ART. I.-A Chronological Summary of events and circumstances connected with the origin and progress of the doctrine and practices of the Quakers.

Continued from p. 351.

A. D. Retrospect of the Society for the past half-century.

1700.

I have now brought this Summary to the conclusion of the Seventeenth Century, the middle of which gave origin to the people of which it treats. In that space of time, we have seen a shepherd-boy, the child of obscure but honest and godly parents, drawn forth and travelling extensively, under a most firm inward persuasion of duty, to preach and teach, and give to the people, (many thousands of whom were evidently prepared to receive his testimony,) a new and more practical interpretation of the doctrine of Christ.

That which too many were making merchandize of, and which the generality of preachers exhibited as a set of notions to be learned exclusively from THEM (which, in effect, they kept people always learning) he was chiefly solicitous they should learn for themselves, of the chief shepherd CHRIST; the life of the redeemed, and light of men. (a) He set forth his matter in great simplicity, sometimes with the Bible in his hand, always with the power and energy of truth; and then usually departed, recommending the people to their free teacher Christ Jesus; taking care however, to shew them where and how he was to be found.

VOL. III.

(a) John i, 4: 1 John i, 1–7.

2 z

His ministry referred them, necessarily and constantly, to Scripture as in use at that time. There were found moreover in many places such as, having already learned in the school of Christ, were prepared (and now soon moved, as he had been) to tell to others what God had done for their souls: inviting them, again, to the infallible teacher, the Spirit of truth in themselves. When these had found each other out, and come together in society (standing as they did on the ground of inward experience, and neglecting ordinances and ceremonies) they had little to differ about among themselves. A fellowship in suffering, as well as in a religious enjoyment of the goodness of God, united them closely together as a body; and they had only to care for the poor, the deprived and destitute by spoil, the sick and those in prison—a work in itself delightful to the well disposed; however sharp the trial which threatened to bring each of them, in his turn, to the want of whatsoever he was thus called to bestow on others.

That none should be found, among considerable numbers of such persons, whose zeal might out-run prudence and even charity, provoking, by rude aggressions on the ceremonial ministry and formal worships of the age, an opposition which Interest alone would have sufficed to excite, is more than any man acquainted with human nature, and conversant with Ecclesiastical history, can pretend to expect.

They were in many instances (I conclude) providentially left subject to impressions on their minds, taking hold of the conscience as matter of duty, from Spirits really opposed to the Doctrine they professed and taught; and desirous, through such provocations in the spirit, to find occasion to put them down: but the things done under these conscientious feelings, they plainly did as unto God, the Judge of all: the acts in question were for the most part morally innocent: the offence was commonly against a teacher and a congregation, whose Christian profession certainly obliged them to any thing, rather than the treatment bestowed on the persons who came thus before them. It was (let us grant) indecent in some of these persons, to behave as they did. There was much of this coarseness in the manners of the age: but the Gospel would have taught patience and forbearance towards them; that they might be admonished in Charity, and rightly informed of the duty of order and submission, and reasoned with in order to their reformation. The matter delivered, however,-what was it? Alas! too often a much needed prophetical warning, or a close expostulation with the Profes sors of the age; or a strong and bold reproof of a known evil minister. In any case, should not the thing spoken have been weighed, on Christian and charitable principles, before the speaker was violently assailed with fists, and staves and bibles, and cast into prison ?

Meetings being at length settled, and the spirits of the prophets thus subjected to the prophets, in a Discipline which has not been excelled by the Institutions of any people, the members of the new Society began to be protected against sudden impulses, and preserved from hasty movements, by the unity of the body: and teaching and preaching now proceeded in a more orderly way. But the secret purpose, as we may reasonably conclude, of Almighty God, to confound

