way where they come, their company is acceptable to their friends, who afford them to eat, and drink, and lodge with them for a night or two, more or less, as there may be occasion ; which being freely given and freely received, we think is like unto the primitives, under the immediate conduct of the same Lord, our Saviour and director." The bishop heard all these things with pati- tience and candour, not showing the least dislike to any part of what passed among us ; and THOMAS STORY. 237 in conclusion he said, a little pleasantly : " Then you are like Paul and Barnabas, and we are like Silas and Timothy ; you travel abroad to propagatethe faith of Christ, and we remain at home, taking care of things there." And though it was on the second-day when usually visited by his clergy, he staid with us alone till about the middle of the day ; and at our departure said : " Gentlemen, let us in our several stations, en- deavour to promote universal love, good-will, and charity amongst mankind ; and I pray God bless you and prosper you in your undertakings ; for we ought to pray for one another and desire the best things one for another." And so we departed in peace and with satisfaction. With the Archbishop of York. Going to the archbishop of York, Sir William Dawes, to solicit his favour and concurrence in the house of lords, for altering the terms of our solemn affirmation, as they then stood in the acts of parliament relating thereto, being such as the body of our Friends disliked, and could not comply with, the bishop upon that occasion said : " I am for liberty of conscience where that is truly the case ; but there is a sort of people in this nation, who dissent from the 238 THE LIFE OF church on the pretence of conscience, and yet can occasionally seek for offices and places of profit in the government ; I cannot call this conscience, but humour." I replied : "I am of the same mind ; but that is not our case ; for we want no places nor offices in the government, but an exemption from such laws as tend to obstruct us in our duty and service to the Almighty, in such man- ner as we are in truth and sincerity persuaded in our conscience we ought to worship, fear, serve, and obey Him, without any view to any other interest." Then said the bishop : " The words of the affirmation that now is, are a solemn oath, and so we," meaning the clergy, "always from the beginning, have understood them." I replied : " I know you have ; for Dr. Tillotson when dean of Paul's, being required to preach a sermon before the judges of the assize at Kings- ton upon Thames, took his text in these words : 4 Men verily swear by the greater, and an oath is to them an end of all strife ;' from which he raised a discourse, intending therein to prove that oaths in judicature were not only lawful but necessary, under the Gospel as well as under the law. In which discourse he defines an oath in these words or to this effect: 'An oath is a solemn appeal to God, as a witness of the THOMAS STORY. 239 truth of what we say.' This sermon being print- ed before we applied to the legislature for relief against oaths, and the reasoning therein sup- posed to be strong in support of judicial swear- ing, that parliament would not grant us any relief in any other terms but in the words of the doctor's definition of an oath, a little im- proved. For whereas he saith in his sermon, 4 an oath, is a solemn appeal to God as a wit- ness of the truth,' &c. the parliament added the word Almighty to the word God, setting forth the Supreme Being in his highest attribute, as a witness in the most trivial cases occurring among the children of men, whilst a mortal sitieth as judge in the cause. And as the particle a, might denote the Most High as a witness only on the level with other witnesses, the parliament more wisely and rever- ently changed the particle a to the more proper word the, by way of super-eminence as justly due : for where the God of Truth is witness, there needeth no other; and to suppose there doth, is derogatory to his Divine majesty, and blasphemous; of which many of our people were aware, and therefore shunned it, and could not comply ; though some others, not so well appriz- ed of the nature of an oath, did use it: but we as a body of people, never agreed to it ; for our Yearly Meeting, which represents us and our 240 THE LIFE OF principles, in the most collective and general manner, hath always agreed to solicit the government for a more proper form, when it might please God to incline their hearts to so much goodness ; and we hoping this is the time, have proposed the form now before the house." The bishop replied : " That he was not our enemy, but could not stay at that time to see or hear any more on the subject, being under an appointment about some business ;" and so we parted. Some days after this I went to him again, accompanied only by John Irwin. The bishop was alone, and received us very courteously, and we renewed our applications to him on the same account ; and then the bishop was more plain with us, and said : u That he could not be for us on that account; for though he did believe, that the words of the affirmation as they then stood were as solemn an oath as could be invented by the wit of man, he understood our Friends had generally complied with them on every pinching or needful occasion, as he had been informed by persons of unquestionable credit, who had been exercised in the court of chancery." He added : " That if there were any considerable number of us who conscienti- ously scrupled the words, it ought to be duly THOMAS STORY. 241 considered by the house, and relief granted ; bat to alter the laws for a very few, could hardly comport with prudence ; since the parliament would greatly incur the censure of the people of the nation if they should do it." And added: " That he could not see any reason why such of us as took the affirmation should be exempt- ed from the common oaths of the nation." By which I perceived he and they would have divided us if they could. To this I replied : " That since the bishop himself understood the words in the present act to be a solemn oath ; and as, if sincere to our prin- ciples, it was matter of conscience, to which he professed to be a friend, I hoped he could not blame us, had we been but a few, for making application for a form of a milder nature, in which nothing like an oath was contained. But as to the numbers on either side of the ques- tion among us the petitioners, the proceedings against us in chancery, or any other courts, could not determine ; for few, in comparison of the body of our people, are prosecuted there; and as there may be some who comply, as not believing the words in the act to amount to an oath, there are others also who have been prosecuted therein, who have so far scrupled them, as rather to suffer the hard measures of the law than comply with that form." VOL. II. m 242 THE LIFE OF Then said John Irwin: "The bishop is mis- informed on this point ; for I live in the north of England, and know that there are very few of our Friends in all these parts who comply with the terms of the present affirmation on any account, but generally suffer the force of the laws, rather than yield to a thing contrary to conscience : and I have likewise, not long ago, travelled through most parts of the west and south of this nation ; and upon a general observation find, that the greatest part of our Friends every where, are averse to the present affirmation, and decline to use it as much as they can." This I confirmed by adding: "That i also had, for some years past, travelled through most parts of the world where our people are, and observed, that they are generally prin- cipled against the form of the present affirma- tion ; and this endeavour for further ease and liberty of conscience in the case, is by consent and direction of our whole body, represented in our Yearly Meeting here in London, and not by any particular party or side only : so that I hope thy objection, as to a few, is fully answered ; and even if there were but a few in a nation under that circumstance, charity ought not to be withheld for that reason, since THOMAS STOBY. 243 the * eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open to their cry.' " And as the bishop had asserted: "That the words of the former affirmation were a solemn oath, and wished that all the judicial oaths of the nation were in that form," it gradually drew the question into our discourse, whether Christ in his doctrine had prohibited all swearing ; they commonly alleging that He only forbid pro- fane swearing in conversation, but not swear- ing in evidence. I assumed the affirmative : 11 That the Lord Christ hath abolished all oaths out of bis Church ; and alleged for proof the fifth chapter of Matthew, where He saith : 1 Except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and pharisees, you shall in no case enter the kingdom of heaven :' and then in several points sets forth what their righteousness did amount to, viz. 'You have heard it was said by them of old time, thou shalt not commit adultery ; but I say unto you, that whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her, hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.' Here by taking away the cause which is an unlawful desire in the heart, he prevents the act. " Again : ' You have heard it hath been said by them of old time, thou shalt love thy neighbour' or friend, 'and hate thine enemy; VOL. II. m 2 244 THE LIFE OF but I say unto you, love your enemies, &c.' Now where the heart is filled with the love of God, in which Christ laid down his life for mankind, whilst yet enemies, in which we can have love and compassion even for enemies, the cause of fighting, and destroying one an- other as enemies, is taken away ; men are re- conciled unto God through Christ, and one unto another in Him; and so abiding, cannot fight or destroy any more ; as it is written : * They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the Lord.' " Thus far our Lord spake in parables to in- troduce and illustrate the point in question : ' You have heard it hath been said by them of old time, thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths; but I say unto you, swear not at all.' Here the Lord begins with oaths of the highest nature, used under the law on the most solemn occasions ; which whosoever falsified were perjured; and where there is swearing there may be perjury ; but where there is no swearing, there can be no perjury ; where the cause is taken away, the effects will cease : and as He all along ad- vance! h the moralities of the Gospel above that of the law, in all other instances, so in this tiso ; for if he had only forbid profane swear- ing. He had done no more than Moses had done THOMAS STORY. 245 in the point ; where it is said : i Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain f which command every one breaks in a most impious sense, who swears in conversation. M The Lord having thus prohibited the once lawful oaths, He proceeds to explain the ten- dency of their invented oaths, which they used in conversation, and on small occasions, the breach whereof they did not seem to think was perjury: l Neither shalt thou swear by heaven, for it is God's throne; and he who sweareth by the throne of God, sweareth by Him that sitteth thereon j neither shalt thou swear by the earth, for it is his footstool :' and by parity of con- sequence, he that sweareth by the footstool of God, sweareth by Him whose footstool it is. 'Neither shalt thou swear by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King ; nor by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black ;' both which result and termi- nate the same way : such swear by the Lord, the King of kings, whose Name and temple was placed in Jerusalem in the time of the law ; and the head as all the parts of man, being formed of the Lord, to swear thereby, is to swear by his Maker. Thus swearing by heaven, earth, Jerusalem, the altar, the gold thereon, the head, or any creature, every oath VOL. II. m 3 246 THE LIFE OF is forbidden in conversation, as well as judicial swearing : < But let your conversation,' and com- munication, 'be yea, yea, nay, nay, for what- soever is more than these cometh of evil;' of the evil one, which is the devil. « Leave off lying, and every man speak truth to his neigh- bour ;' and use no higher asseveration in your speech, than redoubling your yea on solemn occasions ; as by example, of your Lord, verily, verily." The bishop heard me with patience ; and, what gave me some surprise, he made no other reply than this : " Your interpretation of that scripture is just." Then he said: "I read your books : I have read Barclay ; he is no contemptible author; yet I think he might be answered in some points." I replied : " That any ingenious person reading the works of another, with design to find fault, may find something, especially in a large performance, that he may think amiss, or wrest to such an appearance as he would have it : but every work should be examined with an impartial view, by a mind not preju- diced or prepossessed, comparing one part with another, till the true mind, intent, and meaning of the writer be discovered; and then, if any real error appear, to confute it by obvious truth ; which needeth no gloss or THOMAS STORY. 247 colour of sophistry : but when an opponent subtilly and wilfully wrests the words of his antagonist, and iraposeth a meaning thereon the author did not intend, this opponent is a forger, combating his own invention, militates against himself, and isfelo de se in argument." Upon this the bishop generously acknow- ledged : " That no man ought to oppose the works of another, till he was fully master of the author's real sense, and did at least believe it to be wrong or heterodox." Then I said : " That we had met with very hard usage in the house of lords, and particu- larly by the bishop of Rochester, the same who afterwards was banished for treasonable practices ; that at the same time when we, as a Christian people, were addressing the legisla- ture of our native country, for liberty of consci- ence to serve God and our Lord Jesus Christ, in the way we judge most acceptable to Him, to be branded and accused in such a place and time, and on such an occasion, as not being Christians, but compared, by him, with Jews, pagans, and mahometans, is very uncharitable to say the least." The bishop replied : " I do not approve that usage of you ; but he explained himself to mean no more, than that you are not perfect Christians ; that is, in the way we initiate people into religion." VOL. II. m 4 248 THE LIFE OF I answered : " Then it remains for you to prove, that none can be perfect Christians, unless initiated by you, or at least after your manner." It being then near twelve o'clock, the bishop did not think proper to enter upon that subject. And, as he had said in the sequel of this dis- course, he had read our books, I asked him " if he had seen one, stiled *A Treatise of Oaths,' written by William Penn ?" He said : " He had not." Then I said : " We had abundance of votes collected there, out of the writings of those you call fathers, on our side, against swearing in any case or way." To this he replied : " That we ought not to depend upon numbers only, but consider the weight also." " Granted," said I : " But you have neither weight nor number, that ever I have heard of, on your side ; for all who wrote on that subject in the primitive church, wrote against swearing, and not one in support of it under the Gospel; but that crept in gradually, with other errors, as the church more and more degenerated into Jewish and antichristian practices in many instances." Then this good tempered and affable bishop requested : " That if we had any books we valued more than others, I would oblige him THOMAS STORY. 249 with a sight of them," which I gave him some expectation of ; and, at parting, he took me by the hand, as we passed out of the room, in which we were, into another towards the door, and said : " I desire your prayers for me, as I also pray for you ; we ought all to pray one for another." And so we parted in peace and good- will, not the least word of warmth or a scornful look having appeared in all this conference. I made inquiry after such of our books as I thought proper for him ; but he going soon after into his diocese of York, and I into Suffolk, and cross the country into the west, in the service of Truth, which took about seven months time, I had no opportunity to see him till I returned to London. I then went to his house in the Strand for that purpose ; but he not happening to be within ; and my concerns not allowing me another opportunity for some weeks, in the mean time he Mas taken ill of the distemper wliereof he died, so that I did not see him any more; and his death, through the respect I had con- ceived for his good qualities, affected me with a friendly concern. r With Dr. Bradford, Bishop of Carlisle. Peter Fearon, an ancient minister, and John Irwin aforementioned, both Cumberland men, VOL. II. M .5 250 THE LIFE OF went to solicit Dr. Bradford, bishop of Carlisle, in onr favour, concerning the affirmation aforesaid, and altering the terms ; on occasion whereof he entered into an argument with them on the point of oaths under the Gospel, asserting, as usual, that Christ did only forbid swearing in commu- nication ; but how they managed the point I know not, because not present, and do not remember they related to me the particulars ; but as they intended to make him another visit on the same account, they desired my company on that occasion, and provided the Treatise of Oaths aforesaid, as a present to him. We went to him together, finding none with him but Sykes, a moderate clergyman, the same that printed a sermon on these words of Christ: ' My kingdom is not of this world,' before Ben- jamin Hoadley, then bishop of Bangor, preached his on the same tcxi, which made so much noise among themselves and the nation. The bishop received us mildly and courte- ously, ordering seats to be set for us near him- self; and having heard our application for his favour concerning further ease by a new affir- mation, and returned us a moderate and favour- able answer, he began again upon the subject of oaths; endeavouring to persuade us to think, that Christ prohibited oaths only in common conversation or communication : in which Sykcs likewise concurred. But they grounding THOMAS STORY. 251 their opinion only upon the word communica- tion in our English translation, and the other two Friends leaving the matter lo me, I answer- ed : " That if Christ did not prohibit all oaths in that doctrine, he did not advance the morality and righteousness of the Gospel above that of the Law in this point, as in every other parti- cular there mentioned, he certainly did ;" and added : " That there is not a word in this text, which by any tolerable construction, or by any propriety, can be rendered ' communication' from the Greek original. For the word is Aoyoa, the same used in the first of John, signifying word, or speech ; which Word is Truth, signifying that the righteousness of the Gospel, abolishing oaths of all kinds, requires mankind to speak the truth one to another in honesty and sincerity, in all cases, as surely and certainly as they could upon oath." I then desired the bishop to inspect his Greek Testament on that occasion, which he readily did ; and returning from his library, confessed that the word there trans- lated communication, was Aoyoa-, in the Greek, and did not offer any further argument upon the subject. Then I gave him the book which the Friends had put into my hands, telling him it was written on that subject, and desired him to peruse it at his leisure ; and so we left him in friendship and peace. yo*,. ii. m 6 252 THE LIFE OF Some time after this, being in London, Walter Newbury and I went to the bishop again, to request his favour in the house of lords con- cerning the affirmation; and he was come down to his hall, ready to take the air in his coach in the park, but stopped when he saw us come in, and received us kindly, and presently said : " I have read your book, and I wili fetch it vou." if I answered : " It was given him as a present, and desired it might be acceptable." He thanked me, and immediately said: "That he believed that Christ and his apostles had forbid all oaths and swearing, and that the time would come when there would not be any such thing in the Christian world ; " but added : "That the present state and circumstances of mankind could not bear such an exemption ;" and said : " That you will own that some even among yourselves, in whom some immoralities appear, are not fit for the liberty and exemption you request for your people." I answered : " That as mankind come into this world only in a natural state, our issue are as others in that respect ; and when not subject to the example and instructions given them, may, and some of them do, degenerate into immoral ■practices of some sorts : though our Society lakes all practicable care to prevent it, according THOMAS STORY. 253 to the stated rules among us, and by all Chris- tian ways and means. We pray for them, we example them, admonish, advise, exhort, re- prove, and rebuke them as need may require ; and, after all, if any one among us persist in evil, we proceed against such according to the rules of our Society, finally to deny them as not of our communion ; and, this is all we do, or think we ought to do in such cases. And though some particular persons among us may not, in their younger times, come fully up in all things to the perfection of our profession ; yet we hope in the main, as a Christian Society, we do. And though some among us do fall into things dis- agreeable to our profession ; yet the bearing of false witness being so great an evil, and so easily discovered, we hope none among us would be guilty of it ; but if any should, let the penalty of perjury be fully inflicted upon him : and therefore we are encouraged to make this appli- cation. And since, as thou hast been pleased to acknowledge, Christ and his apostles by their doctrine have prohibited all oaths and swearing of every kind, there must be a time wherein it must commence to be put in practice by some certain person, persons, or community. " A nation is not born in a day ; nor did the Lord Jesus himself call and convert all his .disciples at once; it was a gradual work, though 254; THE LIFE OF in the hand of Him by whom the worlds were made. And as the Christian world, so called, hath suffered an exceeding great lapse and degeneracy from the doctrines, morality, sanc- tity, and practice of Christ and his apostles, and (he other early primitives; so in the main they are more antichristians than Christians. " And the Almighty, who makes choice of the foolish things of this world, whereby to con- found the wisdom of the wise, the weak whereby to overcome the mighty, and even things that are not, to bring to nought the things that are, 1 that no flesh may glory before Him,' having raised up and chosen us as a people, in and by Avhom to begin this reformation in religion, in doctrine and practice ; not by human power, for that is against us; not by the wisdom of this world, of which we have little ; nor the learning or acquirements thereof, which we do not pur- sue ; but by the same grace through which our Lord Jesus Christ laid down his life upon the cross, for the redemption of mankind ; where- with being mercifully favoured of God, and having believed through the operation thereof in our hearts, we have hitherto suffered all things for his Name's sake, which have been permitted to be inflicted upon us by this and other nations, where we have been raised up, or have come. And we hope we have given Christian proof of THOMAS STORY. 