first, a fight of fin; fecondly, a fenfe and godly forrow for fin; thirdly, an amendment for the time to come. This was the repentance, they preached and preffed, and a natural refult from the principle, they turned all people to. For of light came fight; and of fight came fenfe and forrow; and of fenfe and forrow came amendment of life. Which doctrine of repentance leads to justification; that is, forgiveness of fins, that are past, through Christ, the alone propitiation and the fanctification or purgation of the foul, from the defiling nature and habits of fin present, by the spirit of Christ in the foul; which is justification, in the complete sense of the word, comprehending both juftification from the guilt of the fins that are paft, as if they never had been committed, through the love and mercy of God in Chrift Jefus; and the creatures being made inwardly just, through the cleanfing and fanctifying power and fpirit of Chrift revealed in the foul, which is commonly called fanclification: But that none can come to know Chrift to be their facrifice, that reject him as their fanctifier; the end of his coming being to fave his people from the nature and defilement, as well as guilt, of fin; and that, therefore, thofe that refift his light and spirit, make his coming and offering of none effect to them.

"From hence sprang a fecond doctrine, they were led to declare, as the mark of the prize of the high calling, to all true Christians, viz. perfection Perfection from fin, according to the fcriptures of truth; which from fin. teftify it to be the end of Chrift's coming, and the nature of his kingdom; and for which his fpirit was, and is given, viz. to be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect; and holy, becaufe God is holy. And this the apoftles laboured for; that the Chrif tians fhould be fanctified throughout, in body, foul and Spirit." But they never held a perfection in wif dom and glory in this life, or from natural infirmities,

or

Eternal re

punish

ments.

or death; as fome have, with a weak, or ill mind, imagined, or infinuated against them.

"This they called a redeemed ftate, regeneration, or the new birth: teaching every where, according to their foundation, that without this work were known, there was no inheriting the kingdom of God.

*

"Thirdly, This leads to an acknowledgment of wards and eternal rewards and punishments, as they have good reason; for else, of all people, certainly they must be the most miferable; who, for above forty years, have been exceeding great fufferers, for their profeffion, and in fome cafes, treated worse than the worst of men; yea, as the refuse and off-fcouring of all things.

"This was. the purport of their doctrine and ministry; which, for the most part, is what other profeffors of Christianity pretend to hold, in words and forms, but not in the power of godlinefs; which, generally fpeaking has been long loft, by men's departing from that principle and feed of life, that is in man; and which man has not regarded, but loft the fenfe of; and in, and by which only, he can be quickened in his mind, to ferve the living God, in newness of life. For as the life of religion was loft, and the generality lived and worshipped God, after their own wills, and not after the will of God, nor the mind of Chrift, which flood in the works, and fruits of the holy Spirit; fo that which they preffed was not notion, but experience; not formality, but Godliness; as being fenfible in themselves, through the work of God's righteous judgments, that, without holiness, no man shall see the Lord with comfort."

Having thus far mentioned the manner of the first rise of this people, with their prime, or fundamental principle, and fome of their chief doc

* W. P. writ this about the year 1694.

trines,

trines, cuf

trines, arifing from it, in the next place, follows of their an account of that order, and discipline, with divers other doccustoms, more peculiar to themselves, than to toms and others, into which as a reformed fociety, by the difcipline. fame principle they profeffed themselves to be led and brought; and of that innocent, exemplary and uniform life and conduct, for which, confiftent therewith, they are faid to have been very remarkable among all forts of people, to whom they were known, in early time.

