of the " mination.

REFORMING" fons of liberty, of whatever rank or deno

Would it were in my power, Sir, by any thing I could farther add, to convince your correfpondent G. how much more effentially it might ferve the caufe of pure and undisguifed religion, in these times especially, would he fatisfy himself by upholding and sup porting thofe ufual forms and regular modes of worship, which fo many pious and confcientious diffenting minifters of real worth and learning fteadily adhere to in their own proper places of congregating, without intruding upon, or rather feducing, the flock of other paftors, by unfettling the minds of thofe who have perhaps been brought up, and willing of themselves to remain as quiet members of the established church. He would then find few men of candour impeach his conduct for any unbecoming zeal-as who in that cafe would prefume to quarrel with him for worshipping his Maker in the manner he shall think best? But, then, is it too much to say he fhould obferve fuch method as would not give just ground of offence to his neighbour by an officious encouragement of mere jugglers" in religion, if the term may he pardoned me!

Let me juft obferve, that when G. maintained that "there are very few of the Diffenters firenuous in political concerns, or active in their hoftility to our conftitution in church and state," could hardly be aware that fuch and fimilar inftances might be adduced to the contrary with those stated in your laft Number, as having occurred in the neighbourhood of Leeds.

If G. mix much in the world, furely he muft himself have witę neffed the extraordinary conduct of many Diffenters, who, upon the first establishment of Volunteer Corps, now fo general, were pleased to manifeft a wonderful forwardness to be enrolled in defence of their King and country, and when admitted, have taken not lefs pains, though not quite fo "publicly," to excite diftruft, jealousy, and murmuring amongst their brethren in arms; and, in the end, upon fome paltry pretence, have moft unhandfomely feceded. In fome cafes, indeed, commanding officers, upon discovering the "cloven foot," have, though with fome expence and much inconvenience to themselves, in a proper manner either discharged them, or intimated the neceffity of their inftantly withdrawing. This, Sir, has been fo notoriously the fact in feveral diftricts that, were 1 not even fearful of longer trefpaffing, it were scarcely worth while to fpecify more fully and particularly circumftances which many of your impartial readers can bear me very ample teftimony.

I would, therefore, for the prefent only, in G.'s own words to you, Mr. Editor, Number vII. P. 98, " befeech him, for the fake of God, his own foul, and the welfare of his King and country, to proceed no farther in fo dangerous a road, upon fuch a fubject; but tread back the path he has trodden by a public acknowledgement that he has already gone too far!!!

June 14, 1799

X.

I

TO THE EDITOR.

Did not intend to have made any farther remarks on the abuse which fome of the contributors to the Review are bestowing on the poor Quakers, of which body I am an individual. In this capacity I offered my former remarks; and I mention it now to obviate one with which they were introduced. "At length the friends have broken filence." However, when fact, and not opinion, is the queftion, it matters little by whom it is adduced.

I have now an inclination to advert to the letter of last month, figned T. Countermine, particularly as Leflie is, I believe, though not quoted, his fource of information and his pattern for abuse: and it is very much in order to show once more the unfairness and fallacy of Leflie's way of quoting our authors, that I folicit the infertion of this. I hope, in future, if our opponents will have the candour to acknowledge what they take from him, their readers may know in what estimation to hold the évidence.

George Fox's letter to Cromwell is dated 11th month, 1657, (not 1659, as fays Countermine, which was after Cromwell's death.) So Leflie has it, VOL. II. P. 113 of his works. Probably it had no date at all, as was not unusual with Fox, but was delivered to Cromwell, (as fays the original printed copy, published in 1659,) in the 11th month, 1657. I only mention this to prove I have got hold of the right thing. I have read it through. The words, " Thou fbouldeft not bave food trifling about fmall things. Do not ftand cumbering thyfelf about dirty priests," are not prefixed to the words "Hollanders bad been thy fubjects, &c. nor is the latter part, marked with double commas, in the letter at all. Neither are the words, "Let thy foldiers go forth with a free and willing beart, that thou mayft rock nations in a cradle, for a mighty work bath the Lord to do in other nations, and their quakings and Jhaking are but entering. So this is the word of the Lord to thee, as a charge from the Lord God; neither, I fay, are these words to be found at all in the faid letter. On these latter words, however, is built the charge of T. Countermine.