255 our sincerity, to the minds of all sober and thinking people, that our religion is not some select notions of certain Gospel truths, but a real and practical thing; wherein we are sup- ported, by the wisdom and power of God alone, as witnesses for Him on earth, and to the re- demption and salvation brought to pass for us and in us, through Jesus Christ our Lord. "And since you profess yourselves to be Chris- tian bishops, for we applied to them all, and we apply to you for relief where our consciences are yet oppressed by laws, and where you, by your offices in the national church, have a share for the time being in the legislature, who, under the Almighty, alone can relieve us ; if you will not in your stations contribute what you may towards that relief, at whose door will the oppression lie ?" The bishop heard me with Christian patience, and said : " We," meaning the bishops and former parliament, " did not grant the affirma- tion that now is, under any other view, on our part, than as a solemn oath ; for so we always understood it, and we thought your people had acquiesced under it : but seeing it does not suit you, I am for liberty for tender consciences, where that is the case. I am your friend herein." Then we returned him our hearty acknow- ledgments ; upon which he took us by the 256 THE LIFE OF hands,' and gave us his good wishes, and we departed in peace and satisfaction. He was, after the banishment of Atterbury, bishop of Rochester, already mentioned in my conference with the bishop of York, translated to the see of Rochester. With the Duke of Somerset. The day whereon the act passed, in the mom- in to our mutual help and encouragement. On the 13th, the Quarterly Meeting for the county of Somerset was held at Taunton, and was well filled with good Friends. The Lord gave me an open utterance at that time and a free reception, to my satisfaction, and the hearts of Friends were freely opened in the same ; for He who openeth and no man shutteth, and shutteth and no man openeth, and who had and hath the key of David, was there, and blessed us together in one Name, unto which we bowed, and in which we worshiped and adored Him who liveth and reigneth, and is worthy for evermore ! Our spirits being thus refreshed in the presence of the Lord, the concerns of the VOL. II. N 2 268 THE LIFE OF meeting for business were carried on and finished with unity and comfort. On the 15th, I set forward for Bridgewater, and in the way my horse taking fright, by sud- denly meeting a man leading a dog, he turned round at once, and run back with heady fury, so that I could by no means stop him, but was at length thrown off, and much hurt. b I met with great kindness from the officers and soldiers of three companies of foot who were on the road ; but after declining the assistance of their doctor, with an acknowledgement of their kindness, I found myself more injured than I had expected; and was obliged to stop on the road half an hour before I mounted again ; however I got to Bridgewater, and by the kind attention of my friends so far recovered as to b attend a meeting there the following day, in the evening, which was large ; and the whole service of it, as to an outward ministry, falling upon me, I was not sensible of any deficiency or weakness from all my bruises ; but as the Lord was pleased to work in and by me in a good degree, affording healing virtue by the same power, I was from that time little sensible of any danger, but re- covered far beyond ray own expectation, or that of others. After being at Marks and Claverham, I went to Bristol, where Friends were glad of my return, THOMAS STORY. 269 and escape of so great danger ; I was also glad to find them in peace and love. I staid here till the 26th, having some as open times as ever I knew in this place, to general satisfaction, as well as my own great consolation : my testimony tending, in the main, to a visitation of the love of Truth to the young generation, many of them being touched with a sense of the Lord's goodness therein ! I went from hence to Bath, where I attended the service of Truth for some time, many of the nobility and gentry frequenting our meetings. c When the season was nearly over, the cold weather setting in, I took cold and was ill two weeks ; so that before I removed we had less of such company, and the Lord was pleased to give us some more select times and enjoyments of his good presence in our own less mixed assemblies; and we were greatly comforted together : all which obliged me to stay there till the 17th of the 9th month. c On the 18th of the 9th month, I was at Brad- ford, and after at several other meetings in Wilt- shire, and at Newbury, Henley, Reading, and Maidenhead. d At Henley no notice being given, the meeting was small : yet we were favoured with the experience of the fulfilling of that good promise of old, that * where two or three are gathered together in my Name, there am I in VOL. II. n 3 270 THE LIFE OF the midst of you;' though of these few, some never were at any of our meetings before ; and things opened more largely than we could have expected in so small a gathering. (1 On the 4th of the 10th month, I had a meet- ing, in the evening, at Windsor, a great many of the town's people coming in. And as we had often before been concerned to declare the uni- versal love of God to mankind, so about this time I felt much of it, even a dispensation of it to the people in most places ; and many great and necessary Truth's were declared, as the Lord opened, on that occasion, with good authority, and clear proofs out of the Holy Scriptures, both of the prophets, and also of the apostles of Christ. The gravity of Truth was over and upon the people; and they departed from the place, when the meeting was over, under a grave and solid concern. And the Lord gave me great peace, as a full reward in that work, blessing me as a co-worker with Himself, the great master workman therein. On the 5th, I went to Jordan week-day meet- ing, which was but small, most of the ancients, who were once numerous there, being deceased, and their reward sure for ever ! That evening I returned to Windsor, and was at the week-day meeting there the next day ; the meeting ended about mid-day. I went that afternoon to Staines, THOMAS STORY. 271 where I fell in with their meeting, which is usually in the evening ; and as they had heard of my intentions that way, they had given notice to some of the neighbours, and the meeting was larger than usual, and very open, much beyond my expectation. But the goodness of the Lord is boundless, and the treasures of his wisdom not to be searched out or exhausted; which He freely dispenses and opens, when and where, and in what manner and degree He pleases, to the purposes of his own glory, and good of souls. Some renewed instances of it were here witnessed, to the affecting many with his good- ness, to his own praise, who is worthy of all dominion, praise, and thanks for evermore ! The day following I went to London, where I met with a kind reception from Friends in general, and great openness in several meetings among them, in which the Lord gave evidence of his presence and power with me in his ser- vice, as at many other times it had so pleased Him. 1 continued in London visiting the meetings, and was at some places adjacent, till the 4th of the 2nd month, 1723, when I set forward for Chester, where the meeting had been appointed for this year, and arrived there on the 8th : the meeting was very large, and very open towards the people, as well as Friends; for the universal VOL. II. n 4 272 THE LIFE OP love of God, through Jesus Christ our Lord to mankind, was not only preached, but in some measure enjoyed among us ! At the last meeting there were about three thousand; and, by the goodness of the Lord, preserved in good order. On the 12th, I went to Wrexham ; from thence to Shrewsbury, and was at the meetings there on first-day ; the same evening I went to Pres- teign, on the border of Wales, in order to that Yearly Meeting, which began the day follow- ing ; people came from many places round, and it was a very large meeting ; many gospel truths were opened, by the grace of God, therein ; and the Truth, in some good degree, was in dominion over the people. After this I went to Leominster, Worcester, Evesham, and Oxford ; from thence to I^ondon, where I staid some time, having divers of my own concerns to order, as well as those of others; and I likewise visited the meetings, till the 7th of the 9th month, when I set forward for Cumberland ; and taking meetings in the way, came to Justice Town, the place of my nativity, on the 16th of the 10th month ; having purchased the patri- monial estate of my brother's widow, the last summer ; and, in the winter, I resided for the most part at my friend Isaac Huntington's, at Carlisle. I remained in this country about two years, and was at the Yearly Meeting for the northern counties at Carlisle; and with John Irwin and 275 THOMAS STORY. *** some other Friends, had meetings at fresft 11 born in the summer following. Attending mee\y to as they fell in course in the county ; and was t s ? the Yearly Meeting held at Kendal, in the year 1725, which was the largest 1 ever saw there, and very open. During my abode in this country, having some concerns with the lord Lonsdale, I went to Lowther Hall, where he then resided, to attend him therein ; he showed me more respect than I desired or expected ; and, after I had finished my business with him, he moved some discourse on religious subjects, the chief of which was, the knowledge of God, and by what means mankind may arrive at it ; in which I was drawn out to this purport : " That many wise and ingenious men apply themselves, with success, to the knowledge of things in this life, and what is relating thereto, and yet keep not within the strict rules of virtue; for want of which their knowledge vanishes in the end, as not subser- vient to the purposes of another world : there- fore I recommended to a real enquiry after the knowledge of God, as the most noble, and most profitable subject a rational being could be con- cerned about, and altogether necessary, in order to our happiness, as well in this as in a future state ; which man can never arrive at by the utmost efforts of human reason ; for though those VOL. II. n 5 272 PE OF love of G . . -f ason cannot deny there mankivg J mer"' » w of creation, which pro- fji °3 2 *» but were produced by :lude the Creator to be ig or end, all-wise, all- nnipresent, holy, right- ,\ all Divine perfections uiicuangeaDie. " And though in all these attributes we read of Him in the Holy Scriptures, and hear clear discourses of Him frequently made by such as say they know Him, and perhaps in some mea- sure may ; yet all this is but an image of know- ledge, as to us, until by the agency of his own power and will, He is pleased to work in us those qualifications whereby we may perceive Him, through that holy and blessed medium which He himself hath, in good will to man- kind, provided for that end ; that we may believe in Him, hope for Him, know Him, have com- munion with Him in a degree in this life, and be for ever blessed in the enjoyment of Him in a future state. " Of this knowledge no man can rightly con- ceive, by any thing another can say who hath that knowledge, unless He to whom it is said or declared, be in Himself, in some degree, under the same qualifications, by which the things declared are self-evidencing by their own nature THOMAS STORY. 275 and energy : as for example, to a man born blind, another can find no terms whereby to give him a proper and distinct idea of colours, of light, and the manner of the discovery of objects by that medium unto those that see ; whereas every one that hath the use of his sight, concludes the same thing by a kind of sensitive intuition, at first view, without the expence of ratiocination, or deducing con- clusions from stated premises : nor if we can suppose any one has never in his life been touched with any sense of that natural affection or principle we call love; is it possible, by any terms that may be used, to inculcate in such a person an idea of the thing ; whereas all who experience it, are affected in the same manner, though perhaps not to the same degree, and need no other terms but its own disignation to inculcate it. " Since then, in natural things it is impossible to exhibit proper ideas, to the apprehensions of those who are deprived of natural qualifica- tions and capacities to receive them ; how muc'h more so in spiritual, since we cannot find out pro- per terms by which to exhibit them to the view or apprehension of others, but as we borrow these from natural things ; which, as such, can never explain spiritual. When it is said : ' God is a Spirit,' a man must have an idea of a VOL. II. n 6 276 THE LIFE OF spirit, before he can fix any notion of God by that term ; and by the word " God," we intend to express an awful and ineffable Being : but none of these terms exhibit that Being to our sense, either in fear or love. I come then to some positive expressions of Christ: viz. 'No man hath known the Father but the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal Him. This is Life Eternal to know Thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent. No man can come unto Me, except the Father which hath sent Me draw him. No man hath seen God at any time ; the only begotten, or first begotten, Son of God, who dwelleth in the bosom of the Father, He hath manifested, or revealed Him.' " By this it appears, First, That God may be known, though not immediately, but by a proper medium." " Secondly, That this medium is Christ, the Word of God ; who having a reasonable soul, and clothed therewith as a veil, is homogenial to mankind, and thereby proportions the splen- dour of his glory as God, to the state of every soul, gradually revealing or manifesting the Father therein, according to the degrees of purification, capacity, and qualification He worketh in it. " Thirdly, That this knowledge is an ex peri- THOMAS STORY. 277 ence, and gives the soul a certain evidence and assurance of Eternal Life ; and God himself is that Life Eternal. " Fourthly -, That as the knowledge of the Son makes way for the knowledge of the Father, so the drawings of the Father excite to the knowledge of the Son. " It is not therefore the knowledge of God's attributes, or all formal truths, but of God himself, who is the Essential Truth, in which our happiness stands, and for ever shall remain : for there arc essential truths, and there are formal truths : Jesus Christ the wisdom of God, and power of God, is that Essential Truth. And that He is the Son of God, was incarnate, lived as a man here on earth, was crucified as a propitiation for the sins of the whole world, died, rose again, ascended, is glorified in heaven, &c. are all formal, unalterable truths ; and yet the knowledge of these do not give Life Eternal, until the soul comes to experience the indwelling of the Essential Truth, in its nature and being, through that holy and blessed medium, homogenial unto all ; which it cannot do until we are reduced unto a state of holiness and purity of mind. " To illustrate all I have said in a practical way, give me leave to add — whilst I was in a natural and unconverted state, I believed the 278 THE LIFE OF being of God, and all his attributes ; but I did not actually know God to be righteous or holy, till He reproved unrighteousness or un- holiness in me; or merciful and good, until through condemnation of evil, convincing me of evil in myself, He also pardoned the acts of sin, and destroyed the effects thereof by the agency of his own power, working that change which is meet, according to his own Will ; through which I experience both his goodness and mercy. Nor had I known Him as a con- suming fire, unless by the refining operation of his Spirit, He had consumed my corrup- tions, or begun that work ; or that He is love, Divine, unspeakable love, unless by his own power, He had fitted me in some measure, to enjoy the influences of his grace, in a state of holiness; in which He rules as a monarch in the soul, according to that saying : ' The king- dom of heaven stands not in meats and drinks,' not in outward or natural enjoyments, ' but in righteousness and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost ;' which, through grace, I know infinitely transcends, even in this life, all that can be named besides. " And though formal truths are commonly clouded and confounded by the perverse and ignorant reasonings of the learned of this world, and numerous opinions and sects are produced THOMAS STORY. 279 thereby ; yet tbe Essential Truth is self-evi- dencing ; and whenever it appears in the soul, she cannot deny or doubt; but through the cogency of his power and virtue, certainly and infallibly concludes in herself, that this is He : for as there is no way or medium by which we perceive the body of the outward sun in the firmament of heaven, but by the light which proceeds from it ; so there is not any medium by which we can know God, but by his own Light and Truth, which is Jesus Christ, the efflux and emanation of his own glory and being. " And as the light of the sun carries along with it the power and virtue of the sun, where- ever it shineth in its unclouded rays ; and by its influence nourishes and makes fertile the animal and vegetable worlds ; even so and much more also doth the heavenly Son of Right- eousness, Jesus Christ, the Essential Truth, and Light of the rational and intellectual world, make known and manifest Himself in the soul ; into whom, by the rays of his Divine Light, He introduceth and dispenseth the influence of all Divine and heavenly virtue. I mean into those who believe and obey in the day of small things ; according to that doctrine of an ex- perienced holy man: *'All things that are * Ephes. v. 1 3 280 THE LIFE OF reproved, are made manifest by the Light; for whatsoever doth make manifest, is Light.' And according to that saying of the Truth Him- self: **I am the Light of the world; he that followelh Me, shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the Light of Life.' " We must therefore begin at the word of re- proof, in order to the sure knowledge of God, and enjoyment of Him, as He is love, and an ocean of unspeakable pleasure ; and renounce the low and sordid pleasures of the animal life, which disqualify for Divine enjoyments here and hereafter. We must love God, love his judg- ments and reproofs, which are all in love, in order to the manifestation of Himself, agree- ably to his own declaration ; 'Every son whom I love, I rebuke and chasten.' And I can testify, that as I have lasted of the pleasures of this world, and through the goodness of God, known condemnation therein; so through his great mercy, I am favoured of Him with this certain experience, in some measure, that the enjoy- ment of God, in a state of reconciliation, is undeclarably more excellent and eligible than all other things : to the experience whereof I would recommend " After I had said thus much, the lord Lonsdale * John viii. 12. THOMAS STORY. 281 asked me : " Since you had, before you came to the knowledge of God in the way you have spoken of, believed the being of God, and all his attributes, did that knowledge make any alteration in your way of thinking on this subject, or give you any contrary sentiments that way ?" I replied : "No ; for as reason, a constituent property of man, is still the same, and things causeable thereto or thereby, as its proper objects, the same also ; so the knowledge of God makes no alteration there, though reason of itself can never give the saving and experi- mental knowledge of the Almighty, as I have before observed." Then he was pleased to say : " Some things you have hinted at are new to me, which I have never read of in any book, or heard before." Thus the conversation at that time came to a conclusion about one in the morning, and then we went to rest, there being only one person besides myself and the lord Lonsdale present. Upon another similar occasion, after this, I had some further discourse with the same person, on the subject of tithes. He alleged : " That kings and great men, being possessed of countries, and large quantities of land, gave the tenths for the support of ministers ; and 282 THE LIFE OF that the same laws which gave nine parts to the laity, gave the tenth to the clergy." To this I replied : " That the law gives no property, but protects the possessor in it against violence." Then I deduced property from its original, thus : " The first property a man hath is his person, life, and liberty ; and as these are from God, and the right of all men, so He has provided means for the support of them unto all. The means of the support of person and life, is food and raiment, arising either naturally from the fruits of the earth spon- taneously growing ; animal creatures ; or by the personal labour or industry of man. Cain it is said, was a tiller of the ground, and Abel a keeper of sheep. When Cain had cleared and cultivated a piece of ground, and propa- gated useful things thereon, that and those became the property of Cain by his personal labour; in which the law of natural reason would protect him against any thing, but personal violence. And Abel taking under his care and management some of the creatures he found most proper for his use and purpose, they be- came his property by his care, labour, and pains ; in which also he was protected by the same law. And all just laws are no other than right reason, declared by way of compact upon that principle of reason constituent of our being. THOMAS STORY. 283 But when the earth was filled with violence, God, by the element of water, destroyed the world, save Noah and his family, by whom he replenished it. e "In process of time, Nimrod became a mighty hunter before the Lord ; that is, his hunting was of such a nature and tendency, as that God took notice of him therein : for he, with his company, first hunting wild beasts, became wild also themselves, and then" [there seems no doubt they] " hunted after the liberties and properties of other men, invading them by force and numbers ; till the rest of mankind, in their own just defence, entered into reasonable com- pacts against unreasonable invasions, repelling an unjust violence by a just and equitable force or power. e " Having assayed to fix a proper idea of the rise of property, I next observe, how men may forfeit it in all these respects, in the sight of God ; and that is by extreme wickedness, as may be instanced in a malefactor, who by his evil deeds, forfeits his life, liberty, or property, or all : but then no private person can take cognizance of the offences incurring such forfeitures, other than to bear witness against the offender, in order to conviction and adequate punishment before a stated judicature; of which no nation is destitute, though varying in circumstances. 