"And because we cannot give covetous Balaam his wages of unrighteousness, and the followers of Simon Magus money for their gifts, they are and have been very angry; and full of wrath, envy, and malice; and [have] persecuted us: but they are known to all true Christians, to be of the seed of Balaam, and of old Simon Magus, and not of Christ." Doctrinals, p. 1082.

Concerning the antiquity, ordination [and character] of the true ministers.'

"Moses and Aaron, and the prophets, were all sent of God (in the Old Testament) and the Lord commanded Moses to take twelve rods, and write every man's name (the heads of the houses of their fathers) upon his rod.-And Moses laid their rods before the Lord, in the tabernacle of witness: and on the morrow, Moses took all the rods— and behold Aaron's rod, for the house of Levi, was budded, and brought forth buds and blossoms, and ripe almonds; but the rest of Israel's rods brought forth nothing.

"So the Lord chose the house of Levi, to serve him in the outward Tabernacle. Num. xvii. And so the Lord chooseth, in his New Testament and Covenant [those] whose spiritual rods do bud, in the inward tabernacle [the spirit of man, redeemed and purified] to be a holy, Royal priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices to God by Jesus Christ. 1 Peter ii, 5-9.

"And John, the greatest prophet born of a woman [the utmost that a mere church can produce in the way of prophecy and administration] was [yet, and besides] a man sent from God. John i, 6; Matt. xi, JI. And Christ said, the Living Father sent him, as in John vi, 57. And Christ said, As thou didst send me into the world, so have I sent them into the world, viz. his disciples: and the Apostles did believe that God had sent Christ, as in John xvii, 8, 18. And Christ called his twelve disciples, and sent them forth to preach and gave them power: and said unto them, Freely ye have received, freely give; as in Matt. x, 1, to the end. There you may see, how Christ doth encourage his free Ministers; and likewise in Luke ix, from the 1st to the 6th.-And so you may see, Christ here gives them power; and they were to pray to the Lord of the harvest for labourers, and not to the high-priests and rabbies and the powers [on earth] for them to send forth their letters to learned doctors, and [for these] to have power from them.

"And you may see, in Matt. xxii, 1 to the 16th, how Christ sends forth his disciples to call to the marriage. And, when Christ sent forth his seventy disciples, he said, I send you forth as lambs among wolves -without bag or scrip. And you may see how he did exhort them, how they should preach and behave themselves. Luke x, from the 1st to the 12th.

"And [in what] the Apostles told the Ephesians, among whom he had been labouring for the space of three years-Acts xx, 31-35, you may see an example of a true minister of Christ: and also in 1 Cor. ix, from the 1st to the 20th; how the Apostle, there, strove to keep the gospel without charge, and to make it free: And how the [same] Apostle reproves such that did not labour; that they might labour, and follow the Apostles whom they had for examples, as in

2 Thess. iii: who would not be chargeable to them; as from verse 6th to the 13th.

"And the Apostle said, that Christ ascended on high, and gave gifts unto men for the work of the Ministry; some apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors, some teachers [not all ministry included in one and the same gift] for the edifying of the body of Christ-Eph. iv, from the 1st to the 16th. Here you may see they had the gifts from Christ, that made them ministers; and not from schools and colleges, nor powers. And [as to the use of them] Peter said, Let every man, as he hath received the gift, minister the same-1 Peter iv, 10, and v, 2, 3. And in Rom. xii, there you may see, how the Apostle exhorts them to improve their gifts, in teaching and prophesying and exhorting: and these gifts [thus improvable] they had from Christ.

“And in 1 Tim. iii: there you may see how the bishops, deacons and overseers, they were not to be given to wine, nor strikers, nor fighters, nor covetous, nor given to filthy lucre: but should be such as could rule their own houses [of which the wife is part] well, having their children [also] in subjection: for if they could not rule their own houses well, how should they take care of the Church of God? And likewise their wives to be honest [in connubial conduct] not evil speakers, but sober, and faithful in all things. And so let these bishops, elders, deacons and ministers first be proved; and if they be found blameless, then let them minister, as in 1 Tim. iii, 1st to the 13th. So it seems they were not to minister, if they were not blameless in these things.

