"pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory "for ever and ever. Amen.'

Signed in and on behalf of the Yearly Meeting, by

WILLIAM WILLIAMSON,

Clerk to the Meeting this Year

EPISTLE LV-1732.

Dear Friends and Brethren,

In the fellowship of the gospel of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, our holy head and high priest, do we tenderly salute you; and hereby intimate, that this our annual assembly hath been favoured with the divine presence of Almighty God; in a sense of whose goodness the affairs of this meeting have been managed in much love, peace, and a spirit of condescension, to our mutual comfort and edification.

By advices brought from the several Quarterly and Monthly Meetings in England, and by epistles from Wales, Scotland, Ireland, Holland, Rhode-Island, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Barbadoes, and North-Carolina; as also by the relation of a Friend, who has lately visited most of the British plantations on the continent of America, we have sundry good accounts of Friends' prosperity in the truth, and that several have been convinced last year; that love and unity are maintained, and care is continued in many places to keep up the discipline of our society, and maintain the testimony of truth unviolated; yet, to our sorrow, in some parts there appears too much shortness and remissness; which we heartily desire Friends, in their several quarters, may endeavour to redress.

The accounts of the sufferings of Friends in England and Wales, brought in this year, amount to three thousand four hundred and nineteen pounds, and upwards, chiefly for tithes and church-rates, so called. One Friend hath been discharged out of prison since last Yearly Meeting, and three remain prisoners on that account.

And, dear brethren; inasmuch as it hath been the frequent practice of this meeting to recommend to the several Quarterly and Monthly Meetings tenderly to advise, and earnestly to exhort Friends to be careful in bearing a faithful testimony against the Antichristian yoke of tithes, priests' maintenance, and churchrates, so called; the want whereof, in some places, hath tended

to the uneasiness and sorrow of many brethren, and added to the sufferings of such as have stood faithful in this our ancient and christian testimony; and that the same may be amended for the time to come, this meeting doth again earnestly recommend to the several Quarterly and Monthly Meetings in the love of truth, tenderly to advise and exhort their respective members to stand faithful in that testimony; and where any Friends are found weak and deficient therein, that they deal with such in the spirit of love and wisdom, according to former advices of this mecting, particularly that in the year 1706.

It is also the earnest desire of this meeting, that all Friends be faithfully concerned to maintain the several other branches of our christian testimony; and that all Quarterly and Monthly Meetings be careful to advise their respective members to bring in the accounts of their sufferings, &c. that they may be duly recorded, and brought yearly to this meeting, agreeable to our epistle 1687.

We find it our duty to remind our respective members of the remarkable uprightness and honesty of our Friends in the beginning, in their commerce and converse. How exact were they in performing their words and promises, without evasive excuses, and insincere dealings! how careful not to involve themselves in business which they understood not, nor had stock of their own to manage! how circumspect not to contract greater debts than they were able to pay in due time! which brought great credit and reputation to our religious society. But with sorrow we observe, that, contrary to their example, and the repeated advices formerly given by this meeting, particularly in the years 1729, and 1731, against an inordinate pursuit after riches, too many have launched into trades and business above their stocks and capacities; by which unjustifiable proceedings, and high living, they have involved themselves and families in trouble and ruin, and brought considerable loss upon others, to the great reproach of our holy profession.

We therefore recommend to Friends, in their respective Quarterly and Monthly Meetings, to have a watchful eye over all their members; and where they observe any deficient in discharging their contracts and just debts in due time, so as to give reasonable suspicion of weakness or negligence, that Friends do earnestly advise them to a suitable care, and necessary inspection into their circumstances, in order that they may be helped; and if any proceed contrary to such advice, and by their failure bring open scandal and reproach on the society, that then Friends justifiably may and ought to testify against such offenders.

And, dear Friends, we tenderly and earnestly advise and exhort

all parents, and masters of families, that they exert themselves in the wisdom of God, and in the strength of his love, to instruct their children and families in the doctrines and precepts of the christian religion contained in the holy scriptures; and that they excite them to the diligent reading of those sacred writings, which plainly set forth the miraculous conception, birth, holy life, wonderful works, blessed example, meritorious death, and glorious resurrection, ascension, and mediation of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ; and to educate their children in the belief of those important truths, as well as in the belief of the inward manifestation and operation of the Spirit of God on their own minds, that they may reap the benefit and advantage thereof, for their own peace and everlasting happiness, which is infinitely preferable to all other considerations. We therefore exhort, in the most earnest manner, that all be very careful in this respect; a neglect herein being, in our judgment, very blame-worthy. And farther; where any deficiency of this sort appears, we recommend to Monthly and Quarterly Meetings, that they stir up those whom it may concern to their duty therein.

