their lifeless hypocritical profession and dead formalities, and to turn to the true light of Christ Jesus in their hearts, that therein they might come to know the power of God, and the remission of sins, &c. And in the year 1659 he travelled to Ireland, and preached the truth and true faith of Jesus in many parts of that nation. About the seventh month, 1659, he met with Robert Lodge, 'a minister, concerned in the same work, with whom he joined, and they laboured together in that nation twelve months in the work of the Gospel, and return'd to Cumberland the seventh month, 1660. And in the year 1662 he travell'd to London, where he met with G. Fox, R. Hubberthorne, and E. Borroughs; and in his returning home thro' Yorkshire, at Rippon, he was committed to prison, and kept fourteen weeks, for visiting the Friends prisoners there, and exhorting them. After he was discharged of that imprisonment, he returned home, where he abode, except visiting Friends in adjacent counties, till the beginning of summer, 1664. He took shipping for Ireland, and visited most meetings in that nation, and from thence embarqued for Barbadoes, in order to his journey into America, which had lain before him for four years past; and from Gallway he arrived at Barbadoes, after seven weeks sailing, and stayed three or four months there, and had great service, and much exercise also, occasioned by the imaginations of John Parrot, and that fleshly liberty he had led many into, not only there, but in Virginia and other places: from whence he went to Maryland, about the second month, 1665, afterwards to Virginia, labouring in the work of the Gospel; and in

the fourth month, 1666, came to New York, so to Rhoad Island, New England, and Long Island, till the second month, 1667. He arrived again in Barbadoes, and spent that summer there; and in the seventh month of the same year, arrived at Milford Haven in England, and labour'd much in the Gospel in this nation, from the time of his arrival from America, till the latter end of the year 1666, that he did spend that winter among Friends in Ireland, and return'd to London in the year 1670, and in the fifth month embarqued for Barbadoes again, in company with William Simpson, who died in peace with the Lord in that island; from thence he went to New York, Long Island, Rhoad Island, and New England, and afterwards to Virginia, and Maryland, where he met George Fox, and several brethren, just come from Jamaica; afterwards having spent much time and labour up and down in America, till the 25th of the second month, 1673, they came from the capes of Virginia, and arrived at Gallaway in Ireland, the 24th of the third month, and to the yearly meeting at London, in 1674; and from that time he continued in this nation, labouring among the churches, until the eighth month, 1683. He went to Ireland again, and tarry'd there till the sixth month, 1684; then he came into Cumberland, and so to Scotland, and into the north parts of England again, visiting the meetings of Friends, and so returned to Ireland, the 25th of the first month, 1685, where he tarry'd till he departed this life."

Dissent now took the specific form in which it has subsequently appeared, so far as separation in worship is

concerned. Some of the ministers who held livings during the Commonwealth, formed churches within their parishes, composed of persons whom they accredited as godly. They next proceeded further, and constituted those whom they considered to be worthy communicants, though residing in several parishes, into one church, for the sake of convenience. This practice excited the anger of such as held the communion, and other church rites, to be the common property of the parishioners. The controversy was commenced by the publication of an apology for administering the Lord's Supper in a select company, published by the Puritan party; and was continued by William Morice, of Werrington in Devonshire, in a folio overflowing with misapplied learning, entitled "The Common Right to the Lord's Supper asserted in a Diatribe and Defence thereof." The policy of the Establishment clearly required the adoption of the latter practice; the constitution of Nonconforming associations equally necessitated the former; and thus the breach between the two was widened and rendered impassable by a total difference in discipline. One result was, that those parish ministers who had gathered churches independent of their parishes, during their incumbency, found, on their expulsion from the parishes, such churches ready to receive and support them. This was the case with Caryl of St. Magnus, Bridge of Yarmouth, and a number of others; and in this manner originated several of the Dissenting churches which still exist.

CHAPTER XIV.

The Reigns of Charles E., James E., and William H.

IT may be an equally instructive task to follow the downward course of a noble institution as to trace its rise, but it is not so interesting. The study of the causes and courses of degeneracy or misfortune is practically useful to all who are under a common liability to their occurrence; but it has neither the zest of novelty, nor the attractions of hope, to recommend it.

The latter half of the seventeenth century is a period of constant decline: great men lost heart. Persecution from avowed enemies would have been in accordance with precedent, but persecution from avowed friends was hard to bear. Faith and patience were, in many instances, unequal to the trial, and embarrassment led to inaction.

The course of the legislation concerning religion was most mischievous. Piety was mocked, profanity encouraged.

The King soon disappointed the hopes he had excited by his declaration in Holland concerning religious toleration.

The Savoy Conference, in 1661, between the Episcopalians who had now returned to power, and the Presbyterians who had been driven from it, was governed by foregone conclusions. In 1662, the Act of Uniformity, and the resulting Bartholomew evictions, deprived the Established religion of two thousand able, conscientious ministers. In 1665, the Act rendering it penal for any gathering of Nonconformists to be held within five miles of a market town, was a blow at the means for sustaining piety in the provinces. In 1669 and 1670, the legislation against conventicles, pressed sorely against the old Evangelicals. The dispensation with these laws, effected by Royal proclamation in 1672, in order to favour Popery, was not satisfactory to any party. In 1675, the Test Act, making the reception of the sacrament in the Episcopalian Church a necessary qualification for office, degraded religion. In 1685, the accession of James II. and the relaxation of penal statutes, with the view of again establishing Popery, was met by the revolt of the bishops, and led to the abdication and change of government in 1689; after which toleration in matters of religion became a recognized principle of our legislation.

The spiritual declension fostered by the course of these political changes commenced at the Restoration, and first manifested itself in the changed aspect of things at Court and in the upper ranks of society. Godliness was again driven into disfavour and obscurity. Concurrently with this, there also began to prevail amongst the public teachers of religion a lower standard of doctrine respecting the divinity of our Lord, and the value of His atonement. This soon produced visible decay in public piety, for it