be of all men most miserable: and in this my great distress and bowed-down condition, I begged of the Lord, that he would give me another opportunity, and try me once more; promising, that I would give up all for the Truth's sake, and be faithful to the death, so that I might enjoy the immortal crown of life: I waiting low in this condition, in meekness of spirit, the Lord heard me, and had compassion of his own, which then breathed after him, and gave me my desire, that was, another opportunity, that I might bear my testimony against that ever to be denied thing of Tithe. So the time came, and I was freely given up, not looking out at any thing, though my besetments were many, by that old serpent which at first drew my mind out, but the great God gave me power, as my eye was kept single to him, against all the wiles of the enemy, which were many, both within and without; the presence of the Lord was daily with me, and his powerful arm did mightily uphold me, although he suffered the enemy to try me, and cast me into prison, where I have been this ten years; it seems to be but as a little time, by reason of that endless love and life of God, which he hath manifested unto me in his Son, Christ Jesus; who hath refreshed my soul day by day, ever since that good resolution was taken up by me, to give up all for the truth's sake: Six troubles hath the Lord delivered me out of, and in seven he will not leave me; although my exercises have been many, it hath been for the trial of my faith and obedience to God. Happy was the day that ever I was cast into prison; I have no cause to repent; praises endless to the Lord God for evermore, saith my soul; although the adversary of my soul presented heavy things to my view, what would become of my children, if I were cast into piison; as if there would have been a want. But I have seen by the light of Christ, that he was a lying serpent; for the Lord God hath (ever since that day that my face was turned Sion-ward) blessed and preserved me and mine, and hath given us all things necessary for a comfortable being in this life: And therefore, none be discouraged, nor look out at any thing without; but give up all in true obedience to the Lord; let not these outward perishing things hinder better things to come: for of a truth God is with us who are faithful, and it is his cause we stand for and suffer for, who will uphold and carry through to the end all those who are freely given up in this matter, against all their opposers and persecutors whatsoever: this is my testimony, and this I am a witness of in measure. Happy are all those who suffer for very conscience and Christ's sake, they that suffer for Christ's sake shall assuredly reign with him. Therefore dear Friends, I leave it upon you all, who are any ways concerned in this matter, that there be no under-hand nor double dealing, in any measure; for that wounds the life of those whose testimony stands firm, and strengtheneth the hands of the enemy; and this I have felt, in some measure, since I have been a prisoner, which constrains me thus to write; therefore, be careful for time to come, and ease me of my burden, and bear a faithful and public testimony against that spirit of Anti-christ, which rules in the hearts of the children of disobedience; I say fall not under any thing which dishonoreth the Lord God; and have a care of grieving his people; but be valiant for the truth upon earth, and great will be your reward. But happily some may say, mine is to an impropriator, and therefore I cannot see so clearly to the end of it as to the priest. My Friend, this was my state and condition for some time; I paid to the priest and impropriator, and the priest I could and did deny some time before I could see clearly to the end of the other, by reason of the vail that then covered my heart, and darkened my understanding, so that I could not see clearly to the end of those things which Christ had put an end unto; but as I waited low in the light of Christ, the son of God, the vail was taken off, and then I saw clearly and perfectly, the one was to be denied as well as the other; and if I paid the impropriator, I might as well pay the priest; for the ground is one in both, it is as really tithe to the impropriator, as to the priest; and it was tithe I could ADDRESS TO AN UNWELCOME VISITOR. 25 not uphold, and great cause I had for it, because in so doing I denied the Lord of life, and Christ saith, he that denieth me before men, him will I deny before my father which is in Heaven: therefore I advise all Friends, that they stand clear in this thing; for such as you sow, such must you reap. And this is my testimony for the Lord God, they that uphold any one, [either] are guilty of both. By one who is a lover of the truth, and made willing to suffer for the same, and to follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth, Nicholas Homwood. From the Kings-Bench Prison in the 9th Month, 1675. ART. IV.