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tion of raising any such idea. As they are used at present, therefore, they do not signify days dedicated to these divinities, but merely the days that come between Tuesday and Friday in our kalendar. Those who think otherwise must maintain also, that the English word expedient, actually signifies untying of feet, and the word consideration, a taking of stars together.

Another of their peculiar customs is, that they will not pull off their hats, or make a bow to any body. This is one of their most ancient and respected canons. George Fox,' Mr Clarkson assures us, was greatly grieved about these idle ceremonies. He lamented that men should degrade themselves by the use of them, and that they should encourage habits that were abhorrent of the truth.' 'Honest George! He was accordingly repeatedly beaten and abused for his refractoriness in this particular; and a long story is told in this volume, of a controversy he had with Judge Glynn, whom he posed with a citation from Daniel, purporting, that the three children were cast into the fiery furnace with their hats on.' Is it possible however to believe, that any rational being can imagine that there is any sin in lifting off one's hat, or bending the body? It is an easy and sufficiently convenient way of shewing our respect or attention. A good-natured man could do a great deal more to gratify a mere stranger; and if there be one individual who would take the omission amiss, that alone would be a sufficient reason for persisting in the practice.

Mr Clarkson next discusses the private manners of this rigid sect, and admits that they are 'rather dull, cold, and taciturn. Their principles prohibit them from the use of idle words; under which they include every sort of conversation introduced merely for gaiety or amusement. Their deficiency in classical literature cuts off another great topic. Politics are proscribed, as leading to undue warnith; and all sorts of scandal, and allusion to public spectacles or amusements, for a more fundamental reason. Thus, they have little to talk about but their health, their business, or their religion; and all these things they think it a duty to discuss in a concise and sober manner. They say no graces; but when their meal is on the table, they sit silent and in a thoughtful posture for a short time, waiting for an illapse of the spirit. If they are not moved to make any ejaculation, they begin to eat without more ado. They drink no healths, nor toasts; though not so much from the inconvenience of the thing, as because they conceive this to have been a bacchanalian practice borrowed from the heathens of antiquity. They are very sober; and instead of sitting over their wine after dinner, frequently propose to their guests a walk before tea; the females do not leave the party during this interval. Their marriages are attended

attended with no other ceremony, than that of taking each other by the hand in a public meeting, and declaring their willingness to be united. Notice must be given of this intention at a previous meeting, when the consent of their parents is required, and a deputation appointed to inquire whether they are free from all previous engagements. Quakers marrying out of the society are disowned, though they be again received into membership on expressing their repentance for their marriage; a declaration which cannot be very flattering to the infidel spouse. There are many more women than men disowned for this transgression. The funerals of the Quakers are as free from solemnity as their marriages. They wear no mourning, and do not even cover their coffins with black;-their burying ground receives no consecration they use no prayers;the body is generally carried to the meeting-house, before it is committed to the earth, and a short pause is made, during which any one who feels himself moved to speak, may address the congregation ;it is set down for a little time, also, at the edge of the grave, for the same opportunity;-it is then interred, and the friends and relations walk away. They use no vaults, and erect no monuments, though they sometimes collect and preserve some account of the lives and sayings of their more eminent and pious

ministers.

On the subject of trade, there is a good deal of casuistry among the Quakers. They strictly prohibit the slave-trade, and had the merit of passing a severe censure upon it so long ago as 1727. They also prohibit privateering, smuggling, and all traffic in weapons of war. Most other trades they allow; but under certain limitations. A Quaker may be a bookseller; but he must not sell any immoral book. He may be a dealer in spirits; but he must not sell to those whom he knows to be drunkards. He may even be a silversmith; but he must not deal in splendid ornaments for the person. In no case may he recommend his goods as fashionable. It is much and learnedly disputed in this volume, whether he may make or sell ribands and other fineries of this sort; or whether, as a tailor or hatter, he may furnish any other articles than such as the society patronizes. Mention is also made of a Quaker tailor well known to King James the Second, who was so scrupulous in this respect, that he would not allow his servants to put any corruptive finery upon the clothes which he had been employed to furnish;' and of one John Woolman, who found himself sensibly weakened as a Christian, whenever he traded in things that served chiefly to please the vain mind, or people. Apart from these fopperics, however, the Quaker regulations for trade are excellent. They discourage all hazardous speculations, and all fictitious

VOL. X. NO. 19.

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paper credit. If a member becomes bankrupt, a committee is appointed to inspect his affairs. If his insolvency is reported to have been produced by misconduct, he is disowned, and cannot be received back till he has paid his whole debts, even although he may have been discharged on a composition. If he has failed through misfortune, he continues in the society, though no contributions are received from him till his debts are fully paid.

When Quakers difagree, they feldom fcold; and never fight or go to law. George Fox recommended them to fettle all their differences by arbitration; and they have adhered to this practice ever fince. Where the arbitrators are puzzled about the law, they are to agree on a cafe, and confult Counfel. When a Quaker difagrees with a perfon out of the fociety, he generally propofes arbitration in the firft inftance; if this be refufed, he has no fcruple of going to law.

