THE

DECLINE OF QUAKERISM.

CHAPTER I.

INTRODUCTION.

"GOD is a Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth." Such was the authoritative statement of Him who is "the way, the truth, and the life," and through whom alone true worship can be rendered. "Believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father." Such was the exposition which He gave of the signs of the times. The divinely-appointed worship at Jerusalem, and the human will-worship of Gerizim, were both to come to an end, and be replaced by the worship in spirit and in truth. The Jewish observances in keeping with that whole system received from heaven, and of which the pattern was shewed to Moses in the mount, as well as the Samaritan ritual, which could never plead a "Thus saith the Lord," were to cease. Time was when, while it could be said to the Samaritans, “Ye worship ye know not what ;" it might be added by the Jew, "We know what we worship; for salvation is of the Jews." But the hour was coming when the Jewish as well as every other ceremonial was to pass away, and when a spiritual service apart from the ritual would alone

A

be required. And though there were few who received His report, and to whom the arm of the Lord was revealed, yet we may suppose there were some who descried this coming change in the economy of grace. Simeon was one of those who were "waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him." And he recognised Jesus as "the Lord's Christ;" and when he took Him up in his arms, he said, "Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace, according to Thy word: for mine eyes have seen Thy salvation, which Thou hast prepared before the face of all people; a light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of Thy people Israel." Anna "departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day;" and when she saw Jesus, she "spake of Him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem." These aged saints, thus rejoicing in the coming of Jesus, seem to have recognised Him as "the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth." And there may have been others besides these, who, in their observance of the law, had an eye to its spiritual signification. However this may have been, the eyes even of apostles were but imperfectly opened to the spiritual character of the dispensation which they were to introduce, and that after the resurrection of Jesus. But on the day of Pentecost the truth was borne in upon their hearts with overwhelming power, and, under the influence of the Spirit, they proclaimed it holdly and successfully. That they never afterwards compromised matters, and mixed up the ceremonial with the spiritual, it would be too much, in the face of the inspired statement that Peter was to be blamed for trimming with respect to the Jews, and in the face of other circumstances recorded in the book of Acts, to affirm; though their epistles contain principles which condemn all such compromises. That there was a strong tendency on the part of the early Church to return to the ceremonial of the old economy is apparent, Acts xv. 1. To the Galatians Paul puts the question, "Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit are ye now made perfect by [or, do ye now end in the flesh?" and

again-"After that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?" Gal. iii. 3, iv. 9; while throughout he reminds them that "a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump," Gal. v. 9. To the Colossians he writes-" Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. Wherefore, if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances (touch not, taste not, handle not; which all are to perish with the using), after the commandments and doctrines of men? which things have indeed a show of wisdom in will-worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body; not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh," Col. ii. 8, 20-23.

This tendency, though it may have been checked for a time, shewed itself more fully as time progressed, till at length the little leaven had so affected the whole lump, the ceremonial had so taken the place of the spiritual, that while little life remained, all the more important features of the old economy-the altars, the sacrifices, the priests, the robes, &c.-had in name been restored. That there were always some who rose above these opinions, who took a more spiritual view of the Gospel, we would willingly believe. But it would be difficult now to trace the line, as these have been doubtless ranked among heretics, and their opinions much misrepresented by their contemporaries. That such parties always died out in one or two generations is probably to be accounted for by the mixture of some weak or carnal element in their systems.

In the seventeenth century, however, a sect appeared in England, laying claim to greater spirituality than those around them, which grew and multiplied in the face of persecution, and which has continued to the present day. It "at one time bore a powerful witness to the world concerning some of the errors to which it is most prone, and some of the truths which are the most necessary to it." And