I will now juft show where and how these last words are introduced. In another letter of George Fox to Cromwell, wherein is no mention of prieft or king, they come in, as follows. I fet down fome of the preceding fentence, and of the fucceeding words, to fhow the context; and I punctuate according to the edition of 1659, whereby it appears that " So this" &c. begins after a period.Therefore live in the power of the Lord God, and feel his band that is Stretched out over the nations, for a mighty work bath the Lord to do in other nations, and their quakings and bakings are but entering. So this is the word of the Lord God to thee, and a barge to thee from the Lord God, in the prefence of the Lord God, live in the power of the Lord God f beaven and Earth, that will make all nations to tremble and quake,

* The omiffion of the word this in T. C.'s letter is, probably, an error in copy or print,

for thofe be God's enemies that be out of bis power and counfel, and be thou faithful to God finglely, without refpecting any man's perfon, but refpect the Lord and bis work, and be obedient to bis will finglely, without any end to thyfelf, living in the pure wisdom, counsel, and inftruction from God."

The plea, printed 1661, is, I believe, by Edward Burrough, intitled "A juft and righteous plea prefented unto the King of England and bis council, &c. being the true ftate of the prefent cafe of the people, called Quakers, truly demonftrated and justly pleaded in their behalf." Leslie refers the words mentioned by Countermine, " Such of us whofe principles were once fo, are changed even from that principle and practice of going to war and fighting," to P. 5 of the Quaker's plea. I have carefully read the page and cannot find the words; and have alfo examined fuch other parts of the plea as had reference to fighting, or to allegiance, but have not found them. If it fhould be faid, this is not the plea meant by Countermine and Leflie, I answer, a catalogue of the books written by the friends was publifhed in 1708, and it is the best clue we have for old pieces. It has a head Quakers, comprehending pieces published in the name of the body, which head has no piece called a plea in 1661, or any other date. The plea abo e-mentioned ftands under Burrough. I have alfo fought under Fox, Howgill, and Whitehead, in vain.

I am inclined to think, that until George Fox's writings are more faithfully reprefented to the public, than is likely to be done by retailing the page of Leflie, I need not enter into arguments, or encounter dilemmas, to vindicate his character. In the mean time I think my former argument holds good, that to go back fuch a length of time for a charge, is, in effect, a panegyric on the modern friends.

14th 6fb month, 1799.

EXAMINER.

SIR,

ON

TO THE EDITOR.

N the last Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 29, 1798, I took occafion to preach on Daniel xi. 44, 45, and ventured to apply these verfes, and their context, to the more ftriking transactions of the prefent times. I have had the pleasure of feeing feveral of my pre dictions fince fulfilled, and have converfed with fome learned and ingenious men, who highly approve the difcourfe in queftion. Here. after, perhaps, it may be printed entire but by admitting, in the mean time, a few extracts from it, you will oblige your devoted fervant, FATIDICUS.

Daniel, c. xi. v. 36. He fhall magnify himself above every God, and fpeak marvellous things against the God of gods, and fhall profper, till the indignation be accomplished; for that that is deterined fhall be done." Amidst thefe prevailing corruptions there hall fpring up an Antichriftian power, the champion of infidelity

who

who fhall purfue the moft arbitrary measures-fhall exalt itself above the nations, arrogate to itfelf all the homage paid to faints, or gods, by the Papift, or the Pagan, and even blafpheme the God of gods, denying his existence, and ridiculing his name; and this power shall profper till the indignation of the Almighty against the fophisticators of Chriftianity be accomplished-fhall be an inttrument in the hands of the Moft High, to overthrow the laft great empire prefigured by the prophet. v. 37. The prophetic feripture farther proceeds to inform us, that this Antichriftian power fhall have no regard for God as being the God of his fathers; who, though they addreffed the Deity through the medium of faints, yet worshipped the true God. No he fhall have refpect for nothing as rendered venerable by the fanction of antiquity; fince he fhall defpife all former ufages, and cuftoms, and manners: nay, he fhall difregard the defire of women (or the defire of wives); he shall flight the marriage-ceremony, and ridicule all conjugal affection. v. 38. But he fhall honour the god of forces, or (as it might have been rendered) the god of fortreffes-a god whom his fathers knew not, fhall he honour with gold and filver, and precious ftones, and pleafant things"-with the fpoils and trophies of war, confecrated with mock worship in mock heathen teinples. "Thus fhall he do, in the most ftrong holds, with a strange god, whom he hall acknowledge and encrease with glory.-And he hall cause them to rule over many, and fhall divide the land for gain." Through his fortreffes, erected every where in honour of his trange god, he shall extend his dominion over many people, and fhall divide his territories into different provinces, with no view to perfonal property or fecurity, but folely for his own aggrandifement.

v. 39.