284 THE LIFE OF " Since then property in lands, &c. cannot be justly taken away from any one not forfeiting it, without consent, what is the consent neces- sary to that end ? It must either be in a public or private capacity; private, as by his own par- ticular act to give such lands to such a minister or priest, on condition of certain services, or for the service of religion in general, accord- ing to the notion the donor had of it ; or pub- lic, as where the legislature of any country, for politic views and interests, make laws for the alienation of the property of the subjects with or without their private or particular con- sent, where, though property is truly invaded, yet the major directing the minor, the compul- sion to obedience is held lawful and just, what- ever it may be in the nature of the thing ; and particulars sit under the burden. But all this binds not the conscience, though property is forced. "All which I apply as followeth ; this nation was once free from all tithes, and other impo- sitions of that sort, till antichristian priest- craft, more subtil than that of the heathen, so far seduced the minds of weak and ignorant men, prone to superstition and idolatry, that they often gave away to the priests the whole, or greatest part of their substance, at least on their dying beds, for pretended chimerical services ; THOMAS STORY. 285 as praying the departed souls of themselves or friends out of a supposed purgatory, with certain masses ; which so far prevailed in this nation, that the legislature, fearing the whole lands would in time fall into the hands of the clergy, made a law called the statute of mort- main, as a means to prevent it ; which in some degree, answered the end, and clogged their proceedings. " But I do not remember to have seen any law, by the legislature of this kingdom, for im- posing tithes, or so much as for the recovery of them, or anything to the priests under the notion of dues, until the reign of king Henry VIII ; when men's eyes began to be so far opened, that many refused to pay them, as ap- pears by the preamble of the statutes, made for that end in his reign ; which establishes the customs on foot in favour of the priests, for forty years before ; no doubt originally of their own beginning and imposing. These statutes being defective, were corroborated by the second statute of Edward VI. still in force. By all which it appears, this set of men never came fairly and equitably by the large share they demand, and receive out of the property of others ; especially of those who cannot re- ceive them as gospel ministers ; since the Author of religion Himself hath commanded 286 THE LIFE OF his ministers ; * ' That as freely they have received, they shall freely give.' " The laws of the land therefore, upon the whole, though they bind the property, by a sort of national violence, yet they can never bind the conscience. For which, and the Lord of conscience, we suffer with patience, as wit- nesses on earth for Him who reigneth in heaven; until, in the course of his providence, He may appear for our relief, who is the King of kings, and Lord of lords, and doth what He will in and with the kingdom of men." My noble antagonist replied, not without a little pleasantness : " He would not yet yield me the argument ;" though he was pleased to propose another subject of a different tenor. Here it may not be unacceptable to the reader, to have a brief view of the history of tithes in the Christian Church, and particularly in reference to our own country. To those conversant with the Holy Scriptures, it is scarcely needful to state that the giving of a tenth to the Lord, appears to have originated in Abraham's giving unto Melchisedeck king of Salem, and priest of the Most High God, tithes of all the spoil which he had recovered or taken from the confederate kings, who had taken Lot his brother and all his goods, with those " Matt. x. 8. THOMAS STORY. 287 of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. Jacob followed the example of Abraham when he fled with his staff" only from the presence of his brother Esau. In gratitude for the assurance of Divine favour received at Bethel, he vowed and said unto God : " Of all that Thou shalt give me, I will surely give the tenth unto Thee." The tenths or tithes were ordained by the mosaic law to be paid to the whole tribe of Levi, in consideration of their services in the temple of the Lord, and of their receiving no inheritance in the division of the land; nor even of houses, except barely a few cities and their suburbs, for their residences. Of these tithes, the poor, the widow, and the fatherless were to partake according to their necessities. The English word tithe or tithes is of Saxon origin, and signifies what every one now understands it to con- vey, the tenth part or portion ; but it is as devoid of affinity to the Hebrew word which is employed to express the tenth or tithes, as the present system of English tithes is totally different from that appointed by Moses under the Law. Many efforts have been made to establish a Divine right to tithes under the Gospel ; but they have com- pletely failed; nor can any thing be more at variance than the present system, with the command of Christ to his disciples : " Freely ye have received, freely give." So completely exploded is now the idea of Divine right to tithes under the Gospel, that scarcely an obser- vation need be offered upon it. The remarks of the highest prelate in the church, the archbishop of Canter- bury, so long since as about the year 1720, at least may suffice. He says : " As to the right of our maintenance as ininislem, whether of Divine right or by the laws 288 THE LIFE OF only, we are divided in our sentiments ; but for my OAvn part, for me to think I have this house," (lifting up his hand to the ceiling, at Lambeth palace,) "or my bishoprick by Divine right, there is nothing in it." We may now proceed to the history of tithes in the Christian Church. In the very early times of the Gospel, many Christians both in Jerusalem, and at Alexandria in Egypt, sold their possessions, and lived together on the produce of their common stock. Others in Antioch, Galatia, and Pontus, retained their estates in their possession, but established a fund, consisting of weekly or monthly offerings for the support of the brethren. This fund continued in after times: but was principally for the relief of the poor and distressed, in which the Ministers of the Gospel, if in that situation, might also share. Tertullian, in speaking of such funds, gives the follow- ing account: "Whatsoever we have in the treasury of our churches, is not raised by taxation, as though we put men to ransom their religion ; but every man, once a month, or when it pleaseth him, bestoweth what he thinks proper; but not except he be willing: for no man is compelled, but left free to his own discretion. And that which is thus given is not bestowed in vanity, but in relieving the poor; and upon children destitute of parents ; and in the maintenance of aged and feeble persons ; and of men wrecked by sea ; and of such as have been condemned to metallic mines; or have been banished to islands ; or have been cast into prison, professing the Christian faith." * In process of time, towards the close of the third • Selden, c. iv. $1. THOMAS STORY. 289 century, some lands were first given to the Church. * The revenue from these was thrown into the general treasury or fund; and was distributed, as other offerings were, by the deacons and elders : but neither Bishops nor Ministers of the Gospel, were allowed to have any concern therein. It appears from Origen, Cyprian, Urban, Prosper, and others, that if in those times such ministers were able to support themselves, they were to have nothing from this fund. But if such ministers stood in need of sustenance, they might be relieved from it- They were, however, to be satisfied with simple diet, and necessary apparel. And so sacred was this fund held to the purposes of its institution, that the first Christian emperors, who did as the bishops advised them, had no recourse to it, but supplied the wants of ministers oi the Gospel from their own revenues ; as Eusebius, Theodoret, and Sozomen relate. In short, in those early times of the church, ministers were maintained only where their necessities required it, and this, in common with other necessitous persons, out of the fund for the poor. Those who partook of this fund, had the particular appellation given them of " Sportularii," or " Basket-Clerks," because, accord- ing to Origen, Tertullian, Cyprian, and others, they had their portion of sustenance given them in baskets. These portions consisted of but small pittances, suflicient only for their livelihood 5 and were given them on the principle laid down by our Lord, Luke x. 7, 8. that the ministers of Jesu6 Christ were to eat and drink only such things as were set before them. It is conceded by all competent evidences, that hitherto all the churches were congregational, and so * Selden c. iv. ^ 1. VOL. II. O ^90 THE LIFE OF fur independent as to exercise no legislative domination in each others' assemblies; and that they all enjoyed the privilege of choosing their own pastors. Though ambi- tion had begun to operate, there were at this time no distinctions among the ministers of religion, but those which are found in the New Testament ; none of those ranks and orders for which no authority is found there, and which are common in modern times : These and also the lordly titles conferred on those who profess to be the ministers of an humble and crucified Redeemer, owe their origin to a later and more corrupt period of the church. * The way for this defection was first paved by the Emperor Constantine the great, on his embracing the Christian religion, in the early part of the fourth century, and becoming the head of the church, as he had before been the high priest of Paganism. This ever to be lament- ed union of church and state, naturally led many persons of wealth and rank to become Christians in profession, who, in imitation of their master, made liberal grants to the hierarchy, and studied to render the Christian minis- try and worship as splendid as that of the heathen priests and temples; instead of adhering to the simple record of apostolic precepts and injunctions. It was however about the beginning of the fourth century that the innovation upon the funds of the church was made, diverting them from their accustomed channel of supplying the necessities of its ministers, in * Considering these titles and distinctions are the offspring of apostacy, the recent practice among dissenting ministers of accepting' and applying to themselves, or to one another, the title of "rever- end," appears worthy of their most serious consideration ; and, may it not he added, of their utter rejection, as an inlet to yery serious defection. We read of no reverend Pauls, no reverend Peters in the Holy Scriptures, nor of any snch title being applied to Apollo*, or Barnabas. THOMAS 3TORY. 2P1 common with those of other poor, by an authoritative decree; by which, about that time, Sylvester the bishop of Rome, commanded: "That the revenues of the church should be divided into four parts : One for the bishop, for his own support ; — a second for presbyters, deacons, and all the clergy; — a third for the repairs of places for worship; — and" the remaining "fourth' 1 '' only, "for the poor, afflicted, and travellers." The bishop of Rome however had not yet attained to the power of the pontificate, so that the influence of this decree was probably for a time very limited. The Council of Antioch, in the year 340, finding fault with the deacons relative to the management of the funds of the churches, ordained that the bishops might distribute them ; but that they should take no part of them to themselves, or for the use of the priests and brethren who lived with them, unless necessity required it; using the words of the apostle: " Having food and raiment, be therewith content." In the year 359, Constantius the Emperor having summoned a general council of bishops to Ariminum in Italy, and provided for their subsistence there, the British and French bishops judging it not decent to live on the public, chose rather to live at their own expense. Three only, out of Britain, compelled by want, but yet refusing assistance offered to them by the rest, accepted the Emperor's provision : judging it more proper to subsist by public, than by private support. This delicate conduct of these bishops, shows, that Ministers of the Gospel did not then officiate for hire, and that where they had the power of maintaining them- selves, they had no disposition to look up to the public. At the latter end of the fourth century, and from this period to the eighth, several changes took place in the TOL. II. O 2 292 THE LIFE OF system. Ministers of the Gospel began to be supported all of them without distinction, from the funds of the poor. This circumstance occasioning a greater number to be provided for than before, the people were solicited for greater contributions than had been ordinarily given. Ambrose bishop of Milan, who was canonized as a saint, urged a Divine right to tithes, grounded on the mosaic law. Jerome and Chrysostom, who were alike digni- fied by the popish church, only exhorted the people to give bountifully of their substance to the poor, and double honour to those who laboured in the Lord's work.* But though they left the people at liberty to bestow what they pleased, they gave it as their opinion, that they ought not to be less liberal than the ancient Jews, who, under the Levitical law, gave a tenth of their property to the priesthood and to the poor, t The tithe or tenths continued to be recommended by those who succeeded in the government of the church ; by Augustine bishop of Hippo, by Pope Leo, by Gregory, by Severin among the Christians in Pannonia,^ and by others. Their exhortations however on this subject, were now enforced with promises and threats. Pardon of sins, and future rewards, were held out on the one hand ; and it was suggested on the other, that the people themselves would be reduced to a tenth, and the blood of all the poor who died would be upon their heads, § if they gave less than a tenth of their income to holy uses. After exhortations of this nature, reiterated for three * Selden c. v. ^4. t Ibid. t Ibid.ch. v. ^ 1. S Ibid. ch. v. ^ 4. THOMAS STORY. 293 centuries, it began at length to be expected of the people, that they would not give less than an equivalent to tithes or tenths. No right, however, was alleged to such a proportion of their income, nor was coercion ever, spoken of. These tenths also were for holy uses, of which the claims of the poor formed the principal part. They were in consequence called the Lord's goods, and were also denominated the patrimony of the poor. A corresponding change, important in its issue took place within the period just assigned. Ministers of the Gospel now lived wholly out of this fund, which was constituted of the tenths and of legacies; and the misapplications of the portions of it, which, contrary to former usage, had been set apart for their use by the decree of the bishop of Rome, as already mentioned, had grown into a custom. Hence on the conversion to Christianity of Ethelbert, the fifth king of Kent and sixth of Britain, about the year 600, these proportions of the church funds were recom- mended by Augustine the monk, to the practice of our Saxon ancestors; but with this admonition, "that in the tenderness of the English Saxon church, he [the bishop] and his clergy should still imitate the commu- nity of all things, used in the primitive times under the apostles." * Thus the maintenance of the ministers, consisting of two orders, together with the repairs of monasteries, &c. took now three-fourths of the church fund ; so that the face of things began to be materially altered. For whereas formerly this fund went chiefly to the poor, yielding at the same time some provision for the Minis- ters of the Gospel, it now went principally to the * Selden ch. ix. § 2. VOL. II. o 3 294 THE LIFE OF Minister;* of the Gospel, yielding at the same time tome provision for the poor. Another change must he noticed with respect to the principle on which the gifts towards this fund were offered. For whereas tenths had been formerly solicited, on the Christian duty of charity to the poor, they were now solicited on the principle, that by the law of Moses they ought to be given for holy uses, in which the benefit of the fatherless, the stranger, and the widow, was included. In process of time, as the bishops became otherwise provided for, the fund was divided into three parts, for the other three purposes mentioned in the decree of Sylvester. In the eighth century, the notion was pretty fully in- stilled that the people were to give no less than a tenth of their income to holy uses. Bishops generally, at this time, and indeed long previous to this, lived in monas- teries.* Their clergy also lived with them in these monasteries, and went from thence to preach in the country within the diocess. And the compulsory system was not yet adopted. Towards the latter part of this century, Pepin, a subject of great authority under Childeric, the third king of France, obtained leave from the Pope to dethrone his lawful sovereign, and to seize his crown. In addition to other presents and grants to the church in return for this indulgence of the pope, Pepin obtained a law, obliging all his subjects to give a tithe of their incomes to support the church, throughout his dominions. This grant of tithe took place in 764 ; aud was the origin of civil law for the support of the church. Selden ch. 4. \ 1. THOMAS STORY. 295 Childeric when stripped of his royalty, was immured in a monastery for life ; but the introduction of tithes by law into England, originated in even a fouler deed than that of Pepin. Offa, king of Mercia having a daughter who was espoused to Ethelbert, king of the East Angles; and the time for celebrating the nuptials being arrived, Ethelbert went to receive his bride. Offa who it seems only pretended to marry his daughter to Ethelbert, in order to accomplish the worst of crimes, made an entertainment for his professedly intended son-in-law ; but instead of giving his daughter to Ethel- bert, Offa killed him at the banquet. The murderous Offa fled to the pope for pardon ; to please whom, and vainly expecting to expiate his own sin, he caused those tithes to become dues in his own dominions, which were before only at the will of the donor. * This was in 794, and extended only to the kingdom of Mercia. About sixty years afterwards, anno S55, Ethelwolf, or Athelwolphus, a weak and superstitious prince, having been designed by his father to be bishop of Winchester, was worked upon by the clergy to extend tithes as dues, to the whole kingdom. He had been educated in a monas- tery; but was afterwards taken out and absolved of his vows by the pope. Having been thus fitted for the en- croaching views of the clergy, he consented to the grant of tithes under a notion that he was thus to avert the judg- ments of God, which they represented as visible in the frequent ravages of the Danes; t also for the pardon of his sins and the health of his soul ; and that not only whilst he lived; but after his decease* Poor laymen, however, were still to be supported out of these tithes; • Selden p. 201. t Ibid. ch. viii. § 4, and Stratten p. 18. VOL. II. o 4 2&6 THE LIFE OF and the people were still at liberty to pay them to whatever religious persons they pleased. At this time there were other monasteries under abbots or priors, consisting mostly of lay-persons, and distinct from those already mentioned ; and which were supported by offerings and legacies in the same manner. The latter, however, not having numerous ecclesiastics to support, laid out more of their funds than the former were enabled to do, towards the entertainment of strangers and the support of the poor. And when monasteries of these two different kinds existed, the people were at liberty to pay their tithes to either of them, as they pleased; and having this permission, they generally favoured the latter.* To these they not only paid their tithes, but gave their donations by legacy. This preference of the lay-abbeys, to the ecclesiastical, arose from a knowledge that the poor, for whose BENEFIT TITHES HAD BEEN ORIGINALLY PREACHED UP, would be thereby more materially served. Other circumstances too occured, which induced the people to continue the same preference. For the bishops in many places began to abuse their trust, as the deacons had done before, by attaching the bequeathed lands to their sees ; so that the inferior clergy and the poor became in a manner dependent upon them for their daily bread. In other places the clergy had seized all to their own use. The people, therefore, so thoroughly favoured the lay-abbeys in preference to those of the church, that the former became daily richer, while the latter did little more than maintain their ground. This preference however, which made such a difference between the * Selden ch. x. $ 2. THOMAS STORY. 297 funds of the ecclesiastical, and of the lay-monasteries, was viewed with a jealous eye by the clergy of those times ; and measures were at length taken to remove it The next authentic mention of tithes appears to be contained in a compact between Guthrum the Dane, and king Alfred and his son Edward the elder, about the year 900 : In this kind of treaty, as Guthrum was a pagan, provision was made for the Christian clergy under his dominion, by the payment of tithes being enjoined, and enforced by a penalty on the non-observ- ance. And this law was supported by the laws of Athelstan, about the year 930. * About the close of the tenth century, Edgar took from the people the right of disposing of their tithes at their own discretion, and directed that they should be paid to the parish churches. But the other monas- teries or lay-houses resisting, his orders became useless for a time. At this period the lay-monasteries were rich, but the parochial clergy were poor. In a council under pope Alexander the third, in the year 1180, it was determined that the liberty of the people should be restrained with respect to their tithes. They were accordingly forbidden to make appropriations to religious houses without the consent of the hishop in whose diocess they lived. + But even this prohibition did not succeed. The people still favoured the lay- abbeys, paying their tithes there. To show the fallacious principles upon which princes acted with respect to tithes in these times, the following translation of a preamble to a charter of king Stephen, granted to the priory of Eye, in Suffolk, in the year 1137, * Jacobs Law Diet. Tithes. 