W. Ed kers. very obfervable. True it is, that this retired and strict sort of life from the liberty of the converfation of the world, expofed us to the cenfures of many, as humorists, conceited, and felfrighteous perfons, &c. but it was our preservation from many fnares, to which others were continually expofed, by the prevalency of the luft of the eye, the luft of the flesh, and the pride of life, that wanted no occafions, or temptations to excite them abroad, in the converse of the world." The words of W. Edmundfon, on this head, are mundfon's thefe," At the firft, when the Lord called and account of gathered us to be a people, and opened the eyes of the religious lives of our understandings, then we faw the exceeding the primi- finfulness of fin, and the wickedness that was in tive Qua- the world; and a perfect abhorrence was fixed, in our hearts, against all the wicked, unjuft, vain, ungodly, unlawful part of the world, in all respects; and we faw the goodly, and most glorious lawful things of this world to be abufed; and that many fnares and temptations lay in them; and many troubles and dangers of divers kinds; and we felt the load of them, and that we could not carry them, and run the race, the Lord had fet before us, so cheerfully as to win the prize of falvation; fo that our care was to caft off this great load and burden of our great and gainful way of getting riches, and to leffen our concerns therein, to the compafs that we might not be chargeable to any, in our stations and services required of us, and be ready to anfwer Chrift Jefus, our Captain, that called us to follow him, in a spiritual warfare, under the difcipline of his daily crofs and felf-denial; and then the things of this world were of fmall value with us, fo that we might win Chrift; and the goodlieft things of the world were not near us, fo that we might be near the Lord; and the Lord's truth outbalanced all the world, even the moft glorious part of it. Then great trading was a burden, and great great concerns a great trouble; all needlefs things, fine houses, rich furniture, gaudy apparel, were an eye-fore; our eye being fingle to the Lord, and the infhining of his light, in our hearts; which gave us the fight of the knowledge of the glory of God; which fo affected our minds, that it stained the glory of all earthly things; and they bore no maftry with us, either in dwelling, eating, drinking, buying, felling, marrying, or giving in marriage. The Lord was the object of our eye; and we all humble and low before him, and felf of fmall repute; ministers and elders, in all fuch cafes, walking as good examples, that the flock might follow their foot-steps, as they followed Chrift; in the daily crofs of felf-denial, in their dwellings, callings, eating, drinking, buying, selling, marrying, and giving in marriage; and this answered the Lord's witnefs in all confciences, and gave us great credit among men." Such appear to have been the people called Quakers, as to their firft rife, principles, doctrines, religious system, and general practice, or manners, in early time; with whom W. Penn joined in focity; fuch they appear to have been, who principally firft fettled West Jerfey and Pennfylvania:-By a conduct influenced chiefly by the principles above mentioned has this country providentially advanced to that justly admired and happy state, and importance, for which, it has now long been growing more and more confpicuous:-Of this people as a religious fociety, I fhall, at prefent take my leave, till I again revifit them, as tranfplanted from Europe, into thefe provinces, and obferve their proceedings, in their new and political fituation; in the mean time, I return to, and resume, my intermitted account of the life of W. Penn. About this time (1668, and the twenty-fourth year of his age) William Penn published feveral of his firft pieces, now extant in his printed works; [11] one firft writ the tower 1668. one of which, entitled, "The fandy "The fandy foundation W. Penn's fhaken," was written in confequence of a difpute, ings, &c. which he had in London with one Vincent, a Prefbyter. In this he expofed the vulgar notion of the Trinity, and fome other religious tenets; which gave fo much offence to those then at the helm of the church, that they immediately took the old method of reforming what they called error, by their strongest argument, viz. "An order for imprisoning him in the tower of London ;"—there he was under clofe confinement, and even denied His imprithe vifits of his friends: but yet his enemies attained fonment in not their purpofe; for when, after fome time, his of London. fervant brought him word, that the bishop of London was refolved he should either publicly recant, or die a prifoner, he made this reply: "All is well: I wifh they had told me fo before; fince the expecting a release put a stop to fome business: His refolu- thou mayft tell my father, who, I