Page:History of all religions.pdf/12

12 faith, repentance, and good works are no ground or condition of a ſinner's justification before God, but reſteth alone upon the eternal decree of free grace. They receive the