1. + Selden ch. vi. ^ 7. VOL. lit o 5 298 THE LIFE OF maybe produced: "Because through the Providence of Divine mercy we know it to be ordered, and by the Church's publishing it far and near, every body has heard, that by the distribution of aims, persons may be absolved from the bonds of sin, and acquire the rewards of heavenly joy, — I, Stephen, by the grace of God, king of England, being willing to have a share with those who, by a happy kind of commerce, exchange heavenly things for earthly, and smitten with the love of God, and for the salvation of my own soul, and the souls of my father and mother, and all my forefathers and ancestors, — do give unto God and to the church of Saint Peter. &c." * In the year 1200, pope Innocent the Third, settled the affair, by sending out to king John his famous decree, which was to be observed in England, as well as in other places under his jurisdiction; and by which it was enacted that every man was to pay his tithes to those only who administered spiritual help to him in his own parish : on this occasion, the pope set up ecclesiastical courts, thundered out his interdicts, and frightened both king and people. In a general council, held at Lyons, in the year 1274, it was further decreed, that it was no longer lawful for men to pay their tithes where they pleased, as before; but that they should pay them to Mother-Church, t Richard the Second confirmed these tithes to the parishes as thus settled by this pope; but it was directed by an act, that, in all appropriations to churches, the bishop of the diocess, should ordain a convenient sum of money to be distributed, out of the fruit and Seidcn c. xl. ^ K t Sddcn ch. vii. $ 1. THOMAS STORY. 299 profit of every living, among the poor parishioners, annually, in aid of their living and sustenance. " Thus, it seems," says Judge Blackstone, "the people were frequently sufferers by the withholding those alms, for which, among other purposes, the payment of tithes was originally imposed." At length tithes were fully confirmed, and in a more explicit manner, by the famous act of Henry the eighth, on this subject. And here it may just be observed, that whereas, from the eighth century to this reign, tithes, whenever the reason of them was expressed, were said to be due by Divine right, a* under the Levitical law, so in the preamble to the act of Henry the Eighth, they are founded on the same princi- ple, being described therein as "due unto God and holy church;" which act has not only never been repealed, but is frequently referred to in subsequent acts on the subject. The false principle on which they had then been long demanded, that they were due by Divine right,* was fully recognized of the church, by the council of Trent under Pope Pius the Fourth, in the year 1560. The present object is not to discuss this pretended Divine right to tithes, as it seems now to be abandoned as utterly untenable ; nor indeed is much comment requisite on any point. This brief sketch of their history may therefore be concluded with this summary : First, That tithes are not even mentioned in the grand order of canons, ending in the year 451 ; a clear proof that they were not, before that time, even thought to be a part of the Christian economy. Secondly, Though prior to that time suggestions had * Selden ch. vii. S 1. VOL. II. 06 300 THE LIFE OF been given out, that Christians should not be less liberal to the poor and to God than the ancient Jews, and that in consequence a tenth had been offered by some as a free-will offering; yet the first effort to establish the payment of tithes as dues, was made by a subject who had unlawfully deposed his lawful sovereign, in return for being allowed by the pope to commit so foul a deed; and that this compulsory system was first introduced into England by "a murderer," under the fallacious idea that he was thereby obtaining absolution from his heinous sin, from the pope. Thirdly, That the extension of the law of tithes to this kingdom generally, was made by king Ethelwolf, a monk, who had been absolved from his vow by the pope, and had been raised from the cloister to that secular dignity; and who was so completely under popish influence, as to make one condition of the grant consist in praying for his soul after his decease. Fourthly, Revenues originally received for the benefit of the poor, and claimed principally on their account; were subsequently extended to the support of the clergy, and to the repairs of places for worship ; and ultimately the poor, and the repairs of places for worship, with little exception, have been entirely discarded from the system of tithes; and also that with the exception of impropriate tithes, the whole produce of the system of tenths is now in the hands of the parochial clergy. Fifthly, That this compulsory application of tithes to the sole use of the parish priests, was so contrary to the wishes of the people, that compliance with it was obliged to be enforced by the thunder of the Vatican, and the terrific influence of spiritual courts. THOMAS STORY. 301 Lastly, That the most to be deplored effect of this system of forced maintenance, has been, as the circum- stances of the present times abundantly demonstrate, its baneful influence on vital religion, the inevitable result of making divinity a trade, in total incongruity with the command of Christ: "Freely ye have received, freely give;" which was acted upon by Christian ministers and bishops during the primitive times of the church for several centuries. These all being men of like passions with others, the whole may be summed up with stating that the circum- stances the most unfavourable to vital Christianity, in m hich the ministers of any religious community can be placed, are those of annexing the corrupting influence of riches, titles, and otherworldly interests and honours to the offices of those, in whose crowns humilitt is the brightest gem. Editor. gpettitm J% The author leaves Cumberland.— Visits the ear] of Carlisle at Castle-Howard, and has a long discourse with him. — Cambridge, London. — Returns into Cumberland. — Goes to Edinburgh Yearly Meeting. — Visits other parts of Scotland, and some parts in the north of England, — Stays nearly a year at Justice Town. — Visits again the west of England, and returns through Warwickshire, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire, and Yorkshire, to Carlisle. — Again at York, and again visits the earl of Carlisle at Castle- Howard. — Sir John Rhodes. — London. — The subject of Deism. On the 6th of the 8th month, 1725, I went from Carlisle, where I had chiefly resided dur- ing my stay in Cumberland, and taking meetings on my way, came on the 22nd g to Bishop- Auckland ; where the Friends there and of Raby met together : and though we sat long in silence, it was a profitable meeting; and I had a good time among them both in testimony and prayer. After meeting I dined at James Trotter's; and in the evening went home with my old friend the widow Walton. She had been formerly waiting woman to the countess of Carlisle ; had been con- vinced in her service, whilst in Cumberland, by William Armstrong, and helped forward and confirmed by me at London ; and our former early acquaintance in the Truth still remained 1725. THE LIFE OF T. STORY. 303 fresh and living. e Taking meetings at Darling- ton, Stockton, Yarru, Gisborough, Whitby, Scarborough, &c. I came to Malton on the 9th of the 9th month, ami on the 11th I made a visit to the earl of Carlisle, at Castle-Howard. He was confined to his chamber by illness, but sending up my name, he readily admitted me, and expressed some satisfaction to see me ; and being set down, after a little pause of silence, he moved a discourse to this purpose : u That as mankind are incident to many troubles and temptations in life, he observed a great differ- ence between the trouble of mind which ariseth from losses and disappointments in the things of the world, and that which proceeds from a sense of the misconduct of life, in a course inconsistent with duty to God, and his known laws." This great Truth I confirmed in the words of Solomon : * " * The spirit of a man will sustain his infirmity ; but a wounded spirit who can bear ?' Magnanimous persons may sustain for a long time the shocks of bodily ailments, as like- wise of losses and disappointments in life ; but when, by our rebellion, and disobedience to that holy law of Life and grace, which God in mercy hath placed in us for our guide and conductor, vritb respect to Himself and towards one • Proverbs xviii. 14. 30i THE LIFE OF another, we not only wound our consciences, but crucify to ourselves the Son of God afresh, and wound his Holy Spirit in us, our anxiety must needs be incomparably greater in this case, than the former ; yet such is the unspeakable good- ness of God to mankind, and the efficacy of the virtue of that grace which flows from Him, that He does not only show us our transgressions, and the evil of them ; with the wounds also and gangrene sores thereby produced ; but as we are truly humbled in that view, and willing to amend for time to come, He, most kind and beneficient, sends forth his healing and restoring virtue as emollient ointment, taking away the anguish, and healing all our wounds." This introduced a large field of discourse, which held nearly three hours ; and, I believe, to mutual satisfaction, much upon the points following, viz " First, Faith in Christ, as come in the flesh, being the Word, power, and wisdom of God assuming our nature. "Secondly, Faith in Him as a quickening Spirit, and Divine Light, flowing from the Father into our minds, affecting and influencing at certain times, and in such degrees as pleaseth Him : being as a condemning law in us whilst we are in a stale of unbelief, sin, and rebellion ; but a law of Diviue, immortal Life, and a true THOMAS STORY. 305 Comforter, in a penitent and faithful state ; to which He himself reduceth us by his judgments, and by his mercy, inwardly revealed and applied. By the ministration of judgment, wast- ing, as with Divine fire and sword, the whole body of the sins of the flesh and carnal mind ; and at the same time, in and by the same Spirit, manifesting and applying mercy, and Life Eter- nal to the believing, humble, and penitent soul ; and thus completing that salvation declared by the coming of Jesus Christ, and by his death and sufferings. " Thirdly, The kingdom of Christ in this world, ruling and reigning in the minds of re- generate men, by his grace and Spirit, as King of Salem, Prince of righteousness and peace, in all them that believe and obey ; who are the children of this kingdom in Divine communion. " Fourthly, The kingdoms of men, established by the providence of God for the government of the world in its natural state, for the preserva- tion of life, liberty, character, and property ; the better sort of men, in a moral, social state, being children of this kingdom. " Fifthly, The kingdom of antichrist, being a false show and pretence of Christianity, under which all cruelties and oppressions are and have been acted, to the destruction of life, liberty, property, and religion. And that the children of 306 THE LIFE OF this kingdom are, more especially, ministers professing Christ but yet living to themselves ; being called to the office by hopes of honour, power, and advantage in this world, and not of the Lord : also the great men of this world, and those in low stations confederating with them in worldly views, against the natural and common interests of the rest of mankind, enslaving the conscience by force of human laws, of their own devising, agreeably to what Christ said to his disciples : ' They shall put you out of the syna- gogues.' For in this they are influenced by a devouring, destroying spirit, contrary to the nature of Christ, who is a mild, innocent, and saving power, most gentle, wise, and beneficent, bringing forth in men his own fruits, and making them like unto Himself. Antichrist also renders all his children like unto himself, proud, lofty, angry, fierce, cruel, and unjust ; arbitrary, and unreasonable, implacable, tyrannical, without compassion and mercy, as is ever seen in all persecutors, whether under the pretence and umbrage of national laws, or of despotic and absolute domination a s .d rule." Having discoursed on these and some other important matters till near the time of their dining, the lady Irwin, one of his daughters, then a widow, came in desiring to know what he would please to eat; to which he did not THOMAS STORY. 307 presently answer, but bid her sit down in the room ; and after a little pause, he said to her : " I could have wished you had been present, to have heard what passed between us on divers subjects ; and then proceeded to mention how great an esteem he had for Friends, as an honest religious people : and as we had been great suf- ferers on account of our principles, he had ever helped and served us to the best of his power, and ever would." All which he spake with solid gravity, as if he meant to impress in her mind a good opinion of us. When he had finish- ed, he desired her to take me with her to dinner, for he could not go himself. I accordingly went to dinner, the company being only this lady and two or three more, among whom I was civily treated. In the afternoon I returned to Malton to an evening meeting, and staid their Monthly Meet- ing. Next day I went to York, where I attended several meetings to good satisfaction. From hence I went to Selby, Rawclifle, Thome, Gainsborough, and other places, having meetings in my way. h On the 10th, I went to Cambridge to John Chapman's ; and that day was at a meeting in town, which was small. But several of the scholars being there, and more sober than ever I observed them before, I had a very open time among them ; and one of the inhabitants, a 308 THE LIFE OF light airy person, coming to that meeting, with intent to make himself and others diversion, was much disappointed ; being so touched as he con- fessed, as he never had been before ; so that he had no power to be rude, as he intended ; but was very sober and attentive all the time, and went off solid and serious.* 1 I had meetings at many other places on my way to London, where I arrived on the 20th of the 10th month, 1725. Friends were generally glad to see me, and I also to meet with them in the Lord ; and many open, comfortable, and confirming meetings we had to our great satisfaction. After some time I returned to Carlisle and Justice Town, visiting some neighbouring meet- ings, and prosecuting some affairs of my own ; and did not take any journey out of the county of Cumberland, till the year 1728.* On the 25th of the 2nd month, 1728, I set forward for the Yearly Meeting at Edinburgh ; to which many of the inhabitants of the city came, and were much more quiet and attentive h * * From the year 1725 to 1728, his time was much taken up about some unhappy differences that arose between him and some Friends in Norfolk ; which proved very troublesome to him and many other Friends in divers parts of the nation, but at last issued in the acquitting of him, in the open Yearly Meeting in London, of those imputations laid to his charge. h 9 1728. THOMAS STORY. 309 than heretofore. In the latter meetings especi- ally, Truth prevailed : the largest was the most satisfactory, and Truth was over all in its autho- rity and brightness ; and the people departed under a grave sense of a degree of the virtue of it. On the 6th of the 3rd month, I went to Linlithgow, and that evening had a meeting there; 'to which came a wild looking sort, there being but about half a dozen Friends remaining in that town : but as we sat under some con- cern and sense of the grace of God towards them, they grew more solid, and we had a good time among them ; and they went away very grave and sober. ' From thence I went to Glas- gow, where I had several meetings, to which many of the more reputable sort of people of the city came ; and the Lord favoured us. On the 12th, we had a peaceable, open meeting at Robert Gray's near Garthshore, with the few Friends remaining in those parts, and next day returned to Edinburgh ; from whence I proceeded to Kelso, and Berwick, ■> where there had formerly been a meeting of Friends ; but they are all gone except one man and a woman : so that at this time the meeting was quite lost, and the meeting- house being small, and I willing to see as many of the people together as I could, perceiving the grace of Life to remain in my mind 310 THE LIFE OF towards them, the Friends with me applied to an acquaintance of theirs, a Presbyterian by profession, who furnished us next day with a warehouse and back yard, wherein he ordered convenient seats of deal boards, &c. and we had a large auditory. And as the Lord furnished my heart with much grace towards them, so, out of that abundance, I was enabled to say many things to them of moment; and the necessary Truths of the Gospel were plentifully and clearly opened that day among them, and the solid weight of Divine Truth reigned over all, to general satisfaction, and sole glory of Him, of whom is the power, and whose right it is to reign, both now and for ever. Amen. At Newcastle, on the 26th, being the first of the week, I was at their meeting ; which, in the forenoon, was pretty open ; but, in the afternoon, much shut up a long time, and the heavens seemed like brass, and the gates thereof as if fast- ened with mighty bars of iron : but as wc waited in patience and in sorrow, at length in his own time, which is ever the best and only time, the Lord came, who appeared of old, the doors being shut, and who penetrates all things when He pleases, and makes all opposition fly at the beckoning of his hand, though fortified by the powers of darkness, and secured with the chains and bars of death. A little help from Him by THOMAS STORY. 311 his holy presence gave Life and ability to ntter many good things ont of his treasury, to the general edification and consolation of the meet- ing, and to his own praise who alone deserves it. j Taking meetings in my way to Carlisle, I came there on the 7th of the 4th month. k On the 17th, I left Carlisle, and went by Kendal, Settle, and Bradford to Leeds. On the 22nd, being the first of the week, I was at their meeting ; and on the 23rd, at a conference between the Quarterly Meeting of the county of York, and the Friends of the meeting of Halifax and that way, concerning a point of tithe ; wherein James Wilson, William Williamson, and I, were named on the part of the Quarterly Meeting, and Robert Hadoe, Benjamin Bangs, and Benjamin Claridge, on the part of Halifax meeting. After attending the Quarterly Meeting at York, and visiting some other meetings, I returned to Carlisle on the 10th of the 5th month. k On the 4th of the 3rd month, 1730, I was again at the Yearly Meeting at Edinburgh, ' it being on the first fourth-day of the month as usual. The meeting was in the new meeting- house : it holds about six hundred, and was every day full, and many without in the yard. They were not, for the greatest part, a rude rabble, as formerly in that place, but generally 1730. 312 • THE LIFE OF a sober reputable people ; and the Truths of the Gospel were plentifully opened, and with good authority. The meeting held two days ; and after it was over, I staid until the first-day following, in the mean time visiting the dean of Guild, a very sober religious person, with whom I had some discourse, chiefly concerning the bread and wine, and the substance ; in which I had great satisfaction, and the rather, that he also declared his in what passed between us on that subject. The meeting the first-day following was as large, and more open than the Yearly Meeting. On the second-day following, accompanied by Thomas Areskine, I went to Glasgow. 1 Some meetings there were to a good degree of satis- faction, though one of them was somewhat dis- turbed by a company of the collegians, who were ruder than any of the lower sort ; which gave me some heavy reflections : " That these seminaries of the members, of both the national church and stale, should be so depraved. To see the good intentions of well meaning parents so frustrated by the ignorance, perfidiousness, and idleness of those well-paid teachers, to whom the care of these young persons and their education is committed, is lamentable and shock- ing ; for, alas ! what but bitter and poisonous THOMAS STORY. • 318 waters can be expected from such depraved and envenomed fountains." We were favoured at every meeting with having civil officers sent by the magistrates to keep out the ruder sort, which contributed to our outward quiet. On the 15th of the 3rd month, 1730, I returned to Edinburgh, and from thence to Justice Town, at which place, and near to it, I employed myself in my favourite amusement of planting and improving my land, at the same time visiting meetings as they came in course, and enjoying the conversation of my friends and neighbours, till the 2nd month, 1731, when I set out on a journey, and was at divers meetings, as Kendal, Lancaster, Preston, and Warrington. On the 13th, I went to Chester to the Yearly Meeting, which began about two in the afternoon for the ministers and elders ; and the next day was at meetings for worship, both forenoon and afternoon ; w hich were very large, having the company of great part of the citizens, and many of the gentry round. On the 15th, in the forenoon, was the meeting of conference, and Quarterly Meeting for Cheshire ; and in the afternoon a meeting for worship, at which were several thousands of people, many of them being of the more reputable sort, and, among others, seven ministers of the national church, who, as well as the people, spake well of the testimony VOL. II. p 314 THE LIFE OF of Truth, which was delivered among them : for which many Friends were thankful to the Lord our God, who hath wrought so great a change in the minds of the people; not only in this place, but also in most places at this day through- out Britain, and the British dominions every where. John Fallowfield being at the meeting, he and I staid till the first-day following, and had two meetings more, I think, to general satisfaction. On the 20th, we went to Ludlow, where the Yearly Meeting for Wales was to be held this year. There were no Friends here, nor had there been any meeting held for a long time, if ever before. The first was held in the prince's palace, in a large hall, by tH favour of captain Jones the governor ; but being very much crowd- ed, the ministering Friends divided themselves in the afternoon, so that another meeting was held at the same time in a room adjoining to the hall ; and both were large. The Lord was with us, and his Gospel was preached, in his wisdom and power, to general satisfaction : and notwith- standing the great throng of people, there was not any disorder among them ; for the magis- trates, to their just commendation, had taken precaution, by making proclamation through the town, and posting the same up in writing in the market or some public place, that if any should THOMAS STORY. 