miah, &c. and when the people perceived the spirit of God was upon them, they joined such with alacrity in God's work, out of faithful subjection to the spirit of God in and upon them, and not to them as men.

Very remarkable is the humility and honest upright petition of Solomon, which amply discovers the state of mind such must be brought into, who are favoured with ability to judge and govern in the church of Christ. "In Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night: and God said, Ask what I shall give thee. He said, O Lord my God thou hast made thy servant king instead of David my father: and I am but a little child; I know not how to go out or come in. Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad; for who is able to judge this thy so great a people?"

Pertinent also is the ardent concern raised in Nehemiah's mind for the welfare of God's people and city; the deep anguish of his soul, though in the midst of worldly affluence; his earnest and humble prayer to God; his manner of addressing king Artaxerxes upon that mournful occasion concerning the desolate state of Jerusalem, and his whole proceeding in the godly undertaking of raising the walls of that city, &c.

hath been pleased in a good degree to restore again the excellent order of his house amongst a despised people; concerning whom I shall now endeavour to give some account, of what mine eyes have seen, mine ears heard, and what I have tasted and handled of the good word of life in their assemblies; particularly respecting those called meetings for discipline, and for church order and government. These meetings I have attended with diligence, as I thought it my indispensable duty, for about thirty years: the first ten whereof I was for the most part an highly pleased and comforted spectator of the sweet harmony and comely order of God's house, the love, sympathy, and care extended in each branch thereof, one towards another; in silent seeking the assistance of the holy Head, that the body might edify itself in love, and the King of saints be known to rule all that was within us. When we become members of Christ's body, we cease to consider ourselves as individuals only, but also as members deeply interested in the welfare of the body. Here is an united labour and travail, being all in one common interest.

I have often beheld the awful Majesty of the divine power amongst these people, and could say in humble admiration, at least in my heart, "Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion, for great is the holy One of Israel, in the midst of thee!" There has been no lack of any good thing in the camp of God. The glorious Lord hath been as places of broad rivers and streams, where can go no galley with oars, neither shall gallant ship pass thereby. For the Lord was our judge, the Lord was our lawgiver, the Lord was our king, Isa. xxxiii. 21, 22. and therefore all the splendid art and invention of man in religion, was to be wholly laid aside,

I might draw much more from the precious doctrine and experience of God's people, recorded in holy Writ, concurring to establish the truth of what I have advanced concerning the outward order, government, and beautiful discipline of the church, which is the kingdom of Christ, wherein the sanctified of God are as subordinate kings and priests; which is thus expressed, Dan. vii. 21, 22, I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, (viz. the power of anti-christ in the form of a church, with orders and rules) and pre-as Saul's armour was by David, being convailed against them, until the Ancient of days cerned to go as he did, in the name, viz. the came, and judgment was given to the saints power and dread of the Most High. When of the Most High, and the time came that I thus stood still, looking upon Sion, viewing the saints possessed the kingdom. Paul calls her beauty and excellency, I saw great things this dominion the saints are to possess, Eph. done by mean instruments going forth against iii. 10, principalities and powers in heavenly their enemies in the name of the Lord only; places. Oh! long hath this wicked horn had which has caused me to be knit to them, and the rule and government where the saints I loved them as mine own soul. This sight should; so that there hath been little or no- and sense of things made me exceedingly thing of the nature of that excellent govern- watchful in my mind, afraid to speak and act, ment which is found in the kingdom of Christ. unless I found a well-grounded assurance that There has been no true vision from the the Lord required it of me; by feeling the prophets; the law has perished from the weight of his divine power upon my spirit, priests, and counsel from the ancients, Ezek, opening my understanding, and guiding my vii. 26. and the glorious kingdom of the Mes-judgment, that I might clearly know what, siah has for many ages been as it were banished from the earth, or at least hidden from mankind, as in a wilderness, whereinto the true church fled, Rev. xii. 6. But the Lord VOL. V.-No. 12.

when, and how to speak in the awful presence of God, and before the princes of his people, whose words I observed, were as goads, and as nails fastened by the master of

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our assemblies, which are given from one shepherd.