It is very acceptable to us to find, by the accounts from the several parts of the kingdom, that (according to former exhortations of this meeting) Friends continue generally careful not to defraud the king of his customs, duties, or excise; and so far to discourage such practices, as to avoid dealing in goods reasonably suspected to be run. This is a care highly commendable, and no doubt incumbent on every honest subject. But as the government has signally favoured us in our religious liberties, we are under the greater obligations of gratitude, as well as duty, to manifest, that we are as truly conscientious "to render to Cæsar "the things that are Cæsar's," as to support any other branch of our christian testimony.

And as it is evident, that the simplicity, and distinguishing plainness of our holy profession is too much lost among us, respecting language, apparel, and behaviour; we therefore earnestly exhort all to keep under the power of the cross of Christ, which will crucify to the world, and the vanities of it, and bring up in a true life of self-denial, agreeable to the gospel, and example of our elders.

It is also desired, that all Friends, who are masters and heads of families, be very careful in attending, and bringing their children and servants to meetings, both on First-days, and othey days of the week; and that young Friends, who are sober and wellinclined, be encouraged to attend the service of Monthly and Quarterly Meetings; and that all Friends in such meetings wait to feel the power of truth, that their minds being seasoned with

the virtue thereof, the wholesome discipline of the church may be maintained and continued from one generation to another, for the help of such as are weak.

And for the dealing with all persons offending, according to the several circumstances of their offence, we recommend, that Friends in their said meetings be careful to labour in the spirit of love and meekness, regularly and impartially, for the help and reclaiming of all such. And if, after such labour of love, there appears no ground to hope for repentance, and the case be of a scandalous reproachful nature, that they proceed to testify against such practices, and those who are concerned therein.

Finally, dear Friends, to render these, and all other advices serviceable and effectual, we "commend you to God, and the "word of his grace, which is (only) able to build you up," and preserve you in the practice of all holiness of life, and godliness of conversation, and " to give you an inheritance among the sanc"tified, through faith in our Lord Jesus." In whose love we tenderly salute you, and remain your Friends and brethren. Signed in and on behalf of the Yearly Meeting, by

EDMUND GURNEY,

Clerk of the meeting this Year.

EPISTLE LVI-1733.

Dearly beloved Friends and Brethren,

In the love of Jesus Christ, our blessed Lord and law-giver, and in the fellowship of the gospel of peace and salvation, this our annual assembly doth tenderly salute you; earnestly desiring, that Friends every where, keeping under the holy influences and direction of the spirit of truth, may thereby be enabled to adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour, by a righteous and exemplary life and conversation among men, and a firm and steady adherence to the several branches of that christian testimony which we have been called to bear and maintain.

And, dear Friends; as the promotion of piety and charity is the end and intent of our meetings for the discipline of the church, a weighty concern remains upon us, that Friends be careful diligently to attend those meetings, and, when there, to act in the wisdom given them of God, with a real and living sense of truth upon their spirits; that so the affairs of the church may be carried on in brotherly love, and in that sweet, calm, and christian dis

position of mind, which tends to the mutual comfort and edifica tion one of another, and of the church in general.

We have cause to continue humbly thankful to the God and Father of all our mercies, who hath been graciously pleased to favour this our solemn assembly, with a living sense of his divine and heavenly presence and goodness: in the enjoyment whereof, we heartily and sincerely desire, that the meetings of Friends every where may be truly comforted and refreshed.

By advices from the several Quarterly and Monthly Meetings in England, as also by epistles from Wales, Scotland, Ireland, Pennsylvania, and the Jerseys, Long-Island, Rhode-Island, Maryland, and Virginia, we have comfortable accounts of Friends' prosperity in the truth, and of the continuance and increase of peace and love among them: and although in some places there appears a want of zeal, yet the testimony of truth is attentively heard by many, and some have been convinced last year.

The accounts of Friends' sufferings in England and Wales, brought in this year, being chiefly for tithes, and church-rates, so called, amount to three thousand four hundred and fifty-eight pounds, and upwards. Two Friends have been discharged out of prison last year, and two are now remaining prisoners.

:

And, dear Friends; this meeting observing a remissness in some places, in respect to our testimony against that Antichristian yoke of tithes, an earnest concern and zeal has been on the minds of Friends, that all might be excited and stirred up to faithfulness therein in order whereunto, we think necessary to put you in inind, that the zeal of our Friends who have abode faithful in their testinfony against paying tithes, steeple-house rates, and priests' maintenance, has greatly tended to the opening of the eyes of many, not only in this, but also in other countries. We have received last year an account from New-England, where our Friends formerly underwent grievous sufferings, that a law is made, exempting them from paying either to the maintenance of the established ministers, or the repairing of their worship-houses; and it is our belief, that if all Friends here had been faithful in their testimony against tithes, the time of our deliverance from that oppression, under which this nation yet groans, would have been nearer at hand. We do therefore earnestly exhort to a close coming up in that, and every other branch of our testimony, tending to the promotion of gospel liberty, which it has been our concern ever since we were a people, through manifold sufferings, to maintain. And if any weakness or unfaithfulness shall appear among the professors of the truth, we hope faithful Friends and brethren will not be wanting to administer help and admonition in the love and counsel of God, as they shall see occasion,