dearly, and honoured him truly; and, upon good experience, can say, he was indeed an heavenly minded man, zealous for the name of the Lord, and preferred the honour of God before all things."

"He was valiant for the truth; bold in asserting it; patient in suffering for it; unwearied in labouring in it; steady in his testimony to it; immoveable as a rock. Deep he was in divine knowledge; clear in opening heavenly mysteries; plain and powerful in preaching; fervent in prayer. He was richly endued with heavenly wisdom; quick in discerning; sound in judgment; able and ready in giving, discreet in keeping counsel; a lover of righteousness; an encourager of virtue, justice, temperance, meekness, purity, chastity, modesty, humility, charity, and self denial in all; both by word and example. Graceful he was in countenance; manly in personage; grave in gesture; courteous in conversation; weighty in communication; instructive in discourse; free from affectation in speech or carriage. A severe reprover of hard and obstinate sinners; a mild and gentle admonisher of such as were tender and sensible of their failings. Not apt to resent per sonal wrongs, easy to forgive injuries; but zealously earnest where the honour of God, the prosperity of truth, or the peace of the church was concerned. Very tender, compassionate and pitiful he was to all that were under any sort of affliction ;

full of brotherly love; full of fatherly care for indeed the care of the churches of Christ was daily upon him, the prosperity and peace whereof he studiously sought. Beloved he was of God; beloved of God's people; and, (which was not the least part of his honour,) the common butt of all apostates' envy, whose good, notwithstanding, he earnestly sought. He lived and died the servant of the Lord."

I have thought it necessary to be more particular in giving the character of George Fox thus at large, and from men the most capable and respectable in every sense of the word, because of the many injurious representations, which have been published respecting him. In every thing except learning, (and of this he had probably as much as many of the first preachers of the gospel,) his character will not suffer, on a fair comparison with those eminent Reformers, who first broke the shackles of popery, and were the means of emancipating nations from the yoke of the Romish hierarchy. Both he and they were no doubt subject to like passions as we are; and might occasionally evince the weaknesses of human nature; but in natural powers, in spiritual gifts, in disinterested and extensive gospel labour, and in those virtues which adorn the gospel of Christ, few, very few, I believe, have exceeded the subject of this. memoir.

E C

Many persons have been accustomed to view this extraordinary man, only through the eyes of his adversaries. If any of these should read this account of him, taken from the most authentic sources of information, it is hoped that they will be convinced of the injustice, with which his character has been generally drawn. Like those Reformers already alluded to, he was loaded with severe calumny and bitter reproaches, and, I believe it may be safely said, with no more regard to truth than they were. May those who are disposed to treat the memory of such a man injuriously, feel the force of the following lines, written by one of our best poets, after he had been describing a character similar to that which we have just delineated:

"Blush, calumny! and write upon his tomb, If honest eulogy can spare thee room,

Thy deep repentance of thy thousand lies,

Which, aim'd at him, have pierced th' offended skies;

And say, Blot out my sin, confess'd, deplored,

Against thine image, in thy Saint, O Lord!

FINIS.

Printed by C. PEACOCK,

York.

APPENDIX,

Containing an Account of George Fox's Publications_

THE Writings of George Fox, collected and published after his death, are contained in three folio volumes. The first is, "A Journal or Historical Account of his Life, Travels, Sufferings, Christian Experiences, and Labour of Love in the Work of the Ministry." It is preceded by several Testimonies concerning him, from his Relations and Friends; and by a long, but excellent Preface, written by Wm. Penn. From this Journal, which was published in 1694, and con-tains above 700 pages, the foregoing Account of him, is principally extracted.

The second Volume consists of" many Select and Christian Epistles and Testimonies, written on sundry Occasions." The number is 420: besides these, there are many Epistles contained in the first and third Volumes. George Whitehead has prefaced this Collection of Epistles, with some pertinent remarks on the Author, and his works. It was printed in. the year 1698, and contains 557 pages.

The third Volume is entitled, "Gospel Truth demonstrated, in a Collection of Doctrinal Books," &c. To this Volume, are also prefixed Testimonies concerning him from many of his Friends, by whom, it appears, he was not only much loved, whilst living, but that his memory was greatly revered, when he was removed from them. This Volume was printed in the year 1706; above fifteen years after his death. The Pieces are arranged chronologically; many of them are very short, and the title of each will be given at the close of this general Account. This Volume consists of

1090 pages, exclusive of the Testimonies, and a short Preface. Besides the Contents of these three Volumes, there are many other Publications, noticed by J. Whiting, in his Catalogue of Friends' Books.

George Fox, though not a man of learning, was, no doubt, a man of reading. In the Scriptures he was particularly well versed; and he appears to have read much in Ecclesiastical, and some other Histories. As an Author, we are often struck with the excellence of his matter, and the strength of his argument; though we must acknowledge a want of method and of polish, particularly in his early writings. For these purposes, learning is certainly very useful, and renders writtep works more agreeable, and in general more beneficial. But the want of learning, if a fault, was the fault of his parents, rather than of himself; and the defect was perhaps more than counterbalanced, by rendering his natural and spiritual gifts more conspicuous; and by more strongly evincing the power of that grace, by which he might say with. the Apostle, "I am what I am."

*It appears that he did not use the common translation, but either Cranmer's, or some other ancient version. One of these was placed, I suppose by him, in the Meeting-house which he built at Swarthmore. In a Note at the end of one of his Books, he mentions using "the antient approved Bible, printed in Queen Elizabeth's reign."