OF THE LIFE OF

THOMAS

ELLWOOD

OR AN ACCOUNT OF HIS BIRTH, EDUCATION, ETC., WITH
DIVERS OBSERVATIONS ON HIS LIFE AND MANNERS WHEN
A YOUTH; AND HOW HE CAME TO BE CONVINCED OF THE
TRUTH; WITH HIS MANY SUFFERINGS AND SERVICES FOR
THE SAME; ALSO SEVERAL OTHER REMARKABLE
PASSAGES AND OCCURRENCES WRITTEN
BY HIS OWN HAND

In the heart of every man there exists some belief in religion, or at least a desire for such a belief. It would be pleasant even to the sternest sceptic to believe that the talisman could somewhere be discovered, which other men have rejoiced to possess; for if that were in his possession, he might throw off his armour of stoical endurance. No longer need he vex himself over the gulf between his morality and his conduct, no longer need he helplessly watch the evil of the world impatient of slow remedies, eager to anticipate the cure men scarcely dare to hope for. Indeed, if one consider the temptation offered to the sceptic, it is surprising that any one can resist it. Mankind engaged in a slow and doubtful struggle with its own passions, its own ignorance, and with the forces of nature, may well desire an omnipotent ally; and when most have attained a belief in such a helper, it is strange to find here and there a solitary man who, armoured in his own mind, rejects the watchword of his fellows. It is when this temper has grown common to many, that new religions arise. The death of the old-established creeds is the signal for the birth of new. The mind of man admits but a short season of fallow after such harvests.

The history of English religions during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries is the history of the successive! rejection of belief. From Catholic the nation became Protestant and Episcopal; but the active spirits could not stop there. They drifted from one phase of belief to

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another, seeking the religion they desired and never finding it. Some became Presbyterians; some Baptists and Independents of various types; some fell into the extravagances of the Ranters; and some became, as they said themselves, "Seekers". The people who went by this name are known to have existed in England as early as 1617,1 and their numbers gradually increased during the following years. To their minds the power of Antichrist had so prevailed in the world that no true Christianity was left in it; the spirit that spoke from the lips of the Apostles was silent; the Churches were the mere creation of man. All that the faithful followers of Christ could do was to meet together without forms or ceremonies, and hope for a new revelation to lift mankind again. They used no sacraments, neither baptism nor any form of communion, thinking that both were useless and possibly might be the work of Satan.

To this sect the spiritually discontented turned from all sides. Ceremonies had lost their attraction, and the priesthood its authority. It seemed best to those bent upon finding a religious life to meet each other quietly, and sit in silence expecting the spirit to move them to some good word. It was the prevalence of this temper that gave George Fox his opportunity, and that did much to determine that England was not to be a Presbyterian country.

At first sight it might seem that in rejecting Presbyterianism, the religious minds of England were straying from the right path. The Scotch creed and discipline have, at first sight, so much to offer; the one provides an intellectual training coupled with possibilities for enthusiasm, a combination rare in the history of religions; the other supplies a moral force acting so powerfully on the

[Barclay, Inner Life of the Religious Societies of the Commonwealth P. 173, etc.]

individual, that a permanent motive against misconduct must be always before him. Between them these two forces were building up an organisation of thought and order throughout the Lowlands of Scotland. The only things lacking were liberty of thought and liberty of conduct. These, however, were the very things for which the English nation had been striving for some time. A few extreme men may have been ready to struggle against ceremonies and doctrines; but many more were ready to fight to throw off the domination of the ecclesiastical courts, and the moral and religious censorship exercised by them. The censorship of the Presbytery was likely to be more inquisitive than the court of the bishop, and its penalties were not less severe. Liberty of thought and liberty of conduct were endangered; and the mass of the nation drifted slowly into opposition to the Presbyterian creed and discipline.

So far as the Quakers were concerned, the rejection of Presbyterianism gave them a great opportunity. It left a gap that needed filling up. Their organisation soon grew as complete and extensive as any Presbyterian Church could have provided; and the flexibility of their creed saved them from the perilous accusation of tyranny. The church of the Commonwealth was in no condition to offer much resistance. Its ministers were drawn from such various sources, and appointed in such various ways, that no common creed or principle of action could be found to unite them. Moreover, the Quakers had an obvious line of attack upon them. In common with many others, they had made up their minds that they would receive no man for a Christian, unless he gave proof that the spirit was in him, and would have no man for a minister unless he had some proof to give that he was the successor of the Apostles. Accordingly, in the many controversies which