approach the verge of Antinomianism, through an honest desire to resist the self-righteous reliance placed by the proud and pharisaical on their own deservings; conceiving any mention of works in the matter of salvation, to be a dishonour to the merits of the Saviour. But surely such persons will do well to deliver their sentiments in an extremely guarded manner; lest they break down the barriers of moral obligation, stifle the voice of conscience, teach the sinner to reconcile a bold and deceitful sense of security, and hope of divine favour, with a hardened continuance in his iniquities; and render Christians forgetful of the important truth, that Christ Jesus gave his life in order to purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

XXIII. Another family of enthusiasts were the MUGGLETONIANS, or followers of a pair of tailors, Muggleton and Reeves, who conceiving a fancy to exchange the shop for the sounding board, gave themselves out as the last witnesses mentioned in the book of Revelations. These two REMNANTS of testimony and portions of a preacher disapproved of every species of ministry, saving of course their own, and denied the existence of the prince of darkness. It seems evident from this sample of their important annunciations to the world, that they would have acted more prudently in continuing to drive a thread through the eye of a needle,

than in attempting to lead the way to the kingdom of heaven.

"

As the Muggletonians thus denied the existence of a devil, the great minister of future punishment, the Hattemists were resolved to rise to no less exalted a flight, by declaring that there was nothing, in fact, to be punished. They de nied the corruption of human nature, and the distinction betwixt moral good and evil; and hence inferred that men were under no manner of obligation to amend their lives and obey the divine commandments. God, they thought, did not punish men for their sins, but BY their sins; and therefore the sum of Christianity consisted in suf fering all the evils of life with a permanent tran quillity of mind. These, with several other ephe meral sects, not worthy of notice, sported their short hour in the days of the Protectorate. As there is not now a Muggletonian or a Hattemist left in England, we may disdain to war with the shades of these inglorious antagonists. To deny the existence of punishment in the world to come, or to exclude moral obligation from a religious creed, is most comfortable doctrine for a congre, gation of profligates; but all such comfortable doctrine should be suspected on account of its comfortableness. To deny is not to disprove; and if those who act up to the principles of Messieurs Muggleton and Hattem should chance,

after all, to be mistaken, it happens somewhat un❤ fortunately that they will open their eyes upon the truth, when it will be too late to have made the discovery.

XXIV. When the tailors Muggleton and Reeves thus failed in their attempts to put a new patch upon a garment which required it not, a far more honourable destiny awaited the preaching of a shoemaker of Nottingham, who, about the same time, forsook his awk to teach a new form of religion.

This man, George Fox, A. D. 1650, instituted the sect denominated Quakers. In narrating their own history, they state, that in the beginning of the 17th century, many persons conceived the recent settlement of the church, under Queen Eliza beth, to be imperfect, and even the dissenters to have retained many formalities and observances contrary to a true reformation, and to a pure and spiritual worship. Hence the more enlightened, withdrawing themselves from public communion with all such ill-regenerated societies, wrapped themselves up in contemplation, and sought the Lord in the shades of retirement. Emi nent in this class was that honourable elder Fox, who having been himself quickened by the immediate touches of divine love, directed his brethren where they might find the like consolation. But though Fox refused communion with

1

other religious societies, he frequently, with violent zeal, intruded himself into their meetings, with the view of inveighing against their abominations. If by such intemperance he seemed to invite and court persecution, it must be owned that the spirit of the times did not suffer him to be disappointed. Every man's hand was lifted up against him; and even the Protector, so indulgent to all other persuasions, was no protector of the Quakers. Fox, during his itinerant labours, publicly opposed a preacher who had asserted that the more sure word of prophecy, mentioned 2 Peter, i. 19, was none other than the Scriptures ; while his opponent maintained it to be the inward teaching of the Spirit. For this outrage he was cast into prison at Nottingham, and being brought, in the following year, before two justices in Derbyshire, he desired them, with an audacious contempt of court, to tremble at the word of the Lord: on which one of them, Gervas Bennett, termed his party. Quakers *.

* Fox was a deluded fanatic, wandering from county to Bounty, spending whole days in the hollow of a tree, and ima gining himself gifted with prophecy and the power of working miracles. Clarkson, in his Portraiture, denies the story of the leathern doublet; and Ellwood, the Quaker, says, "Fox was deep in divine knowledge, powerful in prayer, sound in judgment, &c." All sensible men, however, consider him as a melancholy fanatic. Fox declared he was forbidden by

↑ See Christian Observer, 1813, Review of Tuke's Faith of the Quakers.

They themselves, however, alleging the primitive example of 3 John, 14, have adopted the title of

God to take off his hat to men. About 1649, many visionaries imitated him; and women, glad to embrace a religion which permitted them to harangue, entered what they called steeple-houses, during the time of service, and jealously decried the teaching of ment. To be agitated by convulsive motions, was common to all these visionaries; but the name of Quaker would now be ill applied to their successors, who are all immoveable as a gallery of statues.. It is not surprising, that even a tolerant government should formerly have regarded them as disturbing the peace of the country, and on that account deserving of being watched and restrained; for they every where termed ministers hirelings, false prophets, deceivers of the people; they interrupted the public service; they declared against places of worship, and the observance of the Sabbath; they appeared in habits covered with allegorical representations of some impending calamity. In instruction they rested little on the grand doctrines of original sin and redemption; but turned the attention of men to a Christ within them, who seemed to preclude the acknowledgment of a Redeemer without. In 1654, the first meeting of the Friends, in London, was held at a private house in Watling Street; they afterwards assembled at the Bull and Mouth Inn.

About this time, whatever Mr. Clarkson may affirm to the contrary, a female Friend appeared naked in Whitehall Chapel; and a person with a drawn sword, pretending a commission, wounded several members of Parliament. Mr. Hume, however, for the sake of stage effect, has given a very false representation of the story of James Naylor. This enthusiast had been an officer in Lambert's troop, an admired

+ See Coote's Mosheim, vol. v. p. 467; More's Mystery of Godliness, b. x. ch. 13.

Mosheim, vol. v. p. 470.