and with the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God, of a great price. This is that which arrays and beautifies God's church, and not the outward adorning or plaiting the hair, and every new fashion that comes up in the world.

"And such young people [are to be judged and reproved] that trim themselves up in gay apparel, and make a great show, and hang most on their backs, appearing what they are not in substance; [by] which, women have sometimes deceived young men, and men deceived women, and drawn out their affections by outward show, and brought one another into trouble. Such are out of the fear of God and a chaste mind, and are not to expect a blessing in this life, nor in that which is to come, without great judgment and repentance. Therefore such actions are to be reproved, that they may be brought into chastity, virtue, and piety, and to the adorning in the hidden man of the heart, which is not corruptible, and the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is acceptable with the Lord. For after this manner, in old time, the holy women who trusted in God, adorned themselves." 1683.

TALEBEARING AND DETRACTION.

"If any reports or surmises be among Friends about any, or any backbiting or whisperings, all such things should be stopped and searched out; for thus saith the Lord, 'Thou shalt not raise a false report among my people.' And some faithful Friends of every meeting, whose sincerity is for the glory of God, his power, and his holy name, into which they are all called, may be chosen to search out such things, and follow it until they find out the author or authors of it, that it may not lie upon any; but that all may be cleared and taken out of every mind, and all the reports stopped. And the things that are for judgment, let them be judged and condemned.

"Furthermore, that Friends take notice of all such Friends as go to sea as seamen, merchants, masters of ships, or passengers, abroad and at home; that if they have in any way, brought an evil report upon the truth, either in their trading, lives, or conversation, and dishonoured the Lord, and his name and people, they may search to the bottom of it, and if they have done anything worthy of condemnation or judgment, it may be passed upon them without any respect of persons. If the report be false, let their innocency be manifested, and the reporter reproved. 1662. "Notice is to be taken of all evil speakers, backbiters, slanderers, and foolish talkers, and

jesters, for all these corrupt good manners, and are not according to the practice of the saints, and holy men, whose words were seasoned with salt, ministering grace to the hearers. 1669.

"If any brother or sister, hear a report of a brother or sister, let him or her go to the party, and know the truth of the report; and if true, let the thing be judged. If false, go then to the reporter, and let him or her be judged. And if any should report it at a second or third hand, without going to the party of whom the report goes, let such be brought to judgment. For thou shalt neither raise, nor suffer a false report to lie upon my people, saith the Lord; for they are to be holy as he is holy, and just as he is just." 1669.

HIRELING MINISTRY AND TITHES.

"Friends, my desire is, that ye may all be preserved in the Lord's power, and in his everlasting Seed; in the order of the Gospel, and in the government of Christ Jesus, of the increase of which there is no end. And that ye may keep up your ancient testimony, in the power and spirit of God, against tithes, and for Christ, your high-priest, against the hireling priests, and their old temples, manifesting that ye are the temples of God. And let inquiry be made concerning all such among Friends as do pay tithes, which makes void the testimony and sufferings of our brethren, many of whom have suffered unto death, by which many widows and fatherless have been made. It is also contrary to the doctrine of the apostles, and of the martyrs, and of the righteous in this present age: all such, therefore, are to be inquired into, and exhorted to faithfulness therein. And keep to your ancient testimony for the church which is in God, the living members, of which Christ, the Spiritual Man, is the Holy Head, and your heavenly rock and foundation."

CHARITY, AND CARE OF THE POor.

A remarkable trait in the character of George Fox, was his sympathy with the af flicted and his care for the poor. His epistles abound with earnest recommendations to his brethren on these subjects, in which he exhorts to liberality and kindness in making provision for such as were poor, not from sloth or neglect, but causes beyond their control. For such also as were distempered in mind, or labouring under bodily disease, he appears to have been thoughtful, and one of his letters contains a recommendation to Friends "to provide a house for them that are distempered, and not go to the world; and also to have an alms-house or hospital for all the poor that

are past work: And Friends to provide a house or houses, where an hundred may have rooms to work in, and shops of all sorts of things to sell, and where widows might work and live" 1669.

"Let care be taken from time to time, as Friends are moved thereunto, [to raise money] for relieving the necessities of faithful Friends and for other services of truth; which shall be delivered into the hands of a faithful Friend or Friends, who are desired to be receivers for that purpose; and they are to give an account of all moneys, that shall be by them received and disbursed, at the next Monthly and Quarterly Meeting after it shall be laid out, if it be desired, and so the account to be ended. [Advised] that ministering Friends may not be cumbered with outward things, but kept out of them; and that what moneys shall be by them disbursed for the service of poor Friends, as aforesaid, shall be disposed of as Friends of the Monthly or Quarterly Meeting see meet.

"Let all widows be taken notice of, informed, and encouraged in their outward business. If they have many children, put them out apprentices, or servants, for they may be a burthen to them to bring up. In all your meetings let notice be given to the Quarterly Meeting of all poor Friends; and when ye have heard that there are many more poor belonging to one meeting than to another, and that meeting thereby is burthened and oppressed, let the rest of the meetings assist them, so that ye may ease one another, and help to bear one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ. And see that nothing be lacking, according to the apostle's words. For the Jews, though they were as the stars of heaven, and as the sand upon the sea-shore for multitude, yet there was not to be a beggar amongst them, according to the law of God. And amongst the Christians of the first age, there was a men's meeting set up at Jerusalem, to see that nothing was lacking, which was the Gospel order, according to the law of Jesus; and this continued as long as they lived in the power and spirit of God. So there is not to be a beggar now amongst Christians, according to the law of Jesus, as there was not to be any among the Jews, according to the law of Moses.