"And likewise, you may see the qualifications of the elder men, and the women, that were to be teachers of good things, and teachers of the younger women; as in Tit. ii, from the first to the sixth. And you may see, all along in the Scriptures, how Christ and the Apostles testified against the covetous prophets, shepherds and teachers, that preached for hire and filthy lucre: and how that the true prophets, Christ and the Apostles spake forth [their doctrine] freely; and did suffer by the hirelings and the covetous, that taught for filthy lucre.

"And Christ bid his disciples, and [the] believers, to wait at Jerusalem until they were endued with power from on high, and they should receive the Holy Ghost: and then they should be witnesses of Christ, both in Jerusalem and in Judea and Samaria, and unto the utmost parts of the earth: as in Acts i, 4—9. Now here you may see the primitive ordination of Christ's ministers. They had their gifts from Christ, and were endued with power from on high; and every one was to minister as they had received the gift from Christ. So these were not endued with power from below; nor from high-priests, nor kings, nor emperors; nor men, nor schools, nor colleges: but they were endued with power from on high; and their gifts they had from Christ that ascended on high, above all principalities, powers, thrones and dominions: So here is the ANTIQUITY and first ORDINATION of Christ's ministers, and Teachers, according to the Scripture, WHICH WE OWN.— G. F. Edmonton the 2nd Month, 1688." p. 1018, of Gospel Truth demonstrated, in a collection of Doctrinal Books given forth by that faithful minister of Jesus Christ, George Fox, containing Principles essential to Christianity and salvation, held among the people called Quakers: 2 Cor. iv, 12. London, printed and sold by T. Sowle, in White-hart-court in Gracious Street, MDCCVÎ.'

ELCOCK, PRINTER, PONTEFRACT.

ART. I.—A Chronological Summary of events and circumstances connected with the origin and progress of the doctrine and practices of the Quakers.

A. D.

(Continued from p. 45.)

Richard Claridge (a Minister) is prosecuted for teaching school 1708. without License at Tottenham (under the Statute, 1. James I. made against Popish Recusants) and the prosecutors, upon the trial of the cause before Lord Chief Justice Holt, are defeated. His decease [1723].

Richard Claridge had joined himself to the Society of Quakers in 1696, and first preached as a quaker in a Meeting at Sarah Sawyer's in Aldersgate Street, in 1697. As he had been educated at Oxford, had been in priest's orders, for many years Rector of Peopleton, Worcestershire, and afterwards a Baptist preacher, it will be proper for me go rather minutely into his case.

to

He was the eldest son of William Claridge of Farmborough, Warwickshire, yeoman, and Isabel his wife, both sober and religious persons, and well to pass as to outward circumstances'-born Dec. 1649; educated in Latin and Greek at a Grammar school, and entered at Baliol College 30th Oct. 1660, in his 17th year: removed to St. Mary Hall, 15th July, 1668, gained here the reputation of being 'a good orator, philosopher and Grecian,' read a Greek lecture in the Hall with general approbation,' and took his degree of B. A. in Trinity Term 1670.

He was ordained deacon in the Cathedral Christ-church, Oxon, 10th July, 1670 by Walter Blandford, Bishop of Oxford (having been first

examined by Dr. Barlow, Provost of Queen's) and priest the 30th of March 1672, in the king's chapel, Westminster, by the said Walter Blandford, (now Bishop of Worcester, 'that being the better bishoprick by some hundreds per annum') having first the customary Testimonial in Latin, of his sober life and conversation-which is inserted at length in his Works. (a)

His institution and induction, 1673, to his Rectory, I need not dwell on. At Peopleton he taught a grammar-school and kept boarders, for several years: some of his scholars went to Oxford and Cambridge and took degrees there, and afterwards had Ecclesiastical preferment. Nor need I more than mention, that in the course of his life he was thrice in wedlock, with women of respectable families.