315 molest the meeting, or give any disturbance, such should be severely punished ; and besides this encouragement to us, they appointed constables to attend the gates, some of whom were very serviceable in the meetings, in directing the people to convenient seats, and placing them to the best advantage for general accommodation. The meetings ended on the 22nd, and I went the next day to Leominster, and had a meeting ; but returned on the 25th to Ludlow, being first- day, and had two meetings : that in the morning was not large ; but in the afternoon the great hall was well filled with sober people, to whom the Gospel was yet more fully preached; and it was the most open meeting we had in the place ; and so we left them in peace and love. m Returning that evening with Friends to Leominster, many of the people at Ludlow, watching our departure out of the town, stood in companies on the sides of the streets, to salute us with their civilities, as did many others from their doors and windows; and we departed in peace, and in that humility wherewith the Truth adorns the mind, being thankful to the Lord for so great favours : his reducing magistracy to its proper use and end, a terror to evil doers, and for the praise and protection of them that do well, being none of the least, considering how much our Friends, and myself in some measure, VOL. II. p 2 316 THE LIFE OF have suffered under magistrates of a persecuting spirit in former times.™ After this I went to Worcester, Cheltenham, and divers other places, till I came to Bristol ; John Irwin and John Fallowfield being with me. Here we staid the time of the Yearly Meeting, and had good service ; the meetings being large and open, and the kingdom of God preached. On the 22nd of the 3rd month, I went to Nailsworth, and from thence to many other places in these parts, taking meetings till "the 6th of the 5th month, when I had an evening meeting at Bradford ; but the notice not going in due time, the meeting was not large, yet pretty satisfactory, several of the neighbours being there, and very solid. That night I lodged at John Ballard's, who went with me to Bath next day. He was an attorney at law; and being convinced of Truth, made profession with us* But the law being altered with respect to men of his practice, and some new oaths required of them, in order to renew his qualification, he had offered his affirmation according to the law made in our favour, in matters of evidence ; but judge Ayres, one of the judges before whom it should have been taken, not being our friend, denied him that privilege : which, it was generally held, the law and common right allowed him ; since that practice, being his way of livelihood THOMAS STORY. 317 and subsistence before that law was made, was no office, or place of trust or profit in the government; which, with serving on juries con- cerning life and death, was the only exception in any of the acts concerning the affirmation of Friends, instead of oaths. n On the 9th of the 5th month, I came to Bristol again. I never went to that city with less hope, or more down in my mind, than at this time ; but on third-day, the meeting was larger than usual, and pretty generally reached ; more of the younger part of both sexes being tendered than I had observed there or elsewhere, for a long time ; after which 1 was not so much load- ed in my spirit as before in that city, where there is still a great body of people under our profession, who, I hope, will remain honourable in the Truth, and increase in the power and virtue of it. On the J 4th, I went to a meeting at Beltou, accompanied by Alexander Arscott, an honest and good warrior for Truth on earth against the infidels of the present age. A considerable number of Friends and others attended the meet- ing, among whom my labour was hard for some time ; to what purpose I do not know : for, though many important Truths of the Gospel were plainly opened, I did not find any great impression they made, nor was 1 very easy vol. n. p 3 318 THE LIFE OF afterwards, but under a kind of deadness ; which, I fear, is the state of too many people, to whom we minister ; though several at this time seemed well satisfied with the meeting. On the 21st, I went to a meeting at Frenchay, and returned to Bristol, where I staid during the time of the fair, attending the meetings, which were very large and open. On the 5th of the 6th month, I left Bristol, and taking meetings at Nailsworth, Cirencester, Burford, Whitney, and Charlsbury, came to Oxford on the 14th. Here I felt my mind loaded with the power of darkness which may be felt, constantly prevail- ing in that seat of wisdom, but not the wisdom of God. I was here on the first day of the week ; the meeting remained heavy and dark a considerable time, till the never-failing Truth arose and dispersed it ; in which being over all opposite spirits, I stood up, and many things were opened of great importance, without any disturbance from the scholars, many of whom were there. Having thus succeeded, the way was easier at our next meeting in the afternoon, at which, having matter of importance to deliver, with full authority, several of them were affected. On the 16th, I went to Banbury, to Benjamin Kidd's ; and thence took meetings at South Newington, Adderbury, Warwick, Coventry, &c. in my way to Nottingham and Mansfield ; from THOMAS STORY. 319 whence I went to sir John Rhodes's at Balber- hall, where I stayed two nights, and accom- panied him to the meeting at Chesterfield, After this I was at several meetings in Yorkshire, and on the 28th of the 7th month, went to York. On the 29th and 30th was the Quarterly Meeting there; where the envy and ill intention of some priests of the national church came under consideration. The case was this : some of them living in the north, had falsely reported to some meeting of priests in London, that Friends of the north, especially in Yorkshire, had been very industrious in spreading and promoting the blasphemous and anti-christian books published of late by Woolston ; and the bishop of Lichfield and Coventry having written two volumes in answer to Woolston, took occa- sion therein most erroneously to represent us as on the same foundation with him, the familists, and other heterodox persons, as deniers of the outward coming of Christ, and despisers of the Holy Scriptures, after their old threadbare way and antiquated cant of little credit at this day, if at all even believed by themselves. Yet to obviate the hurt that some weak and credulous persons might sustain by our silence on those charges, the meeting extracted some paragraphs out of our Yearly Meeting epistles, from the year VOL. II. p 4 S20 THE LIFE OF 1706, to this year 1731, containing earnest and repeated advice to Friends every where to read the Holy Scriptures, and wait upon the Lord for his help in understanding them ; and also not to read, or suffer to be read in their fami- lies, any books of deists, plays, romances, &c. tending to the discredit of the Holy Scriptures, and being contrary to the Christian religion. This extract the meeting committed to the care of several to be printed and published, with a short introduction ; which resulting to the par- ticular care of Roger Shackleton, of York, and myself, it was accordingly printed at York, and published there the 4th of the 8th month following. At York on the 3rd of the 8th month, being the first day of the week, the meeting was very large in the afternoon, chiefly with strangers, for the meeting of itself is but small; and many Truths of the Gospel were freely opened ; and for any thing I could observe, well received by the auditory. The next day I staid at York to see the printed extract finished ; and on the 5th, being the third of the week, I went forward, and, taking some meetings in my way, reached Carlisle on the 26th of the 8th month. I staid at and about Carlisle till the 30th of the 6th month, 1732 ; when I went thence to Appleby, and arrived in York on the 2nd of THOMAS STORY. 32. the 7th month, going to Roger Shackleton's ; and next day being the first of the week, was at the meetings there, both forenoon and after- noon ; which were very open. On the 5th I called at Castle-Howard and dined with the earl of Carlisle and his fami- ly, the lord Cornbury being there likewise. About the conclusion of our dinner, the earl in a frank manner moved some discourse about the ceremonies of the national church, and asked me, if we would join with them, in case they would lay aside the surplice, and sign of the cross in baptism ? I answered : " Lay these things aside, and then we will confer with you about the rest." Then said the earl ■: " These things are no way essential to religion, and may well be spared ; we have no foundation in Scripture for them, and some other things we use." Then his chaplain, who was present, said : " Things innocent in their own nature may be enjoined by the church and the legislature ; and thence arises a duty to obedience." The earl replied : " That whatever is invent- ed and imposed by man in matters of religion, more than what was ordained by Christ, and taught by Him and his apostles, is vicious; and ought not to be regarded." O noble con- fession ! He then dismissed his chaplain with VOL. II. p 5 329 THE LIFE OF a frown, whilst I was asking him this question : u When and where did the Lord Jesus ever give power to any temporal prince or state, to add to, alter, or diminish the religion He himself established on the earth : is not He all-sufficient in Himself for that, without the direction, con- currence, or aid of any other power ; since all power in heaven and earth is given unto Him?" The chaplain departing the room, I requested liberty for a few words further, that since the earl had been pleased to mention their baptism, and object to an incident of it, as now used by them, I hoped it would not be offensive, if I endeavoured to inform him how we understand the Christian baptism ; and having his coun- tenance therein, I proceeded : « That John the baptist, being moved by the Word or Spirit of God, to call the Jews to repentance, and to baptize or wash in water such as believed his doctrine, and went to him to that end ; he fore- told them of another to come after him, much more worthy, and to be preferred, who should baptize them with a more excellent, powerful, and efficacious baptism ; that is to say, the Lord Jesus Christ, with the Holy Ghost and fire. ie That John did not baptize in any particular name, but directed his disciples to believe in one who was to come after him, whom himself THOMAS STORY. 323 did not know when he first began to preach and baptize ; and as repentance was, at that time, the necessary doctrine to the Jews, Christ himself preached repentance, and his disciples, they also baptized with water, as John did, and at the same time, but with this difference, that John baptized not in any name, but the disciples of Christ most probably in his Name, whom they had rightly believed to be the true Messiah ; and in whose Name alone, after He was declared to be sent of God, all the water baptism we ever find in the Scripture to be administered, was performed, and never in the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. " That after the resurrection of Christ, and before his ascension, He introduced his baptism as it was most excellent in itself, so with greater dignity and glory, saying: 'AH power in hea- ven and earth is given unto Me ; repentance and remission of sins must be preached in my Name unto all nations, beginning at Jerusalem ; and ye shall be witnesses unto Me in Jerusalem, in Judea, in Samaria, in all the regions round about, and to the uttermost parts of the earth : go ye therefore, teach all nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost ; teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you. Go into all the earth, and preach the Gospel unto every VOL. n. p 6 324: THE LIFE OP creature. He that believeth, and is baptized, shall be saved ; and he that believeth not, shall be damned : and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the world.' " But notwithstanding this commandment from the mouth of Him, who hath all power in heaven and earth, He knew that his dis- ciples, though they had by his command or countenance baptized with water, could not of themselves baptize with this baptism, without the actual and present power of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, in one dispensation : therefore He added this further command : ' But tarry ye at Jerusalem till ye be endued with power from on high.' And lest they should mistake, and think He was instituting another water baptism, He distinguishes his baptism from that of water, saying : ' John truly bap- tized with water, but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.' From this it is evident, according to the testimony of Holy Writ, that this institution was not any water baptism, but distinguished from it, the same which John ascribed to Christ, and is the baptism of the Spirit only. This we own, and this only, to be the baptism in the Church of Christ, initial, by its powerful effects, into the church, which is his body, the ground and THOMAS STORY." 325 pillar of Truth, the fulness of Him who filleth all in all." To this neither of these two lords made any reply ; but after a short pause, entered into some discourse between themselves concerning the meaning of John the baptist, when he sent two of his disciples to Christ, to ask whether He was the Messiah, after he had so fully before owned and declared Him to be so. They could not at first think the same way about his meaning ; supposing he doubted under the temptation of persecution and im- prisonment : but that instance being advanced, where Christ, speaking to the Father, saith. : 1 Holy Father, Thou always hearest Me ; but these things I say in the hearing of these,' bis disciples, ' that they may believe that Thou hast sent Me.' It was then concluded, that the message from John was not for his own sake, or as doubting concerning Christ; but for the sake of his disciples, and others for their further information and establishment in the faith of Christ : and so the conversation ended. Then I took leave ; but the earl, though weak in his limbs, by a late fit of the gout q went before me to the hefid of the out-stairs, and standing there awhile, professed his good liking to Friends, as a religious, useful people; and wished his tenants were all of our way. i That evening I 326 THE LIFE OF went to Malton r \vith my friend Layton Furbank, who had staid at Castle-Howard for me all this time ; and the next day we had a very good meeting there. r From thence I went to Picker- ing, Scarborough, and many other places, having meetings to good satisfaction. The 1st of the 9th month, I went again to Balber Hall, to see my worthy friend and old ac- quaintance, sir John Rhodes, who had embraced the Truth early in his youth under great self- denial ; in which he had continued : he holds his integrity unto this day, and without doubt will to the end ; and then an overbalance unspeakable, to all the honour and pleasure he hath sacrificed in this world for the cross of Christ, will he meet with in that which is to come, never end- ing or suffering change, but from glory to glory for ever. I staid here in open friendship till the 4th, when I went to Mansfield, and was at their meeting ; I was likewise at a meeting here on the 7th, which was large on account of a burial. The Truth was preached to the people in terms suitable to their states ; and they were much more sober and attentive than could have been expected from their first appearance, many of them looking wild and airy; which gave me occasion to think, what good do their parents do them ? and in what is the care of parents to be seen? But He who commandeth the winds, THOMAS STORY. 327 and stilleth the raging waves of the sea, calmeth the most turbulent spirits by his invisible word, working effects visible and surprising ! The meeting ended in peace, and in all appearance to general satisfaction. On the 8th, I went to Nottingham, and was at their meeting next day ; which was open and comfortable. I took my course after this through Leicestershire and Northamptonshire towards London, where I arrived on the 7th of the 10th month, and was kindly received by my friends. At this time deism was much advanced in the city and nation, yet our meetings were crowded on first-days : and though the generality of Friends in the city were young people, they delighted to hear the principles and doctrines of Truth published. I was frequently concerned to distinguish between a natural and spiritual state. In the former, man has the use of his reason and understanding in natural things, re- ceiving his ideas thereof from without, by his senses, and making a judgment according to the degree of the ability of his natural faculties, deducing consequences from premises by rea- soning ; by which he may conclude the existence of the Almighty, from the works of the creation, yet cannot by reasoning form any proper idea of the enjoyment of God in this state. 32S THE LIFE OF But in the latter or spiritual state, where- into man is brought by 1he Word or Spirit of God operating in his mind, he is capacitated to enjoy God, as He is essential love, wisdom, truth, power, &c. One day, during my stay in the city, I with some other Friends, fell in company with a deist; and something being moved relating to his prin- ciples, lie was furnished with divers subtile ar- guments in opposition to the Christian religion ; which yet had no weight with us. One present, to bring him in some respect under the authority of the Holy Scriptures, asked him, if he did believe what was written therein ? He answered: " That he did believe many tilings therein, but not all;" and soon after he urged the apostle's doctrine in his epistle to the Romans, in defence of their position: "That the reason of man is his only guide in the jvay to please God ; and the only principle by which man can apprehend there is a God ;' for saith the Scripture : * ' That which may be known of God is manifest in them,' i. e. men, ' for God hath showed it unto them ; for the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even * Rom. i. 19, 20. THOMAS STORY. 329 his eternal power and Godhead ; so that they are without excuse.' " I replied : " That man, taking in the idea of the outward creation by his senses, and reason- ing from the effect to the cause, may conclude and cannot avoid it, that there is an almighty all-wise agent, who has produced and supports all things; and that He bath all the Divine and moral attributes commonly ascribed ; from which reasonable contemplation a great satis- faction may arise : and yet all this is, in com- parison, but a history or report of God, though for ever true ; and gives not the enjoyment of his presence sensibly, as He is Divine essential truth, love, wisdom, light, and power. As such, He cannot be known but by his own Light flowing from Himself through that pure mirror, the reasonable mind of Christ, of his own preparing ; by whom, as through a veil, man sees the inaccessible glory of the Father, who dwelleth in the Light, which no man hath seen, nor can see by any other medium ; and not by that, till due qualification be wrought in the mind of man by this Light. " That the Divine Light of Truth, or Spirit of Christ, is another thing than human reason, and is added to the rational man, after he is already rational ; and is not constituent of his being, as his reason is. " I then instanced 330 THE LIFE OF T. STORY. Cornelius, who was not only a rational man, but also a devout man, and one that feared God, with all his house; who gave much alms, and prayed to God always ; and whose prayers and alms went up as a memorial before God : and yet it was needful that an apostle of Christ should tell him what he ought to do further ; that is, to receive the Word, Anointing, or Holy Ghost ; which believing, he did accordingly receive it: which is the Spirit of Truth, and leads into all truth relating to the spiritual world, and the things thereof: which human reason can never do, receiving all its ideas from without, concerning natural, nay even spiritual things ; whereas the knowledge of things spiri- tual is conceived in the mind, from the Spirit of Truth within ; and those things exhibit their own ideas, after their kind and nature, to the mind, as outward things exhibit their ideas, after their sort, to the senses by sensible intuition, and not by reasoning." These things seeming at that time, to take some hold of the mind of this person, I recom- mended them to his further consideration ; and lie said, he would further examine them. 8 1732. j&ertimt ff%* Leaves London and proceeds to Kendal and Carlisle. — London Yearly Meeting 1733.— Nailsworth. — Coventry assizes. — Lan- caster.— Carlisle Monthly Meeting.— London Yearly Meeting 173L— Pool.— Exeter.— Totness— Foy.— Tiverton. — Bristol.— Jordans. — London. Having visited all the meetings in London, and being easy for the present concerning them, I set forward for the north on the 2nd of the 12th month, going by way of Hertford, Hitchin, Coventry, Birmingham, Manchester, &c. taking meetings at these and other places to good satis- faction. On the 1st of the 1st month, 1733, I came to Kendal, to Thomas Ellwood's, and was at their Monthly Meeting the day after; which was large and open, and the business thereof managed in the peaceable wisdom of Truth ; so that it was a comfortable time, through the Lord's good- ness. I staid till the first day of the next week, when the morning meeting was large, consist- ing for the most part of Friends ; the necessary truths of the Gospel opened clearly, and with tendering authority : persuading the youths not to rest in the outside of things only, in a formal 1732-3. 1733. 332 THE LIFE OF exercise of things left by example of those who had gone before, but to wait for the same word of wisdom and power in themselves, as their conductor in the same good practices in their day. Several of them were tendered and broken ; the Lord favouring us with his presence. At the afternoon meeting a multitude attended and several of the magistrates, who were gene- rally sedate and attentive; many things of the kingdom of God were opened among them with good authority ; especially concerning regene- ration, the difference between a natural and spiritual mind and state, and the necessity of a real and sensible change. I had thanks from one of the justices for my good instruction, as he was pleased to call it, which though it is a thing of course among themselves, was much better than being sent into a prison for it, as often happened to those who made way, in times past, by their sufferings for the liberty we enjoy; and whose memory ought to be retained with, great respect ; though some at this day under the same profession, despise and trample upon the most essential part of their testimony, as also most of the incidents, and exterior marks of distinction between us and the world ; for such incidents there are, besides a holy life, and moral decorum among men. THOMAS STORY. 