Of their marriages, births and burials, from W. Penn.

"Their way of marriage is peculiar to them; of their and fhews a distinguishing care, above other focie- marriages, ties, profeffing chriftianity. They fay that marri- &c. age is an ordinance of God; and that God only can rightly join man and woman in marriage. Therefore, they ufe neither priest nor magiftrate; but the man and woman concerned take each other as husband and wife, in the prefence of divers credible witnesses, promifing to each other, with God's affiftance, to be loving and faithful in that relation, till death fhall feparate them. But antecedent to this they first prefent themselves to the monthly meeting, for the affairs of the church, where they refide; there declaring their intentions to take one another, as husband and wife, if the faid meeting have nothing material to object against it-they are conftantly asked the neceffary questions, as, in cafe of parents or guardians, if they have acquainted them with their intention, and have their confent, &c. The method of the meeting is, to take a minute thereof, and to appoint proper perfons, to enquire of their converfation and clearness from all others, and whether they have discharged their duty to their parents, or guardians; and to make report thereof to the next monthly meeting, where the fame parties are defired to give their attendance. In cafe it appears they have proceeded orderly, the meeting paffes their propofal, and fo records it in the meeting book. And in cafe the woman be a widow, and hath children, due care is there taken, that provifion also be made by her for the orphans, before the meeting pafs the proposals of marriage; advising the parties concerned, to appoint a convenient time and place, and to give fitting notice to their relations, and fuch friends and neighbours as they defire fhould be witneffes of the marriage; where they take one another by the hand, and, by name, promife reciprocally, love and fidelity, after

[9]

the

Their

births.

the manner before expreffed. Of all which proceedings, a narrative, in way of certificate, is made; to which the faid parties fet their hands, thereby confirming it as their act and deed; and then divers relations, fpectators and auditors, fet their names, as witneffes of what they faid and figned. And this certificate is afterwards registered in the record belonging to the meeting, where the marriage is folemnized, which regular method has been, as it deferves, adjudged in courts of law a good marriage, where it has been, by crofs and ill people, difputed and contefted, for want of the accustomed formalites of priest and ring, &c. ceremonies they have refufed; not out of humour, but confcience reasonably grounded, in as much as no fcripture example tells us, that the priest had any other part, of old time, than that of a witnefs, among the reft, before whom the Jews used to take one another: and therefore this people look upon it, as an impofition, to advance the power and profits of the clergy: and for the ufe of the ring, it is enough to fay, that it was an heathenifh and vain cuftom, and never in practice among the people of God-Jews, or primitive Chriftians;-the words of the ufual form, as, with my body I thee worship, &c. are hardly defenfible. In fhort, they are more careful, exact and regular, than any form now used; their care and checks being fo many, and fuch as no clandeftine marriages can be performed among them."

"It may not be unfit here to fay fomething of their births and burials, which make up fo much of the pomp of too many called Chriftians. For births, the parents name their own children; which is ufually fome days after they are born, in the prefence of the midwife, if fhe can be there, and thofe that were at the birth; who afterwards fign a certificate for that purpose prepared, of the birth and name of the child, or children; which is re

corded

corded in a proper book, in the monthly meeting, to which the parents belong; avoiding the accuftomed ceremonies and feftivals."

rials.