Of these customs, doctrines and practices, or manners, for which they were, and ftill are, more particularly distinguishable, I fhall firft obferve, that though fome of them may probably appear fingular, or trivial to strangers, and to thofe who are not fufficiently acquainted with the moderation and fincerity of this people, yet, as they profess them to arise from this fundamental and univerfal principle, held by them, as before mentioned; from which all the virtues spring, and every practice is more or lefs important, and not from any whimsical, or selfish humour, or defire to appear fingular, fo, in this light, if it be granted as reafonable, a contrariety of conduct will rather appear, and ought to be accounted, fingular, ftrange or out of the way;feeing, it is very plain, their adverfaries themselves, in placing fo much stress, as they have done, on the practice of the contrary, in the view of this people, indefenfible, have rendered fome of these apparently infignificant things of much greater importance than they would otherwife have been; I fhall therefore, in this abftract, arrange them under certain following heads, referring to their own writings, for their reasons and probations of their use and practice, viz.

1. Their juftice, veracity and true christian fortitude.

2. Their temperance and moderation.

3. Their charity, and loving one another.

I.

Their dif

pliments,

&c.

1. Under the first of these heads it is not iny intention to fpecify every particular, which may properly come under it, in refpect to the just and due appropriation of the true and proper attributes and rights, of God and man refpectively; but as their sense of justice and propriety, in these refpects, went confiderably higher, and led them further, in their practice, than that of other people, I fhall, therefore, only mention those things, for which they were particularly distinguished from them, viz.

First, Their difufe of vain compliments, and ufe of com- flattering titles, bowing, kneeling, and uncovering the head to mankind; and their using the fingular language, thou and thee, to a single perfon, in difcourfe, according to the true form of speech; though fo contrary to the general practice of people in common; believing all tokens of adoration and worship belong to God only; and that plain, but civil language, and true fpeeches are most becoming the profeffors and followers of truth. Refpecting thefe and other things of that nature, R. Barclay obferves;-" I would not have any judge, that hereby we intend to deftroy the mutual relation that either is betwixt prince and people, mafter and fervant, parents and children; nay, not at all; we shall evidence that our principle in these things, hath no fuch tendency, and that these natural relations are rather better established, than They do any ways hurt by it."-" Thus (fays W. Penn) not not respect to respect perfons, was, and is another of their doctrines and practices; for which they were often buffeted and abufed. They affirmed it to be finful, to give flattering titles, or to ufe vain gestures and compliments of refpect; though to virtue and authority they ever made a difference; but after their plain and homely manner, yet fincere and subftantial way; well remembering the good examples of Mordecai and Elihu, but more especially the command of their lord and mafter, Jefus Chrift;

perfons.

Chrift; who forbade his followers to call men, Rabbi, which implies Lord or Master; alfo the fashionable greetings and falutations of those times; that fo felf love and honor, to which the proud mind of man is incident in his fallen ftate, might not be indulged, but rebuked. And though this rendered their converfation difagreeable; yet they that will remember what Chrift faid to the Jews, "How can you believe me, who receive honor one from another," will abate of their refentment, if his doctrine has any credit with them."

e

thou and

fon.

They also used the plain language of thou They fpcak and thee to a fingle perfon, whatsoever was his de- the plain gree among men. And, indeed, the wisdom of language God, was much feen, in bringing forth this peo- thee, to a ple, in fo plain an appearance: for it was a clofe fingle perand diftinguishing teft upon the fpirits of thofe, they came among; fhewing their infides, and what predominated, notwithstanding their high and great profeffion of religion. This among the reft, founded fo harsh to many of them, that they took very great offence at it; forgetting the language they ufe to God, in their prayers, and the common ftile of the scriptures; and that it is an abfolute and effential propriety of speech."

them.

"Nor could they humour the custom of good some falunight, good-morrow, God speed; for they knew the tations not night was good, and the day was good, without ufed by wifhing of either; and that, in the other expreffion, the holy name of God was too lightly, and unthoughtfully ufed; and therefore, taken in vain. Befides, they were words and wishes of course, and are usually as little meant, as are love and fervice, in the custom of cap and knee; and fuperfluity in thefe, as well as in other things, was burdenfome to them and therefore they did not only decline the use of them, but found themselves often preffed to reprove the practice."

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