resigned a large living in the Church, to preach freely what he had freely received; that for this purpose he travelled not only in many parts of England, but likewise in foreign countries, and once over the Alps on foot, a great and perilous undertaking at that time; and in the midst of the very heart of the Romish Apostacy, did he " preach Christ, and him crucified." He defended the pure principles of Truth, from the venomous attacks and foul misrepresentations, of some of the most subtle, learned, and powerful disputants of his day; and it was given him clearly to foresee, as the work I have quoted will bear evidence, the state of contending parties as they are exhibited before us, at the present time on the public stage of affairs. He was frequently treated with great cruelty, by those who were in, as well as by those who were out of authority; confined in noisome prisons, and persecuted at last, even unto death," for he died a prisoner in Newgate, for the testimony of Jesus, and the Word of God," in the year 1665; and in truth may it be said, that he was one of those " of whom the world was not worthy." His labours were highly esteemed by his brethren, and his controversial writings received a most powerful, but unsophisticated and merited eulogium, from the hand of William Penn. The quotation I have made, is therefore very conclusive as to the views of the early Friends, with respect to the Holy Scriptures. How far they were right or wrong, is seen by the Scriptures themselves-to a higher authority, the principles of Isaac Crewdson, and the Reviewers, forbid an appeal; and though they (the Scriptures) declare, that a higher authority, we are to " hear in

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all things;" it is still most strangely and irrationally insisted on, that "nothing can be heard in the way of salvation, but by the Scriptures; thus, like the Jews, they think that in THEM, they have eternal life."

There is a wide difference, be it remembered, between acknowledging the just worth of all such things, as it has pleased the Almighty at different times to communicate to our fellow-creatures, for general or particular ends and purposes, and bowing down as to an infallible, unerring, and supreme judge, to such records of those communications, as some few men of worldly power and literary attainments, have thought fit to select and constitute for that purpose. The events and matter of the Bible sweep over a vast portion of time, and though the light of Divine Truth may be seen upon every page; yet it comprises almost an infinite variety of shades, more or less bright, the brightest of which extends no farther than to the mere surface of the mind's apprehension, and is incapable by virtue of its own intrinsic power, as the Reviewers and Isaac Crewdson themselves confess, of searching to the root of the matter, of penetrating to the heart, so as "to produce fruit unto holiness." But that same Holy Spirit, "the Creator of the ends of the earth who fainteth not, neither is weary," and who alone can thus effectually and rightly make application of the "mere written" records of his former communications, CAN also afford fresh and living supplies of his grace, mercy, and goodness, to the children of men direct, from the eternal and inexhaustible source of his unspeakable Providence and love. Of the same Spiritual Rock that the

fathers drank, and that Rock was Christ," so CAN we. That "bread which came down from Heaven,” can still be given to those who hunger; and although there appears to the sight of many, but "five loaves and two fishes," yet CAN the innumerable multitudes of our fallen brethren throughout the world, "eat and be filled."

CHAPTER VII.

"WHEN I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation," &c., wrote an Apostle formerly to one of the Christian congregations of his day; and clearly as the whole tenor of Scripture testimony bears out the important fact, that "God is no respecter of persons," that "his tender mercies are over all his works-that Christ is the "propitiation for the sins of the whole world"—that "he will recompense every man according to his works," and that "as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive,"-clearly, distinctly, and expressly, as salvation is declared to be

common salvation;" yet, strange perversity-marvellous "hebetude of vision," that men, whose “ultimate appeal for the truth of every doctrine," is stated to be the very book which announces a "common salvation," should, nevertheless, in open contempt of the sentence of the judge, which themselves have chosen to try their cause, interrogate,—whether "it would not be presumptuously to fly in the face of Divine Wisdom, for us to say that men are converted without the knowledge of the Gospel, (meaning the Scriptures) by outward means?" Is it not a most remarkable illustration of the force of prejudice,* the obstinacy of opinion, the blindness of party, or the venality and adamant-cased

* I do not pretend to specify the real root of this doctrine, I only interrogate, whether it does not proceed from one of several causes. It may arise from prejudice in some, and from other motives in others.

heart of bigotry, fanaticism and priestcraft, that flatly contradicting the express declaration of their "highest rule," which says that salvation is a "common salvation," they should insist that it is not "common, but particular? That they should construe the Gospel to mean a certain portion of holy men's writings, and that sinners are converted from the errors of their ways, and salvation is a boon to those ONLY, who can gain access to these writings? That this may be the Gospel according to Isaac Crewdson and the Reviewers, is one thing, but that it is really the Gospel according to the Disciples and Apostles of Christ, as it appears in the writings of those that are preserved to us at this day, is another thing, and which I most plainly and unconditionally deny. The Apostle Paul, in writing to the Colossians, says of the Gospel, that 'it is come into all the world," and that it "was preached to every creature which is under heaven." Now, we know the Bible is not come into all the world," nor has it been heard of by a thousandth part of the creatures that are, or have been under heaven. Unless therefore contraries be alike, disagreement, agreement-light, darknessand darkness light-unless a thing could have come into all the world, and not have come into all the world, but only into a part of it—unless there is a something, which has been preached to every creature under heaven, and yet not have been preached to every creature under heaven, but only to a comparatively small portion of creatures under heaven;-then, and then only, can the Gospel and the Bible be one and the same thing. I am aware of the construction most comporting with the particular bent of some people's minds," that has been put upon the words, "all the world" in this place :

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