as husband and wife in the presence of divers credible witnesses, promising unto each other with God's assistance, to be loving and faithful in that relation till death shall separate them. But, antecedent to all this, they first present themselves to the Monthly Meeting for the affairs of the church, where they reside, there declaring their intentions to take one another as man and wife, if the said meeting have nothing material to object against it. They are constantly asked the necessary questions, as in case of parents, or guardians, if they have acquainted them with their intention, and have their consent, &c. The method of the meeting is to take a minute thereof, and to appoint proper persons to enquire of their conversation and clearness from all others, and whether they have discharged their duty to their parents or guardians; and make report thereof to the next Monthly Meeting; where the same parties are desired to give their attendance. In case it appears they proceeded orderly, the meeting passes their proposal, and so records it in their meeting book; and in case the woman be a widow and hath children, due care is there taken that provision also be made by her for the orphans before the said marriage; advising the parties concerned to appoint a convenient time and place, and to give fitting notice to their relations, and such friends and neighbours, as they desire should be the witnesses of their marriage where they take one another by the hand, and by name promising reciprocally after the manner before expressed. Of all which proceedings, a narrative, in a way of certificate, is made, to which the said parties first set their hands, thereby making it their act and deed; and then divers of the relations, spectators and auditors set their names as witnesses of what they said and signed; which certificate is afterward registered in the record belonging to the meeting where the marriage is solemnized. Which regular method has been, as it deserves, adjudged in courts of law a good marriage, where it has been disputed and contested, for want of the accustomed formality of priest and ring, &c. which ceremonies they have refused, not out of humour, but conscience reasonably grounded, in as much as no Scripture example tells us, that the priest had any other part of old time, than that of a witness among the rest, before whom the Jews used to take one another: and therefore this people look upon it as an imposition, to advance the power and profits of the clergy. And for the use of the ring, it is enough to say that it was an heathen and vain custom, and never in practice among the people of God, Jews or primitive Christians. The words of the VOL. I.

B

usual form, as 'With my body I thee worship,' &c. are hardly defensible in short, they are more careful, exact and regular than any form now used, and it is free of the inconveniencies other methods are attended with. Their care and checks being so many, and such, as no clandestine marriages can be performed among them.

VIII. It may not be unfit to say something here of their births and burials, which make up so much of the pomp and solemnity of too many called Christians. For births, the parents name their own children, which is usually some days after they are born, in the presence of the midwife (if she can be there) and those that were at the birth, &c. who afterward sign a certificate, for that purpose prepared, of the birth and name of the child, or children, which is recorded in a proper book, in the Monthly Meeting, to which the parents belong; avoiding the accustomed ceremonies and festivals.

IX. Their burials are performed with the same simplicity. If the corps of the deceased be near any public meeting place, it is usually carried thither, for the more convenient reception of those that accompany it to the ground they bury in, and it so falls out sometimes, that while the meeting is gathering for the burial, some or other have a word of exhortation, for the sake of the people there met together: after which, the body is borne away by the young men, or those that are of their neighbourhood, or that were most of the intimacy of the deceased party: the corps being in a plain coffin, without any covering or furniture upon it. At the ground, they pause some time before they put the body into its grave, that if any one there should have any thing upon them to exhort the people, they may not be disappointed, and that the relations may the more retiredly and solemnly take their last leave of the corps of their departed kindred, and the spectators have a sense of mortality, by the occasion then given them to reflect upon their own latter end. Otherwise, they have no set rites or ceremonies on those occasions; neither do the kindred of the deceased ever wear mourning; they looking upon it as a worldly ceremony and piece of pomp, and that what mourning is fit for a Christian to have at the departure of a beloved relation or friend, should be worn in the mind which is only sensible of the loss, and the love they had to them, and remem brance of them, to be outwardly expressed by a respect to their advice, and care of those they have left behind them, and their love of that they loved. Which conduct of theirs, though unmodish or unfashionable, leaves nothing of the

substance of things neglected or undone; and as they aim at no more, so that simplicity of life is what they observe with great satisfaction, though it sometimes happens not to be without the mockeries of the vain world they live in.

These things gave them a rough and disagreeable appearance with the generality; who thought them turners of the world upside down, as indeed in some sense they were; but in no other than that wherein Paul was so charged, viz. to bring things back into their primitive and right order again. For these and such like practices of theirs were not the result of humour, as some have fancied, but a fruit of inward sense, which God, through his fear, had begotten in them. They did not consider how to contradict the world, or distinguish themselves; being none of their business, as it was not their interest, no, it was not the result of consultation, or a framed design to declare or recommend schism or novelty. But God having given them a sight of themselves, they saw the whole world in the same glass of truth; and sensibly discerned the affections and passions of men, and the rise and tendency of things. What gratified the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life which are not of the Father, but of the world; and from thence sprang, in that night of darkness and apostacy, which hath been over people, through their degeneration from the light and spirit of God, these and many other vain customs; which are seen by the heavenly day of Christ which dawns in the soul, to be, either wrong in their original, or, by time and abuse, hurtful in their practice. And though these things seemed trivial to some, and rendered this people stingy and conceited in such persons opinions; there was and is more in them than they were aware of. It was not very easy to our primitive friends to make themselves sights