Very pertinent to what I am now upon and which indeed ought to take deep impression on all those concerned, are these words in Eccles. v. 1, 2, 3. viz, "Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear than to give the sacrifice of fools; for they consider not that they do evil. Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth, therefore let thy words be few. For a dream cometh through the multitude of business, and a fool's voice is known by a multitude of words." It is plain from what is before noted, and much more in holy Writ, that all the power and wisdom of man, until they are subjected, sanctified, and properly influenced by a supernatural principle, are wholly excluded and shut out of the church of God. Although those abilities are sufficient for the things of a man, viz. the concerns of this life; (for, as saith our Lord, the children of this world are wiser in their generation than the children of light;) yet the things of God no man can know, consequently cannot rightly act in them, but by his spirit. This also in part appears from what Elihu saith, Job. xxxii. 7, 8, 9: I said, days should speak, and multitude of years should teach wisdom. But there is a spirit in man; and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding. Great men are not always wise; neither do the aged understand judgment.

Very great has been, and still is, the loss of man, for want of understanding this important point. Giving a latitude to human abilities in religion, and the concerns of it, has opened the door wide for anti-christ to become almost an universal monarch. It is this by which he has gotten great footing amongst all the divisions of Christian professors; our Society in a sorrowful manner with respect to individuals, as well as others; yet a living body is preserved. These, through the divine blessing, prevent his taking possession of the church, as he has done of some. The eyes and the cry of these are to the Lord, whom they know to be their sufficiency; and that unless he ordain salvation as walls and bulwarks to keep our city, in vain are all human endeavours.

from between the cherubims of his glory, waiting to be gracious, by turning again the captivity of many of his Israel, and seeking to rebuild her waste places, and thereby to revive her ancient beauty. He is pleased to continue unto us some judges as at the first, and counsellors as at the beginning, though but few in number when compared to the bulk. May the great Lord of the harvest raise many more faithful labourers, and send them into his harvest, even such as are described by the evangelical prophet Isaiah, "The sinners in Zion are afraid, fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites. Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? who amongst us shall dwell with everlasting burnings? He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly, he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil: he shall dwell on high; his place of defence shall be the munitions of rocks, bread shall be given him, his waters shall be sure."

Oh! how sorrowful it is, in this and other nations, to view the great prevalence of unfaithfulness in large numbers, in most branches of our Christian testimony! much of which has been greatly owing to the laxness of discipline. Those who should have been, above all other considerations, waiting for fresh and renewed ability from God to build his house, have been most of all endeavouring to build themselves and posterity uncertain houses in earthly inheritances; living at ease in their ceiled houses, whilst the ark of the testimony of God has been exposed.

Dreadful is the account such will have to render, who have hidden their Lord's money in the earth, having wrapped it in a napkin, viz. a decent form of religion. The Lord has opened eyes that see them through their fig-leaf covering in most or all the ranks of his people; though it is much to be feared they have closed their own eyes, except towards the world. In that they may be clear sighted, it being their kingdom. these may presume from their long profession wherein perhaps they have taken care, as far as appears to man's eye, to preserve a reputation free from spots or blemishes, and they have also a pretty large stock of wealth. In getting this they may have not only dried up When I have considered the low, indifferent, the tenderness of religion in themselves, but languid state of those under our name in many also have laid a foundation for the ruin of their places, both in this and other nations, chiefly children, or those who succeed them in their occasioned by an inordinate love of the world possessions; notwithstanding which, some such and the things thereof, my soul has been may take upon them to be active members in deeply humbled in awful prostration before the meetings where they belong. Lamenthim; in contemplating his wonderful conde-able indeed is the state of meetings, managed scension, in still shining forth upon us, as by such unsanctified spirits. The King of

Sion is banished from their councils; and her they must call a godly concern and labour by precious sons and daughters are but as suffer- a contrary name, or they could not smite at ing witnesses for God, clothed as in sack-it with any colour of reason. Such honest cloth, and the seed of God, which should labourers have sometimes been represented as have dominion in all our meetings, is depressed. I sincerely wish there was no cause for these close remarks; but a caution of this kind may be necessary. This spirit getting in amongst us, in any part of the Society, cannot fail to lay waste; therefore let all consider what spirit rules in them. Where such a spirit prevails, it is not the wise woman building the house, but the foolish woman pulling it down with her own hand.

