Neal - Houston-Packer Collection BX9333 .N4 1754

730 King Charles II. x68 1. ~ And of the quakers. Sewel, p. 574> s8x. The HIS T 0 R Y oj the PuRITANS. VoL. II~ The quakers publilhed a narrative of the fufferings of their friends fince the reftoration, by which it appeared, that great numbers had been fi~ed by the bilhops courts, robbed of their fub!l:ance, and perilhed in pnfon. Many bad been fo beaten and wounded for attending their meet– ings, that they died of their wounds. An account was alfo publilhed, of the unjuft proceedings of the informers, £hewing, that at their in!l:ance many had been plundered without a juridicial procefs; that feven hundred of them were now in prifon in feveral parts of England, and efpecially about Brijlol; but remon!l:rances and complaints availed nothing. Dtath •{;;.• In the mid!l: of this furious perfecution, the famous Mr. 'Thomas Gouge, G~~:~~' r [on of Dr. Gouge of Black-Friars, and the ejeCted mini!l:er of St. Se– Til!otfons's pulchres, was taken out of this world: He was born at Bow near Strat– {r~kl, ford, I 6o5, bred at Eaton fchool, and educated in King's College Cam2;-: · P· bridge. He fettled at St. Sepulchres in the year 1638, and for twenty- :> four years difcharged -all the parrs of a vigilant and faithful paftor. He was a wonder of piety, charity, humility, and moderation, making it his ftudy to keep a confcience void of offence towards God and man. Mr. Baxter (ays, he never heard any man fpeak to his diihonour, except that he did not conform. He was po!fe!fed of a good eftate, and devot– ed the chief of it to charity. He fettled {chools, to the number of three or four hund red, and gave money to teach children to read in the moun– tainous parts of Wales, where he travelled annually, and preached, till he was forbid by the bilhops, and excommunicated, though he ftill went as a hearer to the parilh churches . He printed eight thoufand weljhbibles, a thoufand of which were given to the poor, and the reft fent to the prin– cipal towns of Wales, to be fold at an under rate, He printed five hund– red of the whole duty if man in we!jh, and gave them away; two hund– red and forty new tijlaments; and k ept almoft two thouf.1nd weljh children at fchool to learn englijh. Archbiil1op 'Tiflotfon in his funeral fermon, fays, that all things confidered, there has not fince the primitive times of chriftianity, been many among the fons of men, to whom that glorious character of the fon of God might be better applied, that he went about doing good. He was a divine of a cbearful fpirit, and went away quiet– ly, in his fleep, OC!ober 29, I 68 r, in the feventy · feventh year of his Contflls tl• hout ele!Jion of magif– trates. age. While the tories and high church clergy were ravaging ·the di!fen– ters, the court was intent upon fubverting the conftitution, and get– ting the government of the city into their hands. June 24 there was a contell: about the eleCtion of lheriffs, which occafioned a confiderable tumult. And when the eleCtion of a lord mayor came on at Michael– mas, the citizens were again in an uproar, the lordmayor pretending a right to adjourn the court, while the jherijfs to whom the right belonged, con-

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