*Mosheim, vol. iii. p. 275. † Broughton, vol, i. p. 427. They were people of all ages and sexes without distinction, though the greatest part of them were boys and girls from six or seven to twenty-five years of age.

while been under agitations of sage was, (and they were to

body they began to prophesy. The burden of their prophecies was, Amend your lives, repent ye; the end of all things draws nigh! The hills rebounded with their loud cries for mercy, and with imprecations against the priests, the church, the pope, and against the anti-christian dominion, with predictions of the approaching fall of popery. All they said at these times was heard and received with reverence and awe.

proclaim it as heralds to the jews, and every nation under heaven, beginning at England) that the grand jubilee, the acceptable year of the Lord, the accomplishment of those numerous scriptures concerning the new heavens, and the new earth, the kingdom of the Messiah, the marriage of the Lamb, the first resurrection, or the new Jerusalem descending from above, were now even at the door-that this great operation was to be wrought on In the year 1706, three or the part of man by spiritual four of these prophets came arms only, proceeding from over into England, and brought the mouths of those who their prophetic spirit along should by inspiration, or the with them, which discovered mighty gift of the Spirit, be itself in the same ways and sent forth in great numbers manners; by extacies, and to labour in the vineyard-agitations, and inspirations that this mission of his serunder them, as it had done in France and they propagated the like spirit to others, so that before the year was out, there were two or three hundred of these prophets in and about London, of both sexes, of all ages; men, women, and children and they had delivered under inspiration four or five hundred prophetic warnings.

:

The great thing they pretended by their spirit was, to give warning of the near approach of the kingdom of God, the happy times of the church, the millenium state. Their mes

vants should be witnessed to by signs and wonders from heaven, by a deluge of judgments on the wicked universally throughout the world; as famine, pestilence, earthquakes, &c.—that the exterminating angels shall root out the tares, and there shall remain upon earth only good corn; and the works of men being thrown down, there shall be but one Lord, one faith, one heart, and one voice, among mankind. They declared that all the great things they spoke of would be manifest over the whole earth

years.

within the term of three ble at the word of the Lord. Whatever was the origin of the name, it became their usual denomination, though they themselves adopted the appellation of Friends.

From their first appearance

These prophets also pretended to the gift of languages, of discerning the secrets of the heart, the gift of ministra tion of the same spirit to others by the laying on of they suffered much persecuhands, and the gift of healing. tion. In New England they To prove they were really were treated with peculiar inspired by the holy Ghost, severity. The treatment which they alleged the complete joy they as a body received, they and satisfaction they expe- consider, and so we apprerienced, the spirit of prayer hend must every true friend which was poured forth upon to liberty of conscience, as them, and the answer of their anti-christian and cruel. prayers by God.*

During the persecutions which they met with in New England they applied to King Charles the second for relief, who granted a mandamus, dated Sep. 9. 1661, to put a stop to them. Neither were the good offices of this prince in their favour confined to the colonies; for in 1672 he released under the great seal four hundred of these suffering people, who were imprisoned in Great Britain.

FRIENDS, or QUAKERS, a religious society which began to be distinguished about the middle of the seventeenth century. The doctrines peculiar to this society were first promulgated by George Fox, in England, about the year 1647, for which he was imprisoned at Nottingham, in the year 1649, and the year following at Derby. The appellation of Quakers was given them by way of contempt: To what has been alleged some say on account of the against them on account of tremblings under the impres- James Nayler, they answer, sion of divine things which ap- that the extravagancies and peared in their public assem- blasphemies of him and his blies; but they themselves say associates were disapproved at it was first given them by one the time, and the parties disof the magistrates who come owned; nor was he restored mitted George Fox to prison, till he had given signs of a on account of his bidding him sincere repentance, and puband those about him to trem-, licly condemned his errors. * Chauncey's Works, vol. iii. pp. 2–39.

In 1681 Charles the second granted to W. Penn the province of Pennsylvania. Penn's treaty with the Indians, and the liberty of conscience which he granted to all denominations, even those which had persecuted his own, do honour to his memory.

In the reign of James the second the Friends, in common with other English dissenters, were relieved by the suspension of the penal laws. But it was not till the reign of William and Mary that they obtained any thing like a proper legal protection.

An Act was made in the year 1696 which, with a few exceptions, allowed to their affirmation the legal force of an oath, and provided a less oppressive mode for recovering tythes under a certain amount; which provisions under the reign of George the first were made perpetual. For refusing to pay tythes, &c. however, they are still liable to suffer in the exchequer and ecclesiastical court, both in Great Britain and Ireland.

on this subject, we shall give the reader an account which has been drawn up by one of themselves, and nearly in the words of their own writers.

1. On God. They believe that God is one, and there is none other beside him; and that this one God is Father, Son, and holy Ghost,* as in Matt. xxviii. 19.—-To the assertion that "the Quakers deny the trinity," William Penn answers, "Nothing less: they do believe in the holy Three, or the trinity of Father, Word, and Spirit, according to the scripture; but they are very tender of quitting scripture terms and phrases for schoolmen's; such as distinct and separate persons and subsistences, &c., from whence people are apt to entertain gross ideas and notions of the Father, Son, and holy Ghost: and they judge that a curious enquiry into those high and divine relations, though never so great truths in themselves, tend little to godliness, and less to peace."

2. On Christ. They believe that Christ is both God and Man in wonderful union; not a God by creation or office, as some hold; nor Man by the assumption of a human body ouly, without a reasonable soul, as others suppose; nor that the manhood was swallowed up of the Godhead, as * Claridge.

The doctrines of the society of Friends have been variously represented. Mr. John Evans, in his sketch of denominations, has been thought to have taken pains to prove them favour able to Socinianism. Without entering into any controversy