-Address to an unwelcome Visitor. 1809. I name thee not, unsocial power! Presiding o'er the gloomy hour, Who bid'st the lab'ring heart beat slow, And ever, with a leaden frown, Ill fares the wretch (affliction's prey) And yet to move it strangely wants the will. Now, while no gloomy thoughts oppress, Thee, absent, let me thus address, (Yet not as mine or wisdom's foe, As they that have dismiss'd thee know, Were the sad climax of man's misery, Still be thy visit short, O Melancholy! Stay but to chasten wit, and clip the wings of Folly. ART. V.-Ten sentences: from a young man's Commonplace-book. 1. Expressions of regret at giving trouble, and a seeming anxiousness about it, are not true politeness: they tend to take off the obligation from the receiver: an open honest freedom is preferable. E Prefaces and passages and excusations and other speeches of reference to the person are a great waste of time; and though they seem to proceed of modesty they are [in fact pride and] bravery.' Bacon. 2. Real love exalts the affections, purifies the passions, and increases the delicate susceptibility of the mind. Content with the simplicity which itself inspires, it despises [in what it communicates] the affectation of ornament and the embellishments of wit. 3. To him [the wise man, we may suppose] the Earth with men upon it will not seem much other than an Ant-hill: where some ants carry corn, and some carry their young, and some go empty—and all to and from a little heap of dust! Bacon. 4. Musick is thought to have some affinity with dancing, and a good hand upon some instruments is, by many people, mightily valued. But it wastes so much of a young man's time, to gain but a moderate skill in it, and engages often in such odd company, that many think it much better spared. And I have, amongst men of parts or business, so seldom heard any one commended or esteemed for having an excellency in musick, that, amongst all those things that ever came into the list of accomplishments, I think I may give it the last place.' Locke, B. iii, 91, on Education. 5. Genius, without the improvement at least of experience, is what Comets once were thought to be, a blazing meteor, irregular in his course and dangerous in his approach-of no use to any system, and able to destroy any. Bolingbroke. 6. The learned Casaubon, in his observations on Theophrastus, as cited by one of the Commentators, informs us, that there were at Athens and other cities of Greece, Fraternities, which paid into a common chest a monthly contribution, towards the support of such of their members as had fallen into misfortune-upon condition that if ever they arrived to more prosperous circumstances they should repay into the General Fund the money so advanced.' From Melmoth's Pliny Letter 94. Similar institutions but on a more liberal plan are now [1794] gaining ground in many parts of England, by the name of Sick Clubs: It may be added that the word 'common' is of Greek origin, derived from the term they used both for herbage and eating together: komē, kōmos Gr. herba, comessatio, Lat. 7. A Curate having read in the church the text 'O fools and slow of heart (that is, backward) to believe all that the prophets have spoken' and placed the emphasis on the word believe, as if Christ had called them fools for believing, on the Rector's finding fault with him, placed it the next time upon all; as if it had been foolish in the disciples to believe all. The Rector again blaming his manner of laying the emphasis, he put it on the word prophets; as if the prophets had been persons in no respect worthy of belief. This removal of the difficulty from place to plaee, till no word was left to accent but the last (and ANECDOTES OF MINISTERS. 27 which would have made only written prophecy credible) does not after all teach us, that the emphasis is in fact no where in all the sentence: which should be read as the French read theirs, without a stop or variation of the voice in any part: yet is it emphatical, taken all together. 8. John Hill, sometime Superintendant of Friends' School at Ackworth, having been at a Friend's in London to dine, was met at going out by his hostess, who apologized for having left the company so long, on the score of family business, adding withal a few complaints about matters (at a very good dinner) not in such order as she could wish. 'Yes,' replied the aged Friend, coolly, I know you women have many troubles to encounter, but you run to meet some of them, instead of letting them come on their own pace!' 1794. 