the wisdom of the wise and frustrate the opposition of the powerful, by the acts and declarations of unlettered and despised witnesses, had been accomplished :—the light was set on the candlestick once more; and the many began to see for themselves. In the whole course of the struggle which ensued on their appearance, with a proud Hierarchy backed by the entire Civil power of the country-whether we regard their courage in facing opposition and publishing the truth, or their meek yet firm conduct in Courts of Justice (brow-beaten and threatened as they were by their Judges)-or their patience and constancy in suffering in the Jails, the lazars and pest-houses of the land-or their encounter with the last enemy that Christ subdues for us, with death itself; whether inflicted at once by cruelty, or brought on by lingering disease—in whatsoever light we behold them, we must admit that they were God's witnesses in their day, against the great evil of Ecclesiastical usurpation and exaction-that they filled up their testimony, not loving their lives, unto the death-that they fought their Country's battle, and in it vanquished one of the prime enemies of its peace! By faith, then, they endured as seeing Him who is invisible, and forsook Egypt (the land of Spiritual bondage and Ecclesiastical intolerance) not fearing the wrath of the King. Heb. xi, 27, 39, 40-The good report' which they, too, obtained through faith,' constitutes by far the most agreeable part of my subject.

A. D. The Government at home, through the Proprietary, endeavour1701. ing to lay a War-tax on the Pennsylvanians, the Assembly of the province refuse it.

In the course of the preceding year and a half, Governor Penn had met different Assemblies, and passed a body of laws; (b) the public business being transacted (so far) with much harmony, and to general satisfaction. In the beginning of the Sixth Month (Aug.) this year, having called an Assembly, he laid before them the King's letter requiring Three hundred and fifty pounds sterling, towards the fortifications intended on the frontiers of New York. They replied by the following Address, viz.

"To William Penn, Proprietary and Governor of Pennsylvania :

"The humble address of the Assembly.

"May it please our Proprietary and Governor:

"We the Freemen of the province and territories, in Assembly met, having perused the King's letter, requiring a contribution of three hundred and fifty pounds sterling, towards erecting of forts on the frontiers of New York, &c and having duly weighed and considered our duty and loyalty to our Sovereign, do humbly address and represent, that, by the reason of the infancy of this colony, and the great charge and cost the inhabitants have hitherto been at, in the settlement thereof, and because of the late great sums of money, which have been assessed on the province and terrritories, by way of impost and taxes, besides the arrears of quit-rents owing by the people, our present capacity will hardly admit of levying of money, at this time. And further, taking into consideration, that the adjacent provinces have hitherto (as far as we can understand) done nothing in this matter; we are, therefore humbly of opinion, and accordingly move, that the further consideration of the King's letter may be referred to another meeting of

(b) "The number of laws passed by the Proprietary during his stay this time in the country was one hundred." Proud i, 424. Note.

Assembly, or until more emergent occasions shall require our further proceedings therein In the meantime we earnestly desire the Proprietary would candidly represent our condition to the King, and assure him of our readiness (according to our abilities) to acquiesce with, and answer, his commands, so far as our religious persuasions shall permit, as becomes loyal and faithful subjects to do." The historian of Pennsylvania clearly attributes this measure to the enemies of the Province at the Court of William III. It was a part of the series of despicable vexations, which this too good man and too great Legislator (for a public character in that age) had to endure from the spirits around him: and he seems to have found it necessary, for the preservation of the Government of the province in his own person and family, so far to enter into the measures of the Court as to propose it; though at the cost of the humiliation of repeated refusals. Proud very properly remarks here: "The cultivation of peace and civilization, and of the articles of trade and commerce, in which the Quakers were known to excel, must be acknowledged to be no less important and necessary, to render a state happy and prosperous, than weapons of war, and fighting of battles; and these people were then, and have since been still more known, from experience, to practise, as well as profess, those ways and means which excel the latter, so far as the prevention of an evil does the cure of it.

"Moreover, since it is improbable, that people of this kind will ever be very numerous, if we judge of the future by what is past; but that war, and its consequences, will be more likely to prevail among the generality of mankind, so long as the cause of it exists in the human race; so the rarity of such people, their innocence, and known great utility in other respects seem, according to reason, to render them rather objects of encouragement, in their own way, than of oppression, even from the military department itself: but more especially so, where peace is preferred to war :- But, if it should be otherwise, and they should so increase as much to prevail among mankind, then the occasion for war would consequently so much decrease, or be taken away; which would be a happy change indeed."

1701.

Treaty of alliance and commerce, between William Penn Proprietary and Governor of Pennsylvania, in Council, and certain Chiefs representing the Susquehanna, Shawanese, Onondago and Potomack Indians.