"Their burials are performed with the fame Their bu fimplicity. If the body of the deceased be near any public meeting place, it is ufually carried thither, for the more convenient reception of those, that accompany it to the burying-ground. And it fo falls out fometimes, that while the meeting is gathering, for the burial, fome or other has a word of exhortation, for the fake of the people there met together. After which the body is borne away by young men, or elfe by thofe, that are of the neighbourhood, or those that were most of the intimacy of the deceased party; the corpse being in a plain coffin, without any covering or furniture upon it. At the ground they pause some time before they put the body into the grave; that, if any there fhould have any thing upon them, to exhort the people, they may not be difappointed; and that the relations may the more retiredly and folemnly take their laft leave of the body of their departed kindred, and the spectators have a sense of mortality, by the occafion then given them, to reflect upon their own latter end: otherwise they have no fet rites, or ceremonies, on thofe occafions. Neither do the kindred of the deceased ever wear mourning; they looking upon it, as a worldly ceremony and piece of pomp; and that what mourning is fit for a Chrif tian to have, at the departure of a beloved relation, or friend, fhould be worn in the mind, which is only fenfible of the lofs: and the love they had to them, and the remembrance of them, to be outwardly expreffed by a refpect to their advice, and care of thofe they have left behind them, and their love of that they loved, which conduct of theirs, though unmodifh or unfafhionable leaves nothing of the fubftance of things neglected, or

undone

Thefe

tation of

undone and as they aim at no more, fo that fim plicity of life is what they observe with great fatisfaction, though it fometimes happens not to be without the mockeries of the vain world they live in."

"These things, to be fure (continues W. Penn) things not gave them a rough and difagreeable appearance from affec- with the generality; who thought them turners of fingularity, the world upside down; as, indeed, in fome sense &c. but a they were; but in no other than that, wherein duty, &c. Paul was fo charged, viz. to bring things back into

fense of

their primitive and right order again. For thefe, and fuch like practices of theirs, were not the refult of humour, or for civil diftinctions, as fome have fancied, but a fruit of inward fenfe, which God, through his holy fear, had begotten in them. They did not confider how to contradict the world, or distinguish themselves, as a party from others; it being none of their business, as it was not their intereft; no, it was not the refult of confultation, or a framed defign, by which to declare, or recommend fchifm or novelty. But, God having given them a fight of themselves, they faw the whole world in the fame glass of truth; and fenfibly difcerned the affections and paffions of men, and the rife and tendency of things; what it was that gratified the luft of the flesh, the luft of the eye, and the pride of life; which are not of the father, but of the world. And from thence fprung, in the night of darkness, and the apoftacy, which hath been over people, through their degeneration from the light and spirit of God, thefe, and many other vain cuftoms, which are feen by the heavenly day of Chrift, that dawns in the foul, to be either wrong in their original, or by time and abufe, hurtful in their practice: and though thefe things feemed trivial to fome, and rendered these people ftingy and conceited, in fuch perfons opinions, there was, and is, more in them, than they were, or are, aware of,"

66 It

"It was not very easy, to our primitive friends, to make themselves fights and fpectacles, and the fcorn and derifion of the world; which they eafily forefaw must be the confequence of so unfashionable a converfation in it. But here was the wif dom of God feen, in the foolishness of these things; first, that they discovered the fatisfaction and concern, that people had in, and for, the fashions of this world, notwithstanding their high pretences to another; the greatest honesty, virtue, wisdom and ability were unwelcome without them. Secondly, It feajonably and profitably divided conversation; for this, making their fociety uneafy to their relations and acquaintance, gave them the opportunity of more retirement and folitude; wherein they met with better company, even, the Lord God, their Redeemer; and grew ftrong in his love, power and wisdom; and were thereby better qualified for his fervice. And the fuccefs abundantly fhewed it: Bleffed be the name of the Lord."

"And though they were not great and learned in the esteem of the world, (for then they had not wanted followers, upon their own credit and authority) yet they were generally of the most fober of the feveral perfuafions, they were in, and of the most repute, for religion; and many of them of good capacity, fubftance and account among men."

"And also some among them wanted not for parts, learning or eftate; though then, as of old, not many wife or noble, &c. were called; or, at leaft, received the heavenly call; because of the cross, that attended the profeffion of it, in fincerity. But neither do parts or learning make men the better Chriftians, though the better orators and difputants and it is the ignorance of people about the divine gift, that caufes that vulgar and mifchievous miltake. Theory and practice, Speculation and enjoyment, words and life, are two things."

Of