"Let all the estates of fatherless children be recorded in a book at the Monthly or Quarterly Meeting; and let all that are entrusted with any estates of the fatherless or widows, enter their trusts at the Monthly or Quarterly Meeting, that the meeting may see that justice is done unto them and require the trustees to give an account, if need be, and to do that which is just and equal."

"And dear Friends, know in all your meet

ings who is sick, and weak and in want, and widows and fatherless, and aged people, that cannot help themselves; and let such as God hath distributed unto, of that which God hath distributed, lay aside for the necessities of others, as you are moved and commanded of the Lord God by his power and spirit; for he that gives to the poor, lendeth to the Lord, and he loves a cheerful giver.

"Secondly, That all prisoners for truth be minded, who are in want, and who are not, and the families of such who are in prison, whether they are in want or not; and such as are decayed in any way, and cannot help themselves; and such as have left a calling, which they cannot for conscience sake follow; do the best you can to help them, and further them to employment, that they may labour in the thing that is good, and be a blessing in the creation: this do, that you may be a blessing in your generation." 1669.

“Dear Friends, it is upon me to write to you, that such among Friends who marry, and provide great dinners, instead thereof, it will be of a good savour on such occasions, to give something to the poor that be widows and fatherless, and such like, and to make them a feast, or to refresh them. This, I look upon, would be a very good savour, to feast the poor that cannot feast you again; and would be a good example, and a means to keep the mind to the Lord; and in remembrance of the poor; for they that give to the poor, lend to the Lord, and the Lord will repay them. I do really believe, whatever they give, less or more, according to their ability, cheerfully, they will not have the less at the year's end, for the Lord loves a cheerful giver. It is not only to give the poor a little victuals, which you cannot eat yourselves, but give them a little money also, that the Lord hath blessed you with; and give it to some of the women's meetings to distribute to the poor: so you will have the blessing of the Lord, and the blessings of the poor. And be of a free noble spirit, above all the churlish misers and niggards, and narrow spirits.

"These things I recommend to you to weigh and consider: it will both be of a good report, and manifest a self-denial and openness of heart, and the general love of God.”

PUBLIC REBUKE.

"Friends, ye that minister in the meetings, do not judge one another in meetings; for your so doing hath hurt the people, both within and without, and ye have brought yourselves under their judgment. Your judging one another in meetings, hath emboldened others to quarrel, and to judge you also, in the meetings; and this hath been all out of order, and the church

wine, beer, or strong liquors, will call for music, pipe, and harp, and it may be for persons of ill fame, and thus, you that suffer or allow such things, are nursers of bebauchery, and corrupters of them, and of your own families also. And also, such men when they are full of wine, or strong liquors, then they are got to that height that they are ready to quarrel and abuse, kill, or destroy one another, and sometimes kill other people, who do them no harm, as they are walking or travelling in the streets or highways. For when they are overcome by strong liquors, they are then fit and do lie open to all manner of wickedness. "And though you think by selling, or letting people have wine, or strong liquors, the more they drink, the more gain you think it brings you, and the more you vend your goods, the more profit you get; ah! do not you think, that God with his all-seeing eye, doth behold you and your actions? And, cannot the Lord soon bring a blasting upon all your undertakings, and such ungodly gain and profits, and whatsoever you have gained by your covetousness and from the lusts of others, through which they do destroy their estates, children, and families? Will not this bring destruction upon you and your unrighteous gain, which you have gotten by feeding their lusts? For that which feeds the destroying lust, must needs be destroyed, and the profit of that will not be given to you in the end.

"See what a dreadful woe the Lord pronounced against them, that rise up in the morning, that they may follow strong drink, that continue until night, till wine inflame them; then they call for the harp and viol, the tabret and the pipe, &c. But such regard `not the work of the Lord, neither consider the operation of his hands. A sad state! Wo unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and are men of strength to mingle strong drink. And therefore, all ought to shun such things; all are to be sober, and to mind and fear God, that they may escape these woes, as you may see in Isa. chap. v.

"God will destroy them that destroy the earth, Rev. xii. 18. Drunkenness makes a man worse than a beast, and makes a strong man weak, and a wise man a fool." 1682.

ADVICES.

against the old mass-houses and the repairing of them.

"And against the pricsts' and the world's joining in marriages.

"And your testimony against swearing and the world's corrupt manners.

"And against all looseness, pleasures and profaneness, whatsoever.

"And against all the world's evil ways, vain worships and religions, and to stand up for God's.

"And to see that restitution be made by every one, that hath done wrong to any.

"And that all differences be made up speedily, that they do not fly abroad to corrupt people's minds.

"And that all reports be stopped that tend to the defaming one another."

RECORDS OF BIRTHS AND DEATHS.

"Let one or two Friends of every meeting take an account of all the marriages, births and deaths, and carry them to the Monthly Meetings; and let one or two there be ordered to receive them, and record them in a book, which is to be kept at the Monthly Meetings. And from thence a copy of what is recorded, is to be brought to the Quarterly Meeting, and one or two Friends appointed there to receive them and to record them all in a book, which is to be kept for the whole county. And this will be most safe, that if one book should happen to be lost, the other may be preserved for the use of such as may have occasion." 1669.

BURYING GROUNDS.

"All Friends that are not already provided, speedily procure convenient burying-places, that thereby a testimony may stand against the superstitious idolizing of these places, called holy ground. For Abraham bought a place to bury his dead in, and would not bury them amongst the Egyptians and Canaanites. Jacob was brought out of Egypt, and Joseph, and they were buried in their grandfather's and father's burying-places. And so, Friends, get decent burying-places for your dead, and let them be decently and well fenced, that you may show a good example to the world in all things."

ACCOUNTS OF SUFFERINGS.