We should now proceed to give fome account of what Mr Clark fon has called the four Great Tenets of the Quakers; but the length to which we have already extended these remarks must confine our obfervations to very narrow limits. The first is, That the civil magiftrate has no right to interfere in religious matters fo as either to enforce attendance on one mode of worship, or to interdict, any other which is harmlefs. In this, certainly, their doctrine is liable to very little objection. Their fecond great tenet is, That it is unlawful to fwear upon any occafion whatsoever. We have not leifure now to difcufs this point with Mr Clarkson; indeed, from the obstruction which this fcruple has fo often occafioned to law proceedings, it has been difcuffed much oftener than any of the reft. Thofe who want to fee a neat and forcible abftract of the Quaker reafoning on the fubject, had better look into Barclay at once, inftead of wading through the amplification of Mr Clarkson. Their third great tenet is, That it is unlawful to engage in the profeffion of arms. This is founded entirely upon a literal interpretation of certain texts of scripture, requiring men to love and bless their enemies, and to turn one cheek to him who had fmitten the other, &c. It is commonly fuppofed, we believe, that thefe expreffions were only meant to fhadow out, by a kind of figure, that amicable and gentle difpofition by which men fhould be actuated in their ordinary intercourfe with each other, and by no means to be made the formal directors of their conduct through life. In any other fenfe, indeed, they would evidently amount to an encouragement to all forts of violence and injustice, and would entirely difable and annihilate all civil government or authority among men. If evil is not to be refifted, and if the man who takes a cloke is to be preffed to a coat alfo, it is plain that the punishment of thieves and robbers must be just as unlawful as the refifting of invaders. It is remarkable,

markable, indeed, that the Quakers do not carry their literal fubmiffion to the fcripture quite this length. They would struggle manfully for their clokes; and, inftead of giving the robber their coats alfo, would be very glad to have him imprifoned and flogged. If they can get rid of the letter of the law, however, in any cafe, it does appear to us, that there are occafionally ftronger reafons for difpenfing with the fuppofed prohibition of war than with any of the others. If they would be juftified in killing a wild beast that had rushed into their habitation, they must be justified in killing an invader who threatens to fubject them and the whole community to his brutal luft, rapacity, and cruelty. We must call it a degrading fuperftition that would withhold the hands of a man in fuch an emergency. The last great tenet is, That it is unlawful to give pecuniary hire to a gofpel ministry. This, again, is entirely a war of texts, aided by a confufed reference to the hiftory of tythes, from which the following most logical deductions are made.

First, that they are not in equity dues of the Church-fecondly, that the payment of them being compulfory, it would, if acceded to, be an acknowledgment that the civil magiftrate had a right to ufe force in matters of religion-and, thirdly, that, being claimed upon an act which holds them forth as of divine right, any payment of them would be an acknowledgment of the Jewish religion, and that Chrift had not yet actually come.' III. 141.

After perusing all that we have now abstracted, Mr Clarkson's readers might perhaps have been presumed capable of forming some conclusion for themselves as to the Quaker character; but the author chooses to make the inference for them, in a dissertation of 150 pages, to which we must satisfy ourselves, for the present, with making this general reference. We must use the same liberty with the miscellaneous particulars, which fill nearly as many pages with an attempt to prove that the Quakers are a very happy people, that they have done good by the example of their virtues, and that those who have thoughts of leaving the society, had better think twice, before they take a step of so much consequence.

We come now to say a few words on the subject of their interior government, which appears to us to be formed very much upon the model of the Presbyterian churches established in this part of the kingdom. The basis of the whole system is, that every member of the society is not only entitled, but bound in duty, to watch over the moral and religious deportment of any other whom he has an opportunity of observing, and to interfere for his admonition and correction when he sees cause. Till the year 1695, this duty was not peculiarly imposed upon any individual; but, since

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that time, four or five persons are named in each congregation, under the title of overseers, who are expected to watch over the conduct of the flock with peculiar anxiety. The half of these are women, who take charge of their own sex only. Four or five congregations are associated together, and hold a general monthly meeting of deputies, of both sexes, from each congregation. Two or more of each sex are deputed from these monthly meetings to the general quarterly meeting, which reunites all the congregations of a county, or larger district, according to the extent of the Quaker population; and those, again, send four of each sex to the great yearly meeting or convocation, which is regularly assembled in London, and continues its sitting for ten or

twelve days.

The method of proceeding, where the conduct of a member has been disorderly, is, first, by private admonition, either by individuals, or by the overseers; where this is not effectual, the case is reported to the monthly meeting, who appoint a committee to deal with him, and, upon their report, either receive him back into communion, or expel him from the society by a written document, entitled, A Testimony of Disownment. From this sentence, however, he may appeal to the quarterly meeting, and from that to the yearly. These courts of review investigate the case by means of a committee; of which none of those who pronounced the sentence complained of, can be members.

In the monthly meetings, all presentations of marriages are received, and births and funerals registered ;-contributions and arrangements are made for the relief of the poor;-persons are disowned, or received back ;-and cases of scruples are stated and discussed. They likewise prepare answers to a series of standing queries as to the state and condition of their congregations, which they transmit to the quarterly meeting. The quarterly meeting hears appeals,-receives the reports in answer to these queries, and prepares, in its turn, a more general and comprehensive report for the great annual meeting in London. This assembly, again, hears appeals from the quarterly meetings, and receives their reports; and finally, draws up a public or pastoral letter to the whole society, in which it communicates the most interesting particulars, as to its general state and condition, that have been collected from the reports laid before it,-makes such suitable admonitions and exhortations for their moral and civil conduct, as the complexion of the times, or the nature of these reports have suggested, and recommends to their consideration any project or proposition that may have been laid before it, for the promotion of religion, and the good of mankind. The slave-trade has, of late years, generally formed one of the

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