It is a mournful truth, that among the many thousands of Israel, there are but few, in comparison, who really stand upright, as pillars in God's house; who cannot be at all warped by fear, interest, favour, or affection, but look beyond all, singly at truth and righteousness. Oh! what mean cringing, stooping, and temporizing, is to be found in some! It is my son, my daughter, a near relation, or friend, whom I am loath to offend, lest I should suffer in my interest or reputation, or gain his or her ill will. This spirit will never dwell on high, but must have its portion amongst the fearful and the unbelieving; and unless such repent, they will be ranked with those who deny Christ before men. They may read their portion, Luke xii. 9. True zeal and sound judgment are often rejected by this sort, whether they come from individuals, or meetings; nay by some, even when the judgment is the mature result of the largest body under the direction of best wisdom, if they do not find it to agree with their unsanctified understandings; which it would be strange if it should, as it comes from the Spirit of Truth.

enthusiasts, too hot in their zeal, disturbers of the church's peace, &c. When there is peace with wrong things in the church, it is much better broken than kept. I take it that it was in this sense our Lord said, "I came not to send peace on earth, but a sword." It was a woful peace to Israel, when they became so reconciled to the inhabitants of the land, as to suffer them to dwell therein, contrary to the express command of God!

When the upright in heart cannot for Sion's sake hold their peace, their spirits being truly enlightened to search Jerusalem, it is very dangerous for any to obstruct, oppose, or even to discourage them in such a godly undertaking. The voice of their Almighty helper is, "Touch not mine anointed;" for he will certainly vindicate his own cause in their hands, and will recompense any injury done to it, or them, as if done to himself; so that all had need to know well what they do, and what spirit bears rule within them.

Some I have observed very blind, fruitless, and unskilful, who are not quite upon the same bottom as those above-mentioned, and who differ from them in the cause of their unfruitful situation, which arises chiefly from a gross deception in themselves, and for want of abiding in that wherein they could try the spirit that presents things to their minds. These have been moved and kindled by a false fire, and a zeal not duly tempered with that knowledge which comes from God. This proves a sore wounding to the cause of truth, where it prevails; very hard to judge down, because it is commonly very wise and right It may be further observed, that those whose in its own eyes. In concluding this head, I principal view is only maintaining the form or am free to express an ardent prayer, which outward character in religion, feel very little has filled my heart at times for a considor no pain on account of the disorderly prac-erable number of years, that the Lord may tices of their fellow-members, and therefore be graciously pleased greatly to increase the they can easily daub with untempered mortar, number of those amongst us, who are made and smooth all over, crying peace, before willing to leave all, and to follow the gentle judgment has laid hold of the transgressing part; and all this under the specious pretence of charity and Christian tenderness. Yet when any in godly zeal are constrained to show the pernicious consequences of healing the wounds of the daughter of Sion deceitfully, some such soon discover they are too much strangers to true charity, by their opposition to sound judgment, and those exercised therein, that the wounds might be searched to the bottom. Here something of a persecuting spirit appears, and the bitter leaven of the pharisee is discovered, striking at the life of religion. But, agreeably to the usual craft of anti-christ,

leadings of his spirit, whithersoever he is pleased to lead them; who prefer the welfare, peace, and prosperity of the city of God to their chiefest joy; that truth and righteousness may be so exalted in every part of the body, as to make all the sinners in Sion afraid indeed; for they cannot stand in judgment when the Lord arises in majesty among his saints, nor in the congregations of the righteous; that so for very shame there might be a casting their idols of silver and their idols of gold, to the moles and to the bats. Isa. ii. 20.

The substance of what is here signified, has doubtless been the fervent travail of many

MEMOIR OF

JOHN CAMM AND JOHN AUDLAND.

THE early history of the religious Society | we believe, not because of your saying, for of Friends, is replete with instances of faithful and devoted servants of Christ Jesus, who laboured abundantly and with great success in the work of the Gospel, and after enduring a fight of afflictions, growing out of the intolerant and persecuting spirit of the age, finished their course with joy, in the full assurance, that the religion they had embraced and for which they deeply suffered, was not a cunningly devised fable but substantial and ever enduring truth.

As he approached manhood his religious im-after religion; and when that eminent and pressions were strengthened, and an earnest dignified minister of Christ, George Fox, travinquiry awakened in his mind after the right elled through those parts, his labours in the way of the Lord. He saw the lifelessness ministry were crowned with astonishing sucand formality of the national priests; and feel-cess. ing the deadness and dryness of their ministrations, withdrew from their worship; and being sincere in his inquiry after a religion which would bring peace and satisfaction to his soul, he joined company with a select number of persons whose minds were similarly impressed and in the same seeking tender state. They were very strict and upright in the performance of their religious duties, and endeavoured to have their conduct and conversation ordered in the fear of the Lord; frequently meeting together at Firbank Chapel, and other places, to seek the Lord and the revelation of the way of life, which their souls thirsted after.