has often arisen in my heart-" They have laboured, and ye have entered into their rest ;" and I believe that their patient endurance of suffering; the testimony which they bore to the important and unchangeable principles of religion; and the evidence which they gave of the sincerity of their profession, should be held in remembrance by their successors in religious profession; it should stimulate us, my dear young friends, to a deep self-examination, that we may, like them, go into an impartial inquiry, in regard to the ground of our principles, and the solemn obligations that rest upon us, to maintain pure and uncorrupted the doctrines and the precepts of Jesus Christ our Lord.

They did not profess to teach any new doctrine; -they did not profess to advance any new principles; but they professed to hold the doctrines of the gospel of Jesus Christ as plainly declared in the scriptures. "We never refuse," said one of these, one of the early members of the Society of Friends, "We never refuse, and never shall, to bring all our doctrines and practices to the scripture to be tried by them as the judge and test." They declared that our principles were to be found in the scripture, one by one; that all our doctrines were expressed in scripture words, without addition or commentary. Here they took a bold, decided. stand, and in that controversial warfare in which they were engaged they still referred to the testimony of the holy scripture in support of the whole system which they endeavoured to maintain, and which they did maintain, through much deep suffering.

As the principles of church government which they endeavoured to establish were very simple, so they were in perfect accordance with the records

of the holy scripture: they assumed as an undeniable principle that Christ Jesus is the head of his own church; that the body is to be under his government and direction; and thus while the doctrines of the gospel and the precepts respecting our relative duties remain unchanged, the measures to be adopted by the church, and the regulation of the offices being under the direction of the great Head of the church, will be adapted to the condition of those on whom they are to operate from time to time. Thus we find, my friends, in an early period of the christian church, we find the collected believers engaged in framing a constitution under the direction of Divine wisdom: various subjects were brought before them, on which they entered into discussion, and they resulted as they believed, and undoubtedly believed truly, under the direction of the Holy Ghost; thus it was that officers were appointed for the administration of the temporal concerns of the church, when those seven individuals, of whom Stephen was one, were appointed; thus also we find every important question brought before the apostles and Elders, and the multitude of believers present, in which there was an open and free discussion, and finally a conclusion come to which is thus expressed " It seemeth meet unto the Holy Ghost and unto

us.

And thus my friends we find that on this simple principle, the government of Christ in his own church was established; they were assembled, they looked to him for the unfolding of his counsel, and they felt the blessing of waiting for his instruction. In that system of church governinent established in the Society of Friends, in which our dear forefathers were concerned to have a reference to these holy examples, we find provision for

many and important advantages, and whilst there are humbling evidences that no form, no system whatever can effectually shield us from the introduction of improper feelings, still referring to this great and important principle,—of the necessity of seeking for the prevalence of divine influence,while we are brought to recognize the testimony laid down by our early friends, that the best regulations that can be framed are liable to be perverted, we find in our religious society much, very much which our members, and in an especial manner our junior members, should highly prize. Yes, my friends, I believe we should highly prize the great advantages that we enjoy in our system of religious meetings, not only for worship but also for church concerns; the regulations are ample, so far I apprehend as regulations well can go, for exercising a care over the ministry that it may be preserved pure and unadulterated; and ample provision is made in the order of our society for attending to all its various concerns; the right order and walking of its members, and our obedience to our religious concerns. How forcibly do the regulations apply to individual practice; what a watchful care is enjoined in our individual watchfulness one over another, and how are they exercising that care in a manner precisely in accordance with the precepts of Jesus Christ our Lord.

But taking a more expanded and general view of this church government, may we not turn to one and a very deeply interesting subject,-I allude to the emancipation of those whom we may justly denominate as the suffering children of oppression-yes, my dear friends, strange as it may seem, the practice of slavery found an entrance into this religious society, in an early

period of its history ;-our dear forefathers were men of like passions with others; their views and calculations of temporal advantage were similar to those of their fellow professors of the christian name, under other denominations; and many, very many, slaves were held by members of the Society of Friends; but it was in a very early period of our history, that the idea arose in the minds of individuals with regard to this practice, it was seen and felt to be inconsistent with the simple plain precepts of the gospel, as contained in Holy Scripture. This idea was not only expressed by individuals in ordinary intercourse, and sometimes in public ministerial communications, but the idea found its way very early into the meetings for discipline; there it was taken hold of, there it was cherished, there it spread and increased, and there it obtained that recognition and full accomplishment that put an end to slavery in the Society of Friends. Yes, my friends, look round in christendom and say where has there been a similar bright and beautiful illustration of the practical advantages of church government, operating upon a subject deeply involving in it the principles of christianity and christian philanthropy; deeply involving in it, my friends, the second great commandment, "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." And I believe if we trace them, which we do, in their testimonies, or what we call our religious testimonies, we shall find that they have been most importantly sustained and supported in our own religious society, by what they held up to the world; by the operation of this simple principle of church government.

But when we recur to the various doctrines, and to those principal doctrines of the christian religion, and to those which arise out of them, in a

subordinate point of view, we shall find that our early friends designed to keep closely to the very language of the Holy Scripture. Commencing, my dear young friends, with that which may seem in some of your views, of the least importance,the plain language, so denominated in the Society of Friends-how careful were they to recur to the very forms of expression which were used in the Holy Scriptures. Thus also in reference to the names of days and months, the examples contained in Holy Scripture were paramount in their view; and thus also in reference to that which we denominate plainness, which I believe has been a great blessing to our religious society, I believe it has been as an angel round many of the dear young friends; that it has preserved them from corrupting associations that would have led them by little and little till they were drawn into the snare of the world. In reference to this deeply interesting subject, for such it is, it rests on the simple ground of christian simplicity and self denial. O if our dear young friends would take a correct view of this subject, how would they prize christian simplicity; but we must never, my friends, place it out of its proper point of view; we must regard it as the simple effect of the operation of christian principles upon the heart and mind, when they are brought down by the operation of christian humility, being brought unto the ground, in simple christian self denial;-being brought to feel the vanity of pride, and every thing connected with pride, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life; and to see the beauty and blessing there is in this strict conformity of the outward appearance with the important ground for this testimony, which does not consist in form and fashion. No, my friends, we must go to the