333 I passed the evening in agreeable conversa- tion with some Friends, and went the next day to Penrith, and the day after to my usual lodg- ing at Carlisle. Having settled some concerns in the country, I went to the Yearly Meeting at Kendal, which was very large, consisting for the most part of young people ; as does our Society throughout the world at this day. We were favoured with the Divine presence in some degree, but not so as I have experienced on these occasions ; for the state of the people could not bear it ; the generality of them being as the Samaritans of old, who had believed that Jesus Christ was the Messiah who had been to come ; and so far they were right ; but the Holy Spirit of Christ was not come upon them for some time after they had so believed. So likewise these our younger sort of Friends, have believed the same concerning the coming of Christ in that administration, as also the general doctrines published among us at this day, of his light, grace, or Holy Spirit, yet the operation of it has not been witnessed, by many of them, as a sensible and experimental dispen- sation of life and power, which is properly the Gospel. The meetings held three days, and concluded well, to the sole praise of the Holy One, who never fails to do good to his people. After this 33± THE LIFE OF I was at Sedberg, Bishop-Aukland, Durham, and Newcastle; from thence went to Carlisle, and on the 4th of the 3rd month, set forward for the Yearly Meeting in London; and, with hard travel, I arrived there on the 10th. In this meeting the testimony of Truth was further established against the payment of tithes, which had been weakened by the unfaithfulness of several in profession with us, who, for the time might have known better, and have arrived at greater perfection. Some members of the meeting offering apologies for delinquencies of this nature, I put the meeting in mind that at a time of great distraction about matters of religion in this nation, the Lord in infinite mercy stretched forth the arm of his power, by which He gathered to Himself a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people, who through the virtue and power of his grace, bore a threefold testimony in the world. " First, To the manifestation of the Holy Spirit of Christ, as the only infallible and all- sufficient Teacher of mankind, in the things of God and Eternal Life. " Secondly, To a holy, innocent, righteous life, as the necessary consequences of such teaching. " Thirdly, Against an antichristian ministry, set up, and subsisting in the world, by tithes, and THOMAS STORY. 335 other oppressive means ; never appointed by God for a Christian ministry ; but invented and obtruded upon the world by an antichristian power, usurping authority in the Name of the Lord Jesus, whose kingdom is not of this world, over all the kings and princes, and moral estab- lishments where Christ was named and owned. Against such a ministry our primitives were true and faithful ; so that these three points were settled and held as essential, and indispensible to the dispensation of the Almighty committed unto his people in this and all future ages ; and none were really accounted under that dispensation, who came not up in the practice of them. I there- fore conclude it is the same still, and ever will be. I also stated that former Yearly Meetings, whose minutes are now inspected and referred to, especially relating to the payment of tithes ; did but their duty in distinguishing such as fall short in this common testimony ; so far at least, as to prohibit such from any share in the exercise of judgment, or the application of the order and discipline of the church, whilst them- selves are subjects of censure therein. As it is written : 'The brother that is weak in the faith, receive, but not to doubtful disputations.' " It was concluded to have former minutes transcribed against the payment of tithes, and to have a written epistle prepared, recommending 336 THE LIFE OF faithfulness therein, to be sent to the Quarterly and Monthly Meetings; in which the meeting seemed generally unanimous. After slaying some weeks in London, visiting the meetings there, I visited some meetings in Hertfordshire, Surrey, Hampshire, and Dorset- shire on my way to Bristol ; and went after this by Monmouth and Ross to Keyngton, where on the 26th, the Yearly Meeting for seven western counties was held this year, viz. Herefordshire, Worcestershire, Gloucestershire, Somersetshire, Dorsetshire, Devonshire, and Cornwall, which I attended ; it was an edifying, informing and comfortable meeting, the people, who were very numerous, being generally sober, and well satisfied. On the 9th of the 7th month, I was at Nails- worth at their meeting on the first day of the week. It was large in the afternoon, but labori- ous ; for many of the people in those parts and elsewhere, having been often at our meetings, where the truths of the Gospel have been clearly and powerfully declared, and being secretly con- vinced, yet having stumbled at the cross, have not obeyed to an open confession of the Truth, and therefore do not grow or come forward in it, but are as seeds buried under the clods of the earth, and in danger of being lost. Christ was preached to them this day, with respect to his THOMAS STORY. 337 inward as well as outward manifestation, and especially the former ; and they were warned of the danger of neglecting the day of the offers of salvation, and the strivings of the Spirit of God in them ; since the language of Wisdom to a rebellious, gainsaying, negligent people, is on thiswise: *"I called, saith the Lord, and ye would not hear ; ye shall cry, and I will not answer; I will laugh at your calamities, and mock when your fear cometh." And, + " To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts." I staid here till the 13th, and was at their week-day meeting, which was small, no notice being given of my remaining there, as I was willing to see their manner in the absence of strangers. On the 21st of the 8th month, I had an even- ing meeting at Henley, which was very large, many of the Presbyterians and others of the neighbourhood being there, and generally very sober. Many truths of the Gospel were pro- claimed in their ears ; and some hearts touched with the virtue of it ; but the cross is still a stumbling block to some who profess the Chris- tian name : mankind desiring heaven, when the report thereof seems beautiful, but would * Proverbs i. + Psalms xcv. 7, 8. VOL. II. Q 338 THE LIFE OF part with nothing for it; they would still be heirs of two kingdoms ; which in this sense can never be. I proceeded from Henley for London, where having staid some time, and thoroughly visited the meetings, I left it on the 23rd of the 1st month 1733-4, going northward, by Coventry, Stockport, Manchester, and so to Carlisle. At the first mentioned place the assizes had lately been held, when several malefactors were capitally convicted ; and among others an epis- copal priest, for stealing a mare, to whom and to all in the court, the judge gave good advice; more especially to this poor condemned crimi- nal ; to whom he said, that the sin was great in itself, but very much aggravated and mag- nified in him, who, pretending to be a minister of Christ, ought to have been a good example, and leader of others in the way of righteousness and Truth ; but falling so greatly short himself of moral honesty, he was become a reproach to his profession, and a stumbling block to the weak ; to whom he ought to have been a sup- port. And it was particularly remarked, that the judge told the criminal: "If he had taken due heed to the Divine principle of Grace and Truth in his own mind, he would not have fallen into that sin, which was now bringing him to so ignominious an end." This discourse 1733-4. THOMAS STORY. 339 had good effect on him and the other criminals, and also on the auditory. Some said the judge had preached a good Quaker's sermon. On the 1st of the 2nd month, I went to Stock- port, where I had a comfortable time in visit- ing the families of Friends. On the 7th, I was at Manchester, on the first day of the week ; the meetings were to general satisfaction, so far as I could observe; some essential parts of the Christian faith, practice, hope, love, and sufferings, were laid open and made plain in the light and power of the Son of God, and many hearts tendered thereby. I went from hence to Lancaster, to a meeting of ministers and elders, which was well furnished with the same from divers counties and places ; and we were favoured with the good presence and counsel of the Lord. The day after, two meet- ings for worship were held, both very large, consisting generally of Friends : the people in this part resting satisfied in their own dead forms, though a few of them who came in, be- haved soberly, and the Lord gave us a good meeting, through the revelation of the Father by the Son, who never fails nor forsakes his own; whom in this age, as in times past, He hath called and filled by his word, to bear the ensign of his great Name before the nations. VOL. II. q 2 340 THE LIFE OP After this I was at other meetings in these parts; 'and on the 19th, I was at the Monthly Meeting at Carlisle, where I gave Friends some short hints of my late journey ; and let them know I intended another soon after, and to be at the approaching Yearly Meeting in London ; which the Monthly Meeting was pleased with, since none had given up their names at the Quarterly Meeting, for the Yearly Meeting ; upon which the Quarterly Meeting had been adjourned, in hope that some Friends would offer their service on that account. After some further deliberations thereon, seeing so general a backwardness in the Quarterly Meeting, they told me, they hoped I would be at the adjourn- ed Quarterly Meeting, and agree to be one at least to represent them at the Yearly Meet- ing ; and as I intended to visit some other places after the Yearly Meeting was over, the Monthly Meeting gave me another certifi- cate ; being a common order then among us, to which all were alike subject, how well soever known in our Society in general, to prevent disorderly persons and imposters. On the 2nd of the 3rd month, I was at the adjourned Quarterly Meeting held at Wigton; where such business was finished as was before them; but none offering for the service of the :irly Meeting in London, I acquainted the THOMAS STORY. 341 meeting of my intention of being there; and then the meeting persuaded Jonathan Ostal and David Hodgson, to undertake the charge also. That evening I returned to Carlisle, where I had been at the week-day meeting the day before ; which was very open and comfortable. ' Taking meetings on my way, I arrived in London on the 25th of the 3rd month, in order to attend the Yearly Meeting, to which I had been appointed a representative. We had a peace- able time, through the wisdom and goodness of the Lord ; though satan was not wanting in his attempts to make division and mischief. I staid in the city and near it, visiting the meetings, till the 14th of the 6th month, and then, accompanied by my sure and agreeable friend John Fallow field, set forward on a journey into the west. We were at many meet- ings to good satisfaction, and in our way had a meeting at Pool. u There is at that place a good number of Friends, but for the most part young, and not much experienced in the work of Truth ; yet being in their native innocence, and keeping to meetings they are hopeful. We laboured among them, according to the ability given for the work of the day ; and the meet- ing was serviceable and comfortable. Here we staid till the 25th ; and being the first day of VOL. II. q 3 342 THE LIFE OF (he week, were at their meeting; which, in the morning, consisted generally of Friends ; and the Lord favoured us with a good degree of his goodness together: but in the afternoon, the meeting being put off till four, and notice given to the people, we had a very great crowd, the house and all the galleries being filled, and some could not get in. u The Lord furnished us with understanding and ability; and the doctrine and virtue of the Gos- pel reached many that day. We were much drawn out to the people, in the labour of love and good-will, and much exhausted in the ser- vice, yet our reward was sure in the Lord, and our satisfaction great in his presence. On the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd of the 7th month, was held the circular Yearly Meeting for the west, at Exeter. Many of the inhabitants of the city and neighbouring places came in, behaving very soberly ; the truths of the Gospel were de- clared to them with authority and demonstration by several of the ministry ; and the meeting was peaceable and comfortable, and to good satis- faction. Indeed the people throughout this nation at this time are generally willing to give us a fair and peaceable hearing, with good ac- ceptance as to the Truth of our doctrine ; but the cross of Christ is jet too heavy for them, as they weakly think ; and finding ease and a THOMAS STORY. 343 false rest in death, under their teachers, who sooth them in their sins, they rest short of the kingdom. T On the 4th, in the morning, when I and my companion were ready to take horse for the west, we had a message from Friends in the city informing us, that a marriage of two of our Friends was to take place there next day, and that they expected many of the inhabi- tants would be present on the occasion, and they earnestly requested we might attend, which having duly considered, we found freedom to stay, and were there accordingly ; where we had the company of a good number of Friends, and a great company of the inhabitants of the place ; and the Lord was pleased to favour the occasion with his good presence, and to furnish us with matter and strength suitable; and we had a more satisfactory time than in the Yearly Meeting, where sometimes we happen to be straitened by too many of the same order, not all alike qualified for such services. This stay thus occasioned altered the mea- sures in point of time, which we had thought of for the west; and being so near the first of the week, and many of the inhabitants of the city being a little roused by the meetings afore- mentioned we tarried till then : our meeting was more select in the morning; but the VOL. II. q 4 344 THE LIFE OF afternoon meeting being postponed till the third hour, it was nearly as large as some times in the Yearly Meeting ; and the Lord furnishing us with understanding and authority, some neces- sary truths of the Gospel and kingdom of God were declared with authority and clearness ; the auditory being very sober and attentive, and generally satisfied, as we ourselves were in our service, having the reward of peace from the Lord ; not of debt, but of his mercy, goodness, and bounty. T On the 9th, we had a meeting in the town- hall at Totness, which was large mostly of the reputable sort ; a very full and comfortable time the Lord gave us among them, exalting the testimony of his living Truth over all ; and we witnessed peace, as a full recompence for the labour given us to perform by the word of the Lord. On the 29th, we had a meeting at the Land's End ; which was large considering the small- ness of the house. The people, in general, are of low capacity, but matter suitable to their con- dition opened freely. New wine is not put into old bottles; most of them had not believed in the Truth, and therefore were not sanctified through faith in Him ; so that the efflux of the living water, was not so plentiful, nor the wine of the kingdom so strongly mixed therewith as at some THOMAS STORY. 345 other places, yet sufficient of both to give a clear evidence, and we had a comfortable season by the Lord's good presence ; and his arm was magnified. On the 6th of the 8th month, we were at the meeting at Dennis, among an innocent people, many of them, about forty lately convinced, being very tender, as little children desiring the pure milk of the word, which the Lord dis- pensed largely and freely among them, to our mutual satisfaction. They were greatly tender- ed, as we had been when we were first con- vinced, which gave me a grateful remembrance of those days and times of espousals, and hopes that the renewing of such times in a more gene- ral way is not far off; such being now, in divers parts of the world, as a few first ripe ears pro- claiming the approaching harvest; as it is writ- ten : * ' Seed time and harvest, summer and winter, day and night shall not cease ;' so the dispensations of the Almighty unto mankind, though various, shall not cease from hencefor- ward for ever. When we were at the Yearly Meeting at Exeter, some proposals had been made of having a meeting at Tiverton, in our return from Corn- wall, to which we were inclined ; and after being * Gen. viii. 22. VOL. II. Q 5 346 THE LIFE OF at several meetings in our way, as Port Isaac, Liskard, &c. we came there, and held a meet- ing on the 21st, which was large, consisting of people of all ranks: the mayor and other magis- trates being present, they appointed the con- stables to keep the baser sort in awe, if any should occasion a disturbance. The Lord who always countenanceth his own appointments in providence, gave us strength and understand- ing sufficient for the work of this day, wherein we had no small labour, yet a good and com- fortable time; and all ended to the honour of God, and promotion of his Truth, among the people, who were generally satisfied with what they heard, being many of the most needful truths of the Gospel ; and Christ was truly preached by his own immediate power, in the use of instruments. After the meeting, we made our acknowledgments to the magistrates for their kind assistance ; and in the afternoon I went with a Friend to visit one of the most noted persons in town, a Presbyterian by profession, who had been at the meeting and very attentive. He had been well satisfied with what he had heard, except some things I had said upon the subject of baptism: our sentiments on which I endeavoured to make plain to his understand- ing, and we parted in friendship. My companion and I proceeded for Bristol, THOMAS STORY. 347 where, after staying about two weeks, he left me intending for London, upon the death of that able minister of the Gospel, and pillar in the house of God, Francis Davis, his brother by marriage. On the 16th of the 9th month, I like- wise departed from Bristol, taking meetings in my way to London. The meeting at Jordans was pretty large ; the Lord was near in a time of long silence, and I had good matters before me, but unable to speak by means of a cold ; yet at length broke through, so as to express the heads of some matters before me, relating to the ancient prophecy of the Lord : * ' That it should come to pass, that seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, we will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel ; only, let us be called by thy name to take away our reproach.' This is fulfilled in many, if not the greatest part of the professors of Christ throughout the world, who feed themselves with their own in- ventions of various forms, of what they call their religion, and clothe themselves with their own righteousness, neglecting the righteousness of God, even the Lord our righteousness. Many likewise, feeding the body to excess and luxury, clothe it with needless and airy, fantastical * Isaiah iv. I . VOL. II. Q 6 348 THE LIFE OF T. STORY. garments, things not becoming the cross of Christ. But the people of God are preserved clear from these things, by waiting upon Him day and night in his temple, the second house more glorious than the former, for the consola- tion of Israel, the Light to enlighten the gentiles, and the glory of his true Israel. On the 7th of the 10th month, I reached London, in which city I staid several months. 1734. Section ff £3L Yearly Meeting at Chester. — Worcester. — Oxford.— French Prophets. — Yearly Meeting at Rugby. — Bristol. — London. — Case of appeal. — Leeds. — Justice-Town. — London. — Tadcaster. — York. — Scarborough. York. — Sir John Rhodes. — Preston Moorhouse. — Lowther-Hall. — Kendal. — Birmingham. — London. I staid in London visiting the meetings, till the 29th of the 1st month, 1735. w On the 10th of the 2nd month I was at a meeting at Wolver- hampton, which on account of a marriage was much crowded with people, especially of the more reputable sort, and many could not get in ; and the Lord exalted his own Name that day, and honoured his people and their off- spring with his blessed presence and goodness, to the surprise of many who had been ignorant of his power ; and the Truth was made evident to many, according to the testimony of Holy Writ. While the certificate of the marriage was filling up, I noted to the people, that no clandestine marriages could ever pass among us, since the stated rules of our Society required ample certificates, and proof of the consent of parents or guardians, and of the clearness of the 1735. 350 THE LIFE OF parties from all pre-contracts with others, and of their not being too nearly related ; but that the national priests, through covetousness, had not only eluded and made null, in great measure, even their own primitive institutions and prac- tice on that account, but had likewise made null and ineffectual the laws of the nation provided to prevent so great mischief. w On the 13th of the 2nd month, and first day of the week, commenced the Yearly Meeting for four counties, viz. Cheshire, Lancashire, Westmoreland, and Cumberland, held at West- chester. The meetings were very large with people of all ranks, and the Lord was pleased to favour us with his good presence, and to exalt his own glorious Name over all; the great multitude during the service, being mostly as still as a meeting of Friends. Here was a young woman in the ministry, who had been convinced about four years before; she being at a meeting with some of her acquaintance, they thought what I had to say was a contrived sermon, which might be kept written in my pocket ; whereas I never prepared any thing to say in any meeting in all my life hitherto, but have ever depended upon the heart-prepar- ing power and word of the Lord, and immediate Avork and openings of it in my own mind. From this time the young woman came nearer THOMAS STORY. 