a knowledge of human nature, and of the paths to wisdom and happiness, at an early age, that, though he is known by his countenance to be but a young mariner, he is enabled to conduct his bark through the dangerous rocks and shoals of life, with greater safety than many others, who have been longer on the ocean of this probationary world.

I may observe, again, as the second fact, that it is not unusual to hear persons say that you seldom see a disorderly member of this Society, or that a Quaker-prostitute or a Quaker-criminal is unknown. These declarations, frequently and openly made, show at least that there is an opinion among the world at large that the Quakers are a moral people.

The mention of this last fact leads me to the notice and the correction of an error, which I have found to have been taken up by individuals. It is said by these that the Society is very wary with respect to its disorderly members; for that when any of them behave ill they are expelled it, in order to rescue it from the disgrace of a bad character. Thus, if a woman, belonging to it, were discovered to be a prostitute, or a man, belonging to it, to be taken up for a criminal offence, no disgrace could attach to this, as it would to other communities; for if in the. course of a week, after a discovery had been made of their several offences, any person were to state that two such members had become infamous, it would be retorted upon him that they were not members of the Society.

It will be proper to observe upon the subject of

this error, that, if the parties in question were not disowned previously to the discovery of such infamous conduct, the rules of the Society would not admit of expulsion in the hasty manner supposed. But it is more probable that these persons, long before such facts could be known, had been both admonished and disowned, than that the Quakers would have occasion to disown them after the discovery of such infamy. For there is great truth in the old maxim," Nemo repentè fuit turpissimus," or no man was ever all at once a rogue." So in the case of these persons, as of all others, they must have been vicious by degrees; they must have shown symptoms of some deviations from rectitude, before the measure of their iniquity could have been completed. But by the constitution of Quakerism, as will appear soon, no person of the Society can be found erring, even for the first time, without being liable to be privately admonished. These admonitions may be repeated for weeks, or for months, or even for years, before the subjects of them are pronounced so incorrigible as to be disowned. There is great reason therefore to presume, in the case before us, though the offenders in question would have undoubtedly been disowned by the Quakers, after they were known to be such, yet that they had been disowned long before their offences had been made public.

Upon the whole, it may be allowed that young Quakers arrive at the knowledge of just sentiments, or at the true wisdom of life, earlier than those who are inured to the fashions of the world: and

ât may be allowed, also, that the Quakers, as a body, are a moral people. Now, these effects will generally be considered as the result of education; and though the prohibitions of the Quakers may not be considered as the only instruments of producing these effects, yet they must be allowed to be component parts of the system, which produces them.

DISCIPLINE

OF

THE QUAKERS.

CHAPTER I.

SECTION I.

Discipline of two kinds as it relates to the regu lation of the internal affairs of the Society or to the cognisance of immoral conduct-Difficulty of procuring obedience to moral precepts this attempted to be obviated by George Fox-outlines of his system for this purpose additions made to his system since his time-objections to the system considered this system, or the discipline of the Quakers, as far as this branch of it is concerned, the great foundation-stone on which their moral education is supported.

THE Discipline of the Quakers is divisible into two parts. The first may comprehend the Regu lation of the Internal Affairs of the Society, such as the management of the poor belonging to it; the granting of certificates of removal to its members; the hearing of their appeals upon various occasions; the taking cognisance of their proposals