'His life while he continued a purish-priest was (as his own MSS. describe it) a mixture of virtue and vice. Sometimes he would be very strict and severe in his conversation, and at others very indifferent and remiss; sometimes, seeming to have a great zeal for God, and concern for his soul; and again to abate so much of that, as to be altogether regardless of either. He was very industrious in performing the customary duties of his office: he studied hard for his sermons; and what he collected or composed for that end, he delivered with a shew of fervency and affection which was very taking with his auditory. He preached up repentance and regeneration, and set them forth and recommended them to others in Scripture words and phrases: while he himself was a stranger to both, and an enemy to God by wicked works." His ministry satisfied the people, because they were in the like state with himself; thinking by their weekly confession of sins, and absolution from the mouth of the priest, to obtain the mercies of God through Jesus Christ, without a real heartfelt repentance, and the fruits of it brought forth in an amended life. Sin abounded [he writes thus himself] in towns and villages, in families and private persons: multitudes of all places, ages, sexes and orders, were infected more or less with the contagion '—emboldened by the superficial Confession abovementioned.

In this deplorable condition he remained many years: but the Lord suffered him not to continue in that dark and unbelieving state without the reproofs of His Holy Spirit :-his candle was often lighted, yet through transgression he did often put it out. But the Lord did not cease to strive with him in his disobedience, lengthening out the day of his visitation; until he prevailed upon him, by his mercies and judgments, to incline his ear to hear; and hearken, that his soul might live.

Being now under strong conviction and in much trouble of mind, (sin having become exceeding sinful to him, and his soul being bowed under the load and burden of it) he took a journey to London (1689) hoping to receive consolation from the ministry of some preachers there, of great account.-I shall not here describe (as he does) the manner

(a) The Life and Posthumous Works of Richard Claridge, &c. Collected by Joseph Besse, 1726.

of his disappointment. That which to him was for the time dry and unprofitable, might be instructive to others: and the seasons in which these preachers had a measure of gracious unction and power, in their discourses, might not be for him to be present at: Richard Baxter was however among them.

'Upon his return home again, to Peopleton, he applied himself seriously to the work of repentance; and through the grace of God strengthening and enabling him to co-operate therewith, he began to reform his conversation, and to lead a more sober and godly life than heretofore. This was connected with an enquiry into the doctrine, worship and ceremonies of the Church of England, as compared with the standard of Scripture-the result of which, after much fear and doubt, and prayer for strength and deliverance, was his voluntary resignation of the Rectory of Peopleton, on the 10th of the Month called December, 1691.'

This step might possibly be accelerated, by his having contracted an acquaintance with some leading men among the Baptists; especially with William Hankins and Eleazar Herring, Pastors of Baptized Congregations, the one at Upton upon Severn, the other at Tewksbury. -He now joined himself to their society; having been baptized according to their method (after he had left preaching in the Church of England, but while yet in his Cure) the 21st October, 1691. At the time of his being so baptized, as soon as he was come out of the water and gone into an house, his wet clothes being yet upon him, a certain person came into the room and putting off his hat accosted him thus, You are welcome, Sir, out of one form into another! This man's words struck him home, and often after returned with weight upon his mind. (b) The Episcopal party were highly incensed: but he began almost immediately to preach in his new connexion. He removed to London, kept a grammar-school in the parish of Clerkenwell, and married his third wife among the Baptists. In 1695, he had a call from the church, meeting at Virginia Street, to be their Elder, but declined it; and gave along with his refusal some objections to the 'foundation' on which the main doctrine of the sect stood: as being but of John, the forerunner of Christ; and not of the Spirit, in which God teaches his people himself.

He began now to frequent the Meetings of the Quakers-but it was not till after nineteen months of silent waiting, and hearing, that he ventured to open his mouth in one of these. I must refer to his own account for his ordinary exercises and trials in this his last profession; for verbal controversies, and some few journies in the service of the Gospel he was visited and encouraged, in 1697, by many ancient and leading Friends. Notwithstanding which, he now preached but seldom for some years; being afraid of going before his guide. In 1700, he removed to Barking in Essex, where he kept a boarding-school for some years he also wrote in this year an Epistle to the Baptist society; giving them very fully the reasons of his change. (c)

:

(b) Life of Claridge, p. 19. (c) Idem. p. 91–103.