351 to Friends, and attended our meetings, till she found strength to own the Truth in a public manner. On the 29th, I was at the meeting at Worces- ter, where the Lord favoured us with his good presence ; the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament being opened to us with brightness and authority, to general satisfaction ; for which we were thankful unto Him who hath all wis- dom and power, and without whom we can do nothing ; yet this meeting was so hard to me for some time in silence, and the people so heavy, that it put me in mind of a saying of the apostle : ' What shall they do who are bap- tized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? why are they then baptized for the dead ?' But so soon as a little help appeared from the Lord, all weakness and the power of death, vanished as darkness before the day ; and in Him I arose and prevailed : and so let it be with all his ministers, in all places, from henceforth through all generations. Amen. On the 2nd of the 3rd month, I had an ap- pointed meeting at Chipping Norton, which was very open, the goodness of the Lord ac- companying us therein, and the light of His countenance making manifest things of the greatest importance. From hence I went to Oxford, where now remain only four or five 352 THE LIFE OF Friends, and was at the meetings on first-day. In the morning, sitting together in the usual meeting-house, the Lord renewed to us the happy experience of fulfilling his promise, whilst in silence : * That where two or three are gathered together in his Name, there He is in the midst of them.' But after some time, a company of students came in, most of them full of levity, with vice and folly sitting on their brows. They scoffed at the great truths of the Gospel, especially when some proper texts of Holy Scripture were mentioned con- cerning the Divine Light and Word of God, as if they meant to repel the force of Truth by a flood of laughter. I had patience under all their foolish opposition, and ill manners ; and labouring in the virtue of Truth, so over- came them, that they were generally quiet before I had done, and some of them sensibly touched with the invisible power of Truth : in the main it was a good meeting, and ended well. I never had any thing but good will to these misguided young creatures ; whose capacities might, under a proper direction and conduct, be improved to great service in the world ; but being depraved by vicious practices, all the good proposed by their education is frustrated. In the afternoon we sat so long silent, that THOMAS 8TORY. 353 we tired one set of them, who came first ; but another sort coming after the first were gone, I had many things to say to them concern- ing their learning, manners, catechism, vows and promises, creeds, and likewise of the mar- tyrs from whom they pretended to derive their religion. Then 1 preached to them on the grace of God, and showed, that if they were members of Christ, children of God, and heirs of the kingdom of heaven, by what had been done for them in their infancy, when altogether ignorant of good or evil, they are now in the state of fallen angels by their own confession ; for they have left undone those things which they ought to have done, and done those things which they ought not to have done, and are become miserable sinners, * ' full of wounds, bruises, and putrifying sores, from the sole of the foot even unto the head ;' and certainly none in this state can enter the kingdom of God. I said I had heard that the universities of Oxford and Cam- bridge, are called the two eyes of the nation ; it is therefore no wonder the inhabitants, de- pending on them are so ignorant. Some of them were not easy under this ; yet Truth being over them, they were kept down, so as not to oppose, otherwise than by laughter, more forced * Isaiah i. 6. 354; THE LIFE OP than natural; at which times usually reproving them, I went on with what I had to say till finished ; and being helped to clear myself, I came away with satisfaction. On the 9th, I was at Chesham, where in the evening, after the meeting, I had conversation with a considerable man in the world, inclinable to the French prophets ; by whom I perceived they expect such a dispensation from God, that all the gifts of the primitive times should be restored, as working miracles, prophecy, healing the sick, raising the dead, &c. whereby their minds being carried off the present dis- pensation, they neglect that which should be re- garded, in looking for greater things before they are come to the lesser, as did the Jews ; who looking for the coming of the Messiah in an- other manner than He was promised, that is, with outward and worldly power and splendour, despised Him when He did come ; and so missed of salvation by Him. I declared many things to him and the Friends present, as at that time they were opened to me of the Lord ; and we parted in friendship. I went by Jordans and Uxbridge to London, and in the latter end of the 6th month, to the Yearly Meeting for seven counties, held at Rugby, which was large ; many of those called gentry, as well as of the people in lower THOMAS STORY. 355 stations, and likewise several national priests, being there. x The place prepared was so capa- cious as to hold many hundreds ; and it was very full in the forepart of the day, but the people came so generally in the afternoon, that scarcely half of them could get in ; so that some of the ministers went into a large court behind an inn, near the meeting place, but not within hearing of these within ; and so had two meet- ings at the same time. x The Lord honoured his Name in the midst of them, from meeting to meeting; to Him be the praise who is alone worthy, now and for ever. The meeting held twice a day for three days, during which time the truths of the Gospel in the authority and demonstration of it, were set forth by our ministry beyond contradiction ; the people behaving \\ith much sobriety and serious attention. I hope the understandings of many of them were opened, so as in some degree to perceive we had been formerly mis- represented and our principles hidden, but now opened and cleared. At the conclusion of the last meeting, we gave away among the people for their information and help, near a thousand books, all which were kindly received; and as love and unity abounded among Friends, so we left the town and people in mutual love and good will between them and us, to the 356 THE LIFE OE praise of the living Lord, who worketh in us the good will and the deed, to his own glory. In the 7th month, I was at several meetings in Oxfordshire, and proceeded till 1 came to Bristol, where I remained some time attending the meetings with peace and satisfaction to my- self and Friends. One first-day I had to expose the pernicious doctrine of transubstantiation ; wherein the Papists say, that upon uttering the words of consecration by the priest, the bread or wafer so consecrated, is immediately changed into the very body of Christ, which was born of the Virgin Mary, and suffered on the cross at Jerusalem; that this wafer being now the true God and Christ, is to be worshiped as such. Thus the people are deceived, and led blindfold into idolatry, instead of worshiping Almighty God, through Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and true Saviour, sent into the world in the flesh, crucified, dead, and buried, ascended into heaven, and come from the Father a second time, as He is the Spirit of Truth, who leadeth into all truth, completing the salvation of all who believe in Him, and follow and obey Him. In another meeting, where several hireling teachers of different notions were present, and many other people, it became my concern to THOMAS STORY. 357 stand up with these words of the apostle: * ; The time will come, when they will not endure sound doctrine ; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears. And they shall turn away their ears from the Truth, and be turned unto fables.' I proceeded to observe : " That this prophecy is fulfilled in this and other nations at this day ; all the several sects adapting to themselves cer- tain and various notions, principles, and systems of religion, make choice of such teachers, as will teach and propagate these notions, and no other ; at the same time rejecting and despising the free, perfect, and effectual teaching of the Grace of God, which hath been publicly and freely preached in this and some other coun- tries now near a century, and is to this day, agreeably to the kind and merciful invitation of the Almighty, where He saith by his prophet : t 'Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters; and he that hath no money, come ye, buy and eat : yea, come buy wine and milk without money, and without price. Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread : and your labour for that which satisfieth not ? Harken diligently unto Me, and eat ye that which is good ; and let your soul delight itself * 2 Tim. iv. S. 4. t Isaiah lv. 1 — 4. \ 358 THE LIFE OF in fatness. Incline your ear, and come unto Me ; hear, and your soul shall live ; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David. Behold I have given Him for a witness to the people, a leader and commander to the people.' It is to Him the Lord Jesus Christ alone, that we have ever directed mankind, that they may be taught by his Grace and Holy Spirit in their own hearts, and redeemed from all the hireling teachers in the world, of every notion and form ; and this we have done freely, without any mercenary, low views to ourselves, but in that love to the souls of all men, in which the Son of God laid down his life for all mankind, tasting death for every man." On the 4th of the 9th month, I left Bristol, and taking meetings in my way, came to London on the 23rd. Here I remained several months, visiting the meetings, and assisting, as far as I could, in the solicitations to parliament for further ease concerning tithes. It fell to my lot, with some other Friends, at the request of the meeting for -sufferings, to speak with the bishops of Salisbury and Chichester, and five other bishops on the subject ; they generally gave up all pretentions to Divine right of tithes, and insisted on the laws of the land only. y At tbp Yearly Meeting in London, in 1736, 1735-6. THOMAS STORY. 359 were two appeals, one of which I thought un- common and remarkable. A certain person in Ireland having been a preacher among Friends there, and having married in our way, taking offence respecting an arbitration in London, let in resentments against some individuals ; and not meeting with such satisfaction upon some complaints as he imagined to be his due, he by degrees increased in his prejudices, till he became an open and imbittered enemy to the whole Society. Falling in with the bishops in Ireland, he became a strenuous opposer of our endeavours for an affirmation there, as we had obtained in England ; and sued some Friends in chancery for money, where none was due, taking advantage of them, because they could not put in their answers upon oath, and hinder- ing as much as he could, their obtaining an affirmation instead of an oath, in such courts and cases. He also denied his wife because mar- ried among Friends, attempting to take another ; with some other evil practices : for which the Monthly Meeting he belonged to had denied him; and he had appealed to the Quarterly Meeing, but had never appeared there, nor any one for him, to prosecute his appeal. After some time he had come over to London, and there had obtained from some ignorant and disorderly persons professing the Truth, but 360 THE LIFE OF not from any meeting, a certificate ; with which he went to Pennsylvania ; but Friends there being apprized from Ireland of his doings, he was not received among them. On his return to England, he by some means had got his case before Devonshire-House Monthly Meeting ; and thence, through London Quarterly Meeting, it came before the Yearly Meeting. The latter ap- pointed a committee to hear it ; but on enquiry finding that the appellant had appealed in the same case, as already stated, and as I re- member about sixteen years before, the com- mittee made report that the appeal was not regularly before the meeting ; and though some would have eluded this proceeding by subtleties and sophistical reasonings, yet the wisdom and power of the meeting silenced them, and the report was received and agreed to. Seeing the ill tendency and consequences of such appeals from other nations and places in the world 5 to the Yearly Meeting in London, I took this occasion to observe to the meeting, that this being a matter of immoral conduct only, in the appellant, and not of faith, doctrine, or principle* it was sufficiently cognizable and determinable in and by the Monthly Meeting in Ireland, where the matters of complaint arose, or by appeal to the Quarterly Meeting there, or finally in their Yearly, or Half- Yearly THOMAS STORY. 361 Meeting, usually held in Dublin, and that no appeal at all ought in such cases to be admit- ted from that meeting in Dublin : or from any Yearly Meeting of business in any other coun- try or island to London ; nor ought that meet- ing in London to receive any such, or enter into judgment thereon ; for if they should, the consequences thereof might be very perni- cious and oppressive. Such appeals from Penn- sylvania, Rhode-Island, Barbadoes, or other remote places, or even from Ireland, would be attended with great charges and trouble many ways, and loss of time, to persons neces- sary to attend appeals from such places, and likewise to the members of the Yearly Meeting in London ; which would be thereby rendered as a stage of contention by every unruly spirit who could make a party and wrong interest in and among such as himself ; and would render London as a kind of head of the churches. But the proceedings of Rome re- main in too glaring characters, for any men of knowledge and Truth, who are friends to the rights and privileges of mankind, to promote or submit to any such thing in this Society, now or in the succession of ages. So this appeal was rejected as irregular, and not lying there. 7 Leaving London on the 12th of the 6th month, 1736, I went northward ; and on the 25th, was TOL. II. R 362 THE LIFE OF at Leeds : The meeting is considerably large, and consists for the greatest part, of young peo- ple ; sober, but few of them have experienced the Lord's sanctifying baptism ; which is much the state of our young people at this day throughout the world ; being in danger, as it has happened to others, of sitting down in a traditional way, under the profession of Truth, as to the doctrine and form of the discipline of it, and yet ignorant of the life, light, virtue, and power of Truth, essentially in themselves ; by which an apostacy from the very form may enter, and proceed gradually, till the whole be lost as to them, and some other thing take place under the same name : which the Lord prevent by his kind and merciful visitation, in his own time and way ; for nothing else can do it, or carry on that great and glorious work, which his own arm hath begun in the earth, in and by his people. 2 1 proceeded through Westmoreland, taking meetings on ray way ; and on the 20th of the 7th month, arrived at Justice-Town, where I had a large nursery of forest-tree plants, both British and American ; from which having been absent some years, they were in that time grown much out of order, and many of them lost, being overgrown and suppressed by others ; very much like the course and way of human-kind, among whom the weaker are too often crushed THOMAS STORY. 363 and ruined by the stronger, and in vain lament and cry for aid, when none hears, relents, or aids, and where the only relief is patient suffering, till kinder death ends the trouble. After attending the Quarterly Meeing at Pardshaw, on the 27th, 1 returned to Justice- Town ; where with many hands, I began to plant out several sorts of young trees, as oaks, elms, ashes, acer-majors, poplars of several kinds, firs, English walnuts, black walnuts, tulip trees, locust trees, cedars of America, occidental planes, lindels, chesnuts, horse-chesnuts, divers sorts of willows, beeches, hornbeams, scarlet oaks, &c. which I had raised from seeds and cuttings, after their several kinds, at that farm, to furnish that part of the country in time with timber, which is now scarce ; and that I might be an example to others in that useful kind of im- provement ; which several since have begun to follow. In the mean time I visited some meetings in those parts: staying here till the 7th of the 9th month, [the 11th month according to the new style,] z when I went for London ; and I continued there till the 4lh month, 1738; and then returned again into the north, visiting the meetings in many places to mutual comfort. In my way to York, being accompanied by several Friends, we came to Tadcaster, where falling in with other Friends from Leeds, and vol. u. n 2 364 THE LIFE OF places adjacent, we all dined together at art inn ; and before we arose from the table, the Divine Truth tendered me very much, and reached the Friends in general, surprizing us together with a merciful visitation of his kind- ness, as in our early times ; and we were at this time as little children before Him, satisfied with the breast of living consolation in his pre- sence, not to be forgotten, but sealed on every heart, to the praise of the God of mercy and of our salvation. We were reduced to silence. The Quarterly Meeting at York was very large, especially in times of worship, when many of other societies came in, and generally behaved well. The Lord was with us, and things both as to worship and discipline, were conducted in the meekness of his wisdom, to his own glory and the consolation of his people, without schism or jar. On the 4th of the 5lh month, I went to a meeting appointed at Huby, from thence to Thornton, Malton, and Pickering. In this meeting there was something hard to be wrought through, from a spirit of heaviness and care- lesness, yet the power of the Lord was mani- fested, and the brightness of his presence pre- vailed over death and darkness, and the righte- ous rejoiced before Him, in a sense of his never-failing goodness. After this I was at Scarborough attending the meetings, which THOMAS STORY. 365 were at times large and comfortable ; one meet- ing in particular was very open, Friends being generally tendered by the influence of Divine love, the sweetness whereof seasoned our con- versation afterwards. In another meeting, in which strangers attending the spaw were pre- sent, * many truths of the Gospel and kingdom of God were opened unto them, in the love and goodness of God ; under a sense whereof, the meeting was held throughout the time to gene- ral satisfaction, so far as I could gather from the still, attentive, serious, and solid behaviour of the people ; so that the Friends and they, seemed as if they were all reconciled in one, even in the Divine Truth, under the powerful, baptizing virtue and influence of it; and that evening the Lord gave me great consolation therein. a I continued some time in these parts, and was again at the Quarterly Meeting at York, the business whereof was conducted in the peace- able wisdom of the Son of God : many great and important truths were delivered in the meetings by several brethren, in the demonstra- tion and authority of the Holy Spirit. Here a person took down some of my testimonies in short hand, as he had done before at some other times : this is seldom truly done ; for though the form of the speech may be, by this means, VOL. II. r 3 366 THE LIFE OF and belp of the memory of the writer nearly preserved, yet the missing or altering of a word in some sentences, may greatly alter and wrong the sense; and it is certain, that no letters, words, or speech can represent the Divine virtue, power, and energy, in which the doc- trines of the truth are delivered by those who are sent of God : for they speak with wisdom and authority in and from Him. The meeting ended in peace, and divers de- parted the city the same evening with satisfac- tion and comfort : yet as pillars in the house of God, it is to be hoped they will depart no more therefrom, but remain for ever ; but I having no certain dwelling place on earth, though there is something therein I call mine, which I have power over while in this body, and not being in haste to leave the city, I staid to attend the service of the Lord in the next first-day meetings, in which we were favoured with the Divine presence ; and many important truths were delivered. On the 5th of the 8th month, I was at the Monthly Meeting at Warnsworth, where a case occurred which admitted of some different ways of thinking; yet Friends condescending one to another, and the testimony of truth going forth against all partiality of judgment, and all sides and parties on any account whatever, there being no side or party save truth and error only, THOMAS STORY. 367 things were carried on and finished in the peaceable wisdom of Truth, to satifaction and comfort. From hence I went to Woodhouse and Shef- field, and made a visit to my long acquainted friend, Sir John Rhodes, a man of truth and understanding ; who neglecting all the honour of the world, had lived but too reclusely, by which the brightness of his talents have not been made so conspicuous as otherwise they might. On the 16th, I went to Nottingham, and after that took meetings in my way to London, where I came on the 29th; the Lord's power and goodness having eminently attended, to the comfort and edification of many where my lot had been cast. I staid in London till the 17th of the 4th month, 1739, and then went to the Quarterly Meeting at York, which was large and com- fortable. After this I was at a Yearly Meeting for worship at Bingley, in which the truths of the Gospel were largely opened to the peo- ple ; and no other public minister being there I was much spent as to my natural strength, being now of great age. But the Lord was pleased to renew the strength of my mind, through his goodness, and I soon recovered. On the 5th of the 5th month, I went to the Quarterly Meeting at Kendal, which was vol. n. 1739. R 4 368 THE LIFE OF conducted in the peaceable wisdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ ; through whom, to the Father of all our mercies, be dominion and glory, now and for ever. a On the 10th, I went to Sedgwick, to our friend Robert Chambers's ; where I, with ray company, was kindly entertained. The next day we went to a general meeing at Preston ; which was large, and for the most part composed of young people. The Lord blessed us together in his presence ; and many of the young ones were baptized of the Lord, in the purifying flame of Divine love, to their great consolation ; entering thereby into a covenant of light and life with Him, according to his sure promise of old. On the 5th of the 6th month, I was at the meeting at Moorhouse, which was large and very open ; many moral truths being delivered with Divine authority, and thereby sent home to the consciences of several ; who professing the Gospel, were yet ignorant of the law of moral righteousness; and great tenderness came over the hearts of many, especially of the younger sort, most of the meeting being of such. For this day's- refreshment in the Lord the living were thankful unto Him who alone is worthy. a Having finished what was incumbent on me in the country at this time, I set forward for London on the 15th of the 6th month, in THOMAS STORY. 