spectacles, and the scorn and derision of the world; which they easily foresaw must be the consequence of so unfashionable a conversation in it. But herein was the wisdom of God seen in the foolishness of these things; first, that they discovered the satisfaction and concern that people had in and for the fashions of this word, notwithstanding their pretences to another; in that any disappointment about them came so very near them; that the greatest honesty, virtue, wisdom and ability were unwelcome without them. Secondly, it seasonably and profitably divided conversation; for making their society uneasy to their relations and acquaintance, it gave them the opportunity of more retirement and solitude, wherein they met with better company, even the Lord, God their Redeemer, and

grew strong in his love, power and wisdom, and were thereby better qualified for his service; and the success abundantly showed it: blessed be the name of the Lord.

And though they were not great and learned in the esteem of this world (for then they had not wanted followers upon their own credit and authority) yet they were generally of the most sober of the several persuasions they were in, and of the most repute for religion; and many of them of good capacity, substance and account among men.

And also some among them neither wanted for parts, learning, nor estate; though then, as of old, not many wise, nor noble, &c. were called, or at least received the heavenly call; because of the cross that attended the profession of it in sincerity; but neither do parts or learning make men the better Christians, though the better orators and disputants; and it is the ignorance of people about the divine gift that causes that vulgar and mischievous mistake. Theory and practice, expression and enjoyment; words and life; are two things. Oh! it is the penitent, the reformed, the lowly, the watchful, the self-denying and holy soul that is the Christian; and that frame is the fruit and work of the Spirit, which is the life of Jesus; whose life, though hid in God the Father, is shed abroad in the hearts of them that truly believe. Oh! that people did but know this to cleanse them, to circumcise them, to quicken them, and to make them new creatures indeed; recreated or regenerated after Christ Jesus unto good works. That they might live to God and not to themselves; and offer up living prayers and living praises, to the living God, through his own living Spirit, in which he is only to be worshipped in this gospel day. Oh! that they that read me could but feel me; for my heart is affected with this merciful visitation of the Father of Lights and Spirits, to this poor nation, and the whole world through the same testimony. Why should the inhabitants thereof reject it? Why should they lose the blessed benefit of it? Why should they not turn to the Lord with all their hearts, and say from the heart, Speak Lord, for now thy poor servants hear. Oh! that thy will may be done, thy great, thy good and holy will in earth as it is in heaven' do it in us, do it upon us, do what thou wilt with us, for we are thine and desire to glorify thee our Creator, both for that, and because thou art our Redeemer; for thou art redeeming us from the earth; from the vanities and pollutions of it, to be a peculiar people unto thee. Oh! this were a brave day for England, if so she could say in truth. But alas, the case is otherwise, for which

some of thine inhabitants, O land of my nativity! have mourned over thee with bitter wailing and lamentation. Their heads have been indeed as waters, and their eyes as fountains of tears, because of thy transgression and stiffneckedness; because thou wilt not hear, and fear and return to the rock, even thy rock, O England! from whence thou wert hewen. But be thou warned, O land of great profession, to receive him into thy heart; behold at that door it is, he hath stood so long knocking, but thou wilt yet have none of him. Oh! be thou awakened, least Jerusalem's judgments do swiftly overtake thee, be cause of Jerusalem's sins that abound in thee. For she abounded in formality, but made void the weighty things of God's law as thou daily doest.

She withstood the Son of God in the flesh, and thou resisteth the Son of God in the spirit. He would have gathered her as an hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and she would not; so would he have gathered thee out of thy lifeless profession, and have brought thee to inherit substance, to have known his power and kingdom, for which he often knocked within, by his grace and spirit, and without by his servants and witnesses; but thou wouldest not be gathered: but on the contrary, as Jerusalem of old persecuted the manifestation of the Son of God in the flesh, and crucified him and whipped and imprisoned his servants; so hast thou, O land, crucified to thyself afresh the Lord of life and glory, and done despite to his Spirit of Grace; slighting the fatherly visitation, and persecuting the blessed dispensers of it by thy laws and magistrates; though they have early and late pleaded with thee in the power and spirit of the Lord; in love and meekness, that thou mightest know the Lord and serve him, and become the glory of all lands.

But thou hast evilly entreated and requited them. Thou hast set at naught all their counsel, and would have none of their reproof, as thou shouldest have done. Their ap-. pearance was too straight, and their qualifications were too mean for thee to receive them; who like the Jews of old, that cried, Is not this the Carpenter's son, and are not his brethren among us; which of the scribes, of the learned (the orthodox) believe in him? prophesying their fall in a year or two, and making and executing of severe laws to bring it to pass; by endeavouring to terrify them out of their holy way, or destroying them for abiding faithful to it. But thou hast seen how many governments that rise against them, and determined their downfall, have been overturned and extinguished, and that they are