Who, then, is this Antichriftian power, deftined to put an end to patriarchal and papal Rome, defpifing the God of his fathers, doing homage to the god of forces, and plundering and fubduing the countries in a manner before unheard of? Who is it, but democratic and infidel France? St. Paul has drawn the portrait of Gallic apoftafy, in colours ftill more ftriking and vivid. 2d Epift. Theff. c. ii. "The day of Chrift fhall not come unless there be a falling off first; and that man of fin be revealed, the fon of perdition, who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or is worshipped.” Surely, thefe are terms too harsh to be applied, in Christian charity, to the Apostles of Chrift; though erring, yet, we hope, fincere in their profeffion of the Gofpel. Can it be faid, that the Bishops of the eastern or the western church, the Greek Emperors, or the Roman Pontiffs, (however pompous their titles may have been,) have, at any period, exalted themselves above the God of gods, or honoured the god of forces, whom their fathers knew not-that (however corrupt their Ministers) they have divided the land for gain? Can we call the head, either of the eastern or the western church, the man of fin, the fon of perdition? In the rage of polemical controverfy, the Proteftant, I own, hath often branded his antagonist with fuch appellations but, even in the laft age, there were many Divines of our Church who hefitated in applying them to the Pope.-Yet, can any

:

one

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one diffent, a moment, from the propriety of their application to a country of avowed and blafphemous infidels, who have over-run the world with fire and fword, breathing defiance againft God, and vengeance against man? Have not the French, in a notorious manner, rified the mufeum, the galleries of art, and plundered the fhrines of the Papifts, in order to enrich their god of fortreffes with gold, and with filver, and with precious ftones-with pictures and with statues ? And have they not finally dethroned the Pope himself, and abandoned his dominions to an infolent foldiery? In the 7th chapter of Daniel, . 20, the fame people, or the leader of the fame people, is imaged to us under the figure of the little horn, with eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking great things: and it is plain, that to the ftrength of the horn (or military valour) the French nation collectively, and the leaders of their armies, individually, have added that ftrength which confifts in fagacity, cunning, and addrefs, and which they exert in high-founding claims, and boafting manifeftoes. In v. 21, of this chapter, it is faid, "The fame horn made war with the faints, and prevailed against them." That the appellation of faints is exactly fuited to the Roman Catholics, as well as the Chriftians of the Greek church, no one can hefitate to determine who infpects their calendar full of faints, or confiders their faint-worship; against whom we have a notorious leader making war, and prevailing in a moft fignal manner. The last trait which I fhall notice is, a remarkable feature of the French character: it is, indeed, fo difcriminating a mark of the prefent Gallic democracy, and, at the fame time, fo inapplicable to any other people or perfonage, that it muft fix, (I had almost faid,) in unprejudiced minds, the application of the whole prophetic paffage. v. 25. " He fhall fpeak words against the Moft High, and fhall think to change times and laws." Several of the commentators, in applying this verfe to the Pope, have intimated their doubts upon the fubject. For, though by the adoption of faint-worship, he hath greatly departed from the fimplicity of the gofpel, it does not appear that he hath ever blafphemed the Most High: and, admitting this to be the cafe, what connection hath his impiety with the change of times and laws? Befides, the Pope has not changed times, nor laws, in fuch a distinguished manner as to render the revolution a fubject of prophetic enumeration. The calendar of Pope Gregory is but a flight improvement of that of Julius Cæfar. In this verfe there is furely predicted that great apotafy of which we have been trembling fpectators. We have feen the French abolishing Chriftianity; and, in order to root out the very memorial of it, destroying their whole calendar, and adopting a new reckoning of time; the non-obfervance of which is attended with the fevereft penalties.

Having thus applied that paragraph to infidel France, which has hitherto been appropriated to papal Rome, let us purfue the thread of the prophecy. c. xi. v. 40. "And, at the time of the end, fhall the King of the fouth push at him; and the King of the north fhall come against him, like a whirlwind, with chariots and with horfemen,

and