369 company with John Wilson of Kendal, a true friend of mine in the Truth, and of great service in and to the Society of Friends in general, both in the country, and in the Yearly Meetings in London. b That night we lodged at Penrith ; and next morning called at Lowther-hall, to pay our regard to lord Lonsdale ; who as usual, re- ceived us in a friendly and familiar manner ; and as he is a person of good understanding and temper, we had agreeable conversation on divers subjects ; and a people of late appearing in this nation, to which the name of Methodists is given, being now the common subject of con- versation, we had some discourse concerning them, and the points of religion and doctrine which they hold and profess. Their teachers are ministers of the national church of England, for the most part regularly ordained according to that constitution ; but profess to have received the Holy Ghost, not in notion only but in reality and in deed ; and by whose qualifications and immedate assistance they profess to preach. They insist much upon the doctrine and necessity of regeneration; but deny that this work can be effected by the minis- tration of water in any form, or by whomsoever administered; or in any way but by the Spirit of Christ as inwardly made manifest in the heart. VOL. II. r 5 370 THE LIFE OF They preach freely, as is commonly report- ed ; and the national priests, fearing some ill consequences to arise from this people to them- selves, and their power and maintenace, some of them have taken the hint early ; and as their manner is, have begun to hate and persecute them, both as to their profession of the Spirit, and characters as men ; calling, both in their pulpits and print, upon the powers of church and state to suppress them, as a sect, which may in time be dangerous to both : though I hear nothing of any kind of immorality countenanced among them ; but on the contrary much brokenness of heart, and reformation of manners in many of them. 6 . The tree is known by its fruits ; and they that are born' only ' after the flesh, always per- secute them that are' likewise 'born after the Spirit :' but the Lord of life, in his own time will determine all points and declare who is in the right. But this is certain, that no per- secutor on any pretence can be a Christian, while in that state and practice, nor any nation- al persecuting church a Church of Christ, the Lamb of God, and Prince of Peace; for all such are synagogues of satan, and not con- gregations of the Highest, as are all who are gathered of the Father of Spirits into the life, name, nature, and power of his ever blessed Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. TH0MA8 STORY. 371 Being invited to dinner, we staid and were entertained in a plentiful and friendly man- ner; after which we todk leave about three in the afternoon, and that evening got well to Kendal ; where I was kindly received at my usual lodging. On the 17th, I fell in with a week-day's meet- ing at Kendal, where the goodness of the Lord was with us ; and that afternoon was a Meeting for Sufferings, and other business of discipline and concerns of our Society, managed in a social and prudent manner ; the peace of God ruling all. b c I went by way of Lancaster, Preston, Man- chester, &c. to Birmingham. There on first- day the 8th of the 7th month, I was at their meeting forenoon and after. The first was con- siderably large, many Friends belonging to it at that time, and others came in also ; but the latter was much crowded with all sorts, so that many could not get in. The important truths of the Gospel and kingdom of Christ, were clearly opened that day unto them in the wis- dom and authority of it, and they were gene- rally still and attentive. Truth was over all ; and Friends and others seemed at that time all united in one power; so that I hope some good was done among them. On the 11th, I went through a furious storm vol. ii. R 6 372 THE LIFE OF of wind and rain to Coventry, to John Gulson's; and next day was at their week-day meeting ; which consisted for most part of Friends, and generally very young. I said many things to them, pertinent as I thought to their condi- tions ; but many being as the old bottles, and some others not then capable of understanding the doctrines of Truth, the fiowings of Divine Life were not so plentiful as at some other times and places ; yet the good presence of the Lord was sensibly with us ; and that is the sub- stance of all, and ever sufficient for all who love and fear Him. On the 23rd, being first-day, I was at their meeting at High- Wycombe in the forenoon; which consisted for the most part of such as profess the Truth. It was much shut up in the beginning, many of them being such as have come into the profession by education, and know little of the work of Truth in their hearts; yet the Lord mercifully favoured us with his goodness, and the testimony of Truth came over all. The afternoon meeting being put off till the third hour, and notice being given, it was very large ; and He that opens and no man shuts, and who when He shuts no man nor angels can open the mystery of life, opened freely and largely the things of his kingdom, with authority and clearnesses in the brightness THOMAS STORY. 373 of the day of his power, to general satisfaction and consolation, to the solid praise and glory of his own Eternal Name, who is worthy for ever. On the 28th, I arrived in London, and went to my usual quarters, at my dear friend Joseph Green's; where I was received with kindness and respect, as in all former times : and having been preserved in health, and still in a good degree of strength of body and mind, through so long a journey and much bad weather, I was thankful to the Lord, who leadeth out, preserveth through every event, and returneth in safety. c 1740. &tttion ff $£& Leaves London for the north. — Bradford. — Kendal. — Carlisle. — Wigton. — Justice- Town. — Kendal. — Postscript containing a brief sketch of his latter years. I remained in London attending the meetings till the 26th of the 2nd month, 1740, and then returned into the north. d On the 10th of the 3rd month, I went to Bradford, to my good friend Benjamin Bartlet's; where I staid that night. Next day being the first of the week, I was at their meeting ; where the Lord gave me an open door, and the meeting was a comfortable time in his Divine presence and goodness ; and the testimony of Truth was over all in the wisdom and authority of it, to general satisfaction. On the 12th, I went to William Slater's, who with his wife kindly received and plentifully entertained me, though they are not rich in the world, having a large family of children, a small house with many small rooms for entertainment, two cows and a horse, and a little close of land to support them ; and all labouring with their hands in one thing or other, they live plentifully 1740. THE LIFE OF T. STORY. 375 in a decent way, and entertain Friends freely •with the best they have ; which must needs be very acceptable to every honest mind. On the 14th, I went to Kendal, and lodged with ray old landlord, Thomas Ellwood, being entertained there as kindly as ever. On the 16th, I was at their week-day meeting; which was very comfortable, both in time of silence and testimony ; in which the Divine Truth triumphed gloriously. On the 18th, being the first of the week, 1 was there again, both forenoon and after ; where the Lord also favoured us with his Divine pre- sence and goodness, to the satisfaction of ail the living, and to the praise of his own Name ; and Friends were generally very loving and cheerful after these meetings. On the 19th, I went to Carlisle accompanied by my friend Thomas Ellwood, and lodged with our honourable friend the widow Mary Jackson. Soon after my arrival there, came on a Monthly Meeting ; where Truth was glorious in the power and virtue of it, to the stirring up of the drowsy, idle, and careless among us, and to the just reproof and rebuke of the busy- bodies in other mens' matters, neglecting what is properly their own ; and inventors of false accusations and evils against others. Some of the principal things insisted upon, were as 376 THE LIFE OF follows : "' Report, and we will report:' that old corruption is too much rampant and in fashion among you this day. Know ye not the state of those, and what and who they are on the left hand of the judgment scat of Christ, to whom it is said : ' Go ye cursed into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels?' Do you really know who this devil and his angels are, against whom this dreadful sentence is denounced by the Judge, the all-wise and all-knowing Judge of the world, of the living and the dead. The word satan, in the lan- guage in which that part of the Scripture was written, signifieth an adversary ; being pro- perly applicable to that evil thing in mankind, which worketh in their imaginations every evil thought, and brings them forth, as man closeth with them, into evil words and actions ; and as the destruction of souls is thereby effect- ed, he is an adversary unto them, even the great- est they have, though under the false pretences of our friend, to gratify all those evil desires himself is the father of, in our deceived hearts. "And as to that word which is translated devil into our language, it properly signifies a calum- niator and false accuser. He is the inventor of evil, and evil things ; he is the liar, and the father thereof; and when he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of himself; he hath no foundation for THOMAS STORY. 377 what he saith ; and all liars are his children : for though by nature, they are the children of the first Adam in the flesh, yet as to their minds, they are so depraved and debauched by heark- ening to and obeying this evil one, and so united and incorporated with him, that they are one with him, and with the propagators of his works and kingdom in and among the rest of mortals ; not always designing to do so, but under the delusions and deceptions of him who subtilly worketh in them, even often out of their own view. "And as to the angels of this devil, the calum- niator of God and man from the beginning of the world, this word angel signifies a messenger sent by another ; then he who inventeth calum- nies and false reports against others, and they who receive them, spread and carry them about to the dishonour of God and hurt of mankind, as they are become one with that evil one, and one with him in his work and works of evil, he and they have one and the same sentence : * Go ye cursed into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels :' as much as to say, o-o ye workers of iniquity into that exquisite and everlasting punishment due unto you, as the necessary efTect of your own apostacy from all good, and of living in evil. "And I further observe to you, that the word 378 THE LIFE OF fire in the text imports the most tormenting and painful property to flesh and blood, and the most dreadful too, known unto mankind or brute animals, in the whole system of visible or tangible nature." I also stated what the apostle James has written to this effect : " < Let not him who is tempted say he is tempted of God, for God tempteth no man, neither is He himself tempted of evil; but he who is tempted is led aside of his own lusts, and enticed.' And as this apostle maketh no mention of any other devil in this text but our own lusts, let us all be so aware of them, every one in himself, as not to think, or speak, or act according to them, and that evil one, who worketh in them and by them; but through the Divine Eternal Truth, the Holy Spirit of Truth, revealed in us through Christ our Lord, in whom we have believed, let us mortify the deeds of the body ; and then shall we conquer all evil, and subdue every tempta- tion towards it in due time, and live in and unto Him who died for us ; and in the end of all see evil no more : to which I fervently exhort this day." d Thus Friends were exhorted to beware of these great evils, and to do or say nothing inconsistent with true Christian love, which is the law of Divine and endless life in all the faithful and obedient ; and in their conversation THOMAS STOHY. 379 and dealings one with another, and "with all men, to take the counsel of the apostle : * Let love be without dissimulation : love not in word, nor in tongue only, but in deed and in truth.' e Some time after I was again at a Quarterly Meeting at Carlisle ; where the subject matter brought to remembrance in the sense of Truth, was concerning judging one another, and judg- ment ; in which I observed to the auditory "the great error of mankind in advancing them- selves into the seat of judgment one over an- other, and most commonly in things wherein they have no evidence or power, contrary to the doctrine of Christ, and his practice and ex- ample ; whereby in the consequence and nature of things, they detrude Him from his office, and usurp his throne, who said : i Judge not that ye be not judged ; for with what judgment ye judge ye shall be judged, and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured unto you again :' and even where there may be some seeming appearance of evil upon others, we are cautioned against judging without know- ledge or moral certainty. ' Judge not accord- ing to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.' We ought therefore to be very tender and cautious in this point, lest whilst we rashly censure others without adequate 380 THE LIFE OF evidence, we bring upon ourselves the heavy stroke of the righteous judgment of God for our false judgment and censure of the innocent, •whom the Lord hath made and preserved of his own good will and pleasure; for as all have been sinners, though not in the same manner, as such they have no right nor authority to judge one another : for God only, who knows all men, and our various motives to every thought, word, and deed, can judge rightly among us, between the Lord and the soul, and award wages unto all, adequate to every state. " Nevertheless, where any are so unhappy as to commit evil of any kind, and are justly ac- cused of it in a regular manner before proper judges, then they ought not to deny their faults, but freely to confess them to others, that the offences thereby given to particulars and the general may be passed by, and the penitent kindly restored; for conviction is by judgment, that repentance and amendment may engage the healing application of forgiveness and mercy. "I also observed the conduct of Christ in the case of the poor woman taken in adultery ; her accusers were all sinners, though perhaps not in the like thing, and therefore had no power or right to censure her : and besides, they had an evil design in it against the Lord himself with respect to the law of Moses, by which though in THOMAS STORY. 381 a mobbish and tumultuous manner, they pretend- ed to judge: but the Lord who knew them well, and their evil design, put them all to silence by bringing their own sins into remembrance, so that they slunk away ashamed in themselves as guilty sinners, though so lately before they had triumphed over her whose sin was open ; while their own was secret unto other men, but known to Him by whom God created the worlds, and by whom He judgeth the thoughts, words, and actions of men; and this great and notable example was not to encourage the evil ; for though Christ did not condemn her, not being judge according to the constitution of their law ; but, as the Messiah of God unto that people, gave her a merciful deliverance and exhor- tation, yet it was with saying : ' Go thy way, sin no more.' "And these are not the only instances whereby we are taught to be very cautious how we censure one another, for Christ saith of Himself as man: 'I judge no man; but the word which I have spoken, the same shall judge him at the last day.' Again, saith the apostle : * I judge no man, no not even my own self.' Seeing therefore that Christ himself, though the Son of God too, as He is man judgeth not with- out the Father ; and that apostle, who referred himself also to the judgment of God, as only 3S2 THE LIFE OF righteous and good, did not assume judgment and the seat of it over mankind, till given of the Father in his own proper time: who then art thou, O bold, arrogant, hardened, and presumptu- ous sinner ! who exaltest thyself into that dignity and office, which none hath right to, but whom- soever the Lord himself will call, qualify, and advance? which are not pharisees, self-pro- moters, the proud, high-minded, and unrighte- ous ; but such as being redeemed through grace from all iniquity, He hath appointed for judges in Trnth, over such as sin against the righteous rules of society and moral truth, and are justly convicted by moral evidence: but secret things belong unto God only, who knows the secrets of all hearts to perfection, and none else ever did or can ; and therefore the Lord alone hath that prerogative and right." e I was at some other meetings in these parts as Scotby, the Moorhouse, the Border, and Wigton; in all which the Truth triumphed gloriously, especially in the last mentioned meet- ing ; and that day, and the testimony of Truth will not soon be forgotten among them : many strangers of the town also came, whom Friends had invited. I was likewise in the country occasionally ; for as the estate at Justice-Town, which had been my father's inheritance, was providentially THOMAS STORY. 383 fallen into my hands, and the small buildings much decayed, especially by the severity of the extraordinary frost of last winter, by which many of the walls were shaken, I thought it not equal to receive rents for the premises without proper habitations for the tenants, and therefore was willing to repair them, and erect others where necessary. In order to make pre- paration for such a work, I staid till the 15th of the 6th month, when, accompanied by my friend Thomas Ellwood, whom I met with at Carlisle; I went to Kendal, and was at their meetings on the first-day of the week: the meeting in the forenoon was very open and comfortable, the Lord blessing us with a good degree of his presence; but that we might sensibly experience, that in the Lord alone are all our fresh springs, as from an ocean of all fullness ; and that we must not depend on what has been, but on that which is present, in hum- ble submission to his will and time; the meet- ing was heavy and lifeless a long time in the afternoon ; yet the Lord showed mercy towards the end, and that wholesome exhortation of the apostle was brought to my remembrance, in some degree of the same life in which it was written : * " « I beseech you brethren, that you * Rom. xii. 1. 384 THE LIFE Of present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God which is your reasonable service.' The body being of the earth, is of itself dead and inactive ; but as it is in vital union with the mind, which is of a different nature, it is moved thereby, in things within its reach, and yet can act nothing acceptable unto God, but as quickened and strengthened by the influence of the Holy Spirit of Christ, the Mediator in all acts of worship ; and there- fore we must wait for Him at all times, in passive silence of mind, to be rightly fitted under an exercise of faith and hope towards God ; and the Lord appeareth in his own time, when the creature seeth its want, and that there is no help but in the Lord alone : then He ariseth as the brightness of the morning, and thereby disperseth the fogs of the night. And since the last enemy that is to be destroyed is death, how is it likely that enemy should be overcome by such, who in times of worship are overcome, from time to time, by his image ? I speak as unto wise men, judge ye what I say ; and be sincere and vigilant, that the Lord may bless you in all your meetings with his living presence, and preserve you all alive unto Himself, to his glory." On the 18th, I went forward to Settle, and afterwards took some meetings in my way to THOMAS STORY. 385 London, and arrived there on the 1st of the 7th month, accompanied by several Friends from Hertford, and others from London who met us half way. I went to my usual lodging, where I was as well received as ever; though at that time it was truly a house of mourning; for my kind and good landlord Joseph Green, a man of sincerity and truth, and his eldest son, a youth of about nineteen years of age, had been lately buried, dying within a few hours one of another, and left one of the most mournful widows and mothers I have ever observed; for they loved each other most tenderly, after having been married about twenty years : and having three other younger children, the whole care of them fell upon her, with the weight of all their affairs and business in the world, which was very considerable. And the concern which fell upon me in Cumberland, when I heard of this stroke of Providence, had hastened me to London much sooner than otherwise I in- tended ; if peradventure I might be serviceable in any way, to the widow and children. P. S. The author's account breaks off here, which seems rather an abrupt period ; and as the editors have not been able to discover any VOL. II. s 386 THE LTFE OP further prosecution of the work among his pa- pers, they apprehend it may not be amiss to add : That he continued in London some part of the ensuing winter, where he was seized with a paralytic disorder, which affected him to such a degree, as deprived him very much of his speech, and confined him within doors till the return of the spring, when he regained a little strength, and got out to meetings ; but was not so far recovered as to be able to hold a discourse long ; his memory being also greatly impaired by the disorder : nevertheless he con- tinued sweet in spirit, and cheerful among his friends, whom he was always glad to see and be in company with. He likewise diligently attended the Yearly Meeting in London, 1741 ; though he spoke not much in it. Before the end of the summer he was so much better, that he travelled down to Carlisle, to look after his affairs in the north, which required his attendance; for having a design to build a house at Justice-Town, he provided materials, and frequently overlooked the workmen; indeed his health and faculties were so well restored, as that he many times appeared in public in the meetings, greatly to the satisfaction of Friends. Thus he continued without much alteration till the 23rd of the 4th month following, 1742, THOMAS STOItY. 387 when in the evening he suffered a fresh attack of his disorder, which seized him with great violence ; and the next morning between two and three o'clock, he departed this life, in per- fect peace, there is great reason to believe, with God and mankind. Two days after, his corpse was interred in the burial ground at Carlisle, being attended by a great number of Friends from several parts of the country, and also by divers people in the neighbourhood, who seemed deeply affected with the loss of a man so valuable and useful to his country, in several stations of life. FINIS. See 0\ i.,. W. Alexander and Co. Printers, C'a9tlegatc, York. PUBLISHED BY W. ALEXANDER & Co. YORK. MEMOIRS OF GEORGE WHITEHEAD; BEING THE SUBSTANCE OF " 1$fe CCfirtsttan progress ; " WITH AN APPENDIX, CONTAINING A SELECTION FROM nlS OTHER WORKS. ALSO INTRODUCTORY OBSERVATIONS. By SAMUEL TTJKE. IN TWO VOLUMES; — I-RlfE 7 s - 6^' From the great length of time during which this individual was engaged in active service, the history of his Life is very much a History of the' Society for Seventy Years. JOURNAL OF THE LIFE, TRAVELS, AND LABOURS IN THE