This is (if not the most considerable public meeting and conference) the only Treaty of William Penn with the Indian natives, of which the particulars are given by the Historians of his time. As to the Meeting under the great elm-tree at Shackamaxon, though a splendid subject for West's Historic pencil, and for the praises of Voltaire and Raynal, I have nothing to refer my Reader to respecting it, save what he will find of an original character in Clarkson (c) and the following short notice from my present author, under the date of 1682.

"The Proprietary, being now returned from Maryland to Coaquannock, the place so called by the Indians, where Philadelphia now stands, began to purchase lands of the Natives; whom he treated with great justice and sincere kindness,

(c) Life of Penn i, 337—345.

in all his dealings and communications with them; ever giving them full satisfaction for all their lands, &c. and the best advice for their real happiness; of which their future conduct shewed they were very sensible; and the country afterwards reaped the benefit of it.

"It was at this time (1682) when he first entered personally into that lasting friendship with the Indians, which ever afterwards continued between them; and for the space of more than seventy years was never interrupted; or, so long as the Quakers, to whom, even long after his death, they always continued to shew the greatest regard, retained power in the government, sufficient to influence a friendly and just conduct towards them, and to prevent, or redress, such misunderstandings and grievances, as occasionally happened between them and any of the inhabitants of the province, &c. A firm peace was therefore, now, reciprocally concluded between William Penn and the Indians; and both parties mutually promised to live together as brethren, without doing the least injury to each other. This was solemnly ratified by the usual token of a chain of friendship and covenant indelible, never to be broken so long as the sun and moon endure. "Of this kind of conference he afterwards had many others, and some on a religious account, during both times of his residence in the country. His conduct, in general, to these people, was so engaging, his justice, in particular, so conspicuous, and the counsel and advice, which he gave them, were so evidently for their advantage, that he became thereby very much endeared to them; and the sense thereof made such deep impressions on their understandings, that his name and memory will scarcely ever be effaced, while they continue a people." The present Treaty, with the (to us) almost unpronounceable names connected with it, are found in Proud's History, as follows:

"In the Second-month, 1701, Connoodaghtoh, king of the Susquahanna, Minquays or Conestogo Indians; Wopaththa (alias Opessah) king of the Shawanese; Weewhinjough, chief of the Ganawese, inhabiting of the head of the Potomack; also Ahookassongh, brother to the Emperor (or great king of the Onondagoes) of the Five Nations, having arrived at Philadelphia, with other Indians of note, &c. in number about forty, after a treaty, and several speeches between them and William Penn, in Council, the following articles of agreement were solemnly made, concluded, and the instrument for the same duly executed by both parties, viz.

"Articles of Agreement, indented, made, concluded and agreed upon, at Philadelphia, the 23rd day of the Second-month, called April, 1701, between William Penn, Proprietary and Governor of the Province of Pennsylvania, and territories thereunto belonging, on the one part, and Conoodaghtoh, king of the Indians inhabiting upon and about the river Susquahanna, in the said province, and Widaagh (alias Orettyagh ;) Koqueash and Andaggy, Junckquagh, chiefs of the said nations of Indians; and Wopaththa, king, and Lemoytungh and Pemoyajoaagh, chiefs of the nations of the Shawanna Indians; and Ahookassongh, brother to the emperor, for and in behalf of the emperor; and Weewhinjough, Chequittayh, Takyewsan and Woapraskoa, chiefs of the nations of the Indians, inhabiting in and about the northern part of the river Potomack, in the said province, for and in behalf of themselves and successors, and their several nations and people, on the other part, as followeth :

"That, as hitherto there hath always been a good understanding and neighbourhood between the said William Penn, and his Lieutenants, since his first arrival in the said province, and the several nations of Indians, inhabiting in and about the same, so there shall be, for ever hereafter, a firm and lasting peace continued between William Penn, his heirs and successors, and all the English, and other Christian inhabitants of the said province, and the said kings and chiefs, and their successors, and all the several people of the nations of Indians aforesaid; and that they shall, for ever hereafter, be as one head and one heart, and live in true friendship and amity, as one people.