know, will ask thee thefe words; that my prifon fhall be my grave, before I will budge a jot; for I owe my confcience to no mortal man. I have no need to fear; God will make amends for all. They are mistaken in me; I value not their threats and refolutions: for they fhall know I can weary out their malice and peevishness; and in me fhall they all behold a refolution above fear; confcience above cruelty; and a baffle put upon all their defigns, by the fpirit of patience, the companion of all the tribulated flock of the bleffed Jefus, who is the author and finisher of the faith, that overcomes the world, yea, death and hell too. Neither great nor good things were ever attained without lofs and hardfhips. He that would reap and not labor must faint with the wind, and perish in disappointments: but an hair of my head fhall not fall without the providence of my Father, that is over all." tion. "A fpirit warmed with the love of God" (fays the writer of his life)" and devoted to his fervice, treatises in ever pursues its main purpose: he, being now re- He writes ftrained from preaching, applied himself to writ- feveral ing; several treatises were the fruits of his folitude, the tower. particularly, that excellent one, entitled, No cross, no crown; a book, which, tending to promote the general defign of religion, was well accepted, and foon paft feveral impreffions." &c. He also, in the year 1669, writ, from the tower, a letter to the lord Arlington, then principal fecretary of ftate, by whofe warrant he was committed, 1669. in vindication of his innocence, and to remove to the lord fome afperfions caft upon him; in this letter, with Arlington, christian boldness, and elegance of stile, he pleads the reasonableness of toleration in religion, fhews the fingular injuftice of his imprisonment, and declares his firm refolution to fuffer, rather than give up his caufe; he likewife requests the fecretary to lay his cafe before the king, and defires he may be ordered a releafe; but, if that fhould be denied, he intreats the favour of accefs to the royal prefence, or at least, that the fecretary himself would please to give him a full hearing, &c. And in order to clear himself from the afperfions, caft on him, in relation to the doctrines of the Trinity, the incarnation, and fatisfaction of Chrift, he published a little book called, "Innocency with her open face," by way of apology for the aforefaid, Sandy foundation fhaken: in this apology he fo fuccefsfully vindicated himself, that foon after the publication thereof, he was difcharged from his He is dif imprisonment; which had been of about feven charged. months continuance. In the latter part of the fummer this year, he went again to Ireland. Being arrived at Cork, he there vifited his friends the Quakers, who were in He goes to prifon, for their religion, attended the meetings Ireland. of his fociety, and afterwards went from thence to Dublin; where an account of his friends fufferings being drawn up, by way of address, it was by him presented to the lord lieutenant. During his ftay in Ireland, though his business, His bufi- in the care of his father's eftate, took up a confipefs there. derable part of his time, yet he frequently attend 1670, $670. ed, and preached in the meetings of his friends, efpecially at Dublin and Cork; in one of which places he ufually refided. He also wrote, during his refidence there, feveral treatises, and took every opportunity in his power, to follicit thofe in authority, in behalf of his friends in prison: and, in the beginning of the fourth month, 1670, through his repeated applications to the chancellor, the lord Arran, and the lord lieutenant, an order of council was obtained for their releafe. Having fettled his father's concerns to fatisfaction, and done his friends, the Quakers, many fignal fervices, he fhortly after returned to England. In the year 1670 was paffed the conventicle act, which prohibited the meetings of the diffenters, under fevere penalties. The rigour of this law was immediately executed upon the Quakers; who not being used to give way, in the cause of religion, ftood most expofed. They being kept out of their meeting houfe, in Grace-church street in Lon don, by force, met in the street itself, as near it as they could: W. Penn, preaching here, was apprehended, and by warrant, dated Auguft fourHe is com- teenth, 1670, from Sir Samuel Starling, the lord mitted to mayor, committed to Newgate; and, at the next Newgate feffions, at the Old Bailey, was, together with William Mead, indicted for being prefent at, and preaching to, an unlawful, feditious and riotous affembly. At his trial he made fuch an excellent defence, as difcovered at once both the free spirit of al of Penn an Englishman, and the undaunted magnanimity and Mead. of a Chriftian; infomuch that notwithstanding the moft partial frowns and menaces of the bench, the Famous tri jury |