6 9. The Slovenly, in style, exemplified-Nevertheless I wish, whatever be the modesty of those who impute, that the imputation was a little more true, the Catholic cause would not be quite so desperate with the present administration.' Letters on the subject of the Catholics. It should be: Nevertheless I could wish, whatever the modesty of those who have made the imputation, that it were in itself a little more true. The Catholic cause wonld not then be quite so desperate with the present administration. 10. The Ludicrous exemplified-The effects of penal laws in matters of religion are never confined to those limits in which the Legislature intended they should be placed: it is not only that I am excluded from certain offices and dignities because I am a Catholic [or dissenter] but the exclcusion carries with it a certain stigma, which degrades me in the eyes of the monopolizing sect, and the very name of my religion becomes odious. These effects are so very striking in England, that I solemnly believe blue and red baboons to be more popular here than Catholics and Presbyterians. They are more understood, and there is a greater disposition to do something for them. When a country squire hears of an ape, his first feeling is to give it nuts and apples: when he hears of a dissenter, his immediate impulse is, to commit it to the county jail, to shave its head, to alter its customary food and to have it privately whipped! This is no caricature, but an accurate picture of national feelings [1808] as they degrade and endanger us at this very moment. Peter Plymnley's Letters on the subject of the Catholics, &c. 11th Edit. ART. VI.-Anecdotes of silenced and ejected Ministers; From Calamy: Continued. "Bridgewater: John Norman, M. A. of Exeter Coll. Oxon, where he was at first servitor to Dr. Conant the worthy Rector. He owed his learning, under God, to the Doctor's good instructions. He had good natural parts, and by his industry acquired a considerable stock of learning both human and Divine. He removed from the University to this place, where he was much respected and very useful, till the Bartholomew-act ejected him. He was an acceptable preacher, of an exemplary carriage and conversation.-About sixteen months after his ejectment he was sent together with several others to the County goal, and there made a close prisoner for preaching to the people in private. He appeared as a prisoner at the bar, before Judge Foster in his circuit for the Summer Assizes, 1663. And though he was a man of a very grave presence and carriage yet the Judge handled him very roughly. Sirrah (said he to him) do you preach? Yes, my Lord.And why so, Sirrah? Because I was ordained to preach the Gospel. How was you ordained? In the same manner as Timothy. And how was that? By the laying on of the hands of the Presbytery. Which answer the Judge repeated over and over again, with some concern about it. And yet his sentence was, to pay £100 fine and to lie in prison till it was paid! He continued a prisoner for about a year and a half, until Baron Hale going that circuit took notice of him, and found out a way to compound the Fine at sixpence in the pound. But Judge Foster, returning home from his circuit to Egham in Surrey, could not forget Mr. Norman's answer, about the laying on of the hands of the Presbytery. For, by a good token, a Gentleman whom he respected coming to him about business, he made him wait two long hours before he came down, and at last gave this for his excuse, that he had been searching his books about an odd answer a fellow made him in the West, who told him he was ordained like Timothy by the laying on of the hands of the Presbytery; which he could find nothing of! While the Judge handled Mr. Norman so roughly, he with great gravity told him that their ingenuous education at the University, and holy calling in the ministry, not stained with any unworthy action merited good words from his Lordship, and better usage from the world. And when the Judge seemed the more inflamed, and the more bent upon pouring on him all possible contempt, he said, 'Sir, you must ere long appear before a greater Judge, to give an account of your actions; and for your railing on me, the servant of that great Judge.' Which words were remembered by many upon the sudden death of that Judge not long after, when he fell sick and died in the circuit, before he got to London or had made his Postea, wherein extravagant fines are usually mitigated. As Mr. Norman was going to Ilchester gaol, the officers passed by the Sheriff's house, and would by all means call there. The High Sheriff's lady began to upbraid Mr. Norman, and after other words said to him, 'Where is your God, now, that suffers you to be carried to prison?' Mr. Norman: 'Madam, have you a Bible in the house? Yes, we are not so heathenish as to be without a Bible.' [The lady's heathenism was of another sort, it seems, and not very unlike Jezebel's.] He being importunate for one, a Bible was at last brought, and he read the words of Micah: Rejoice not against me O mine enemy: when I fall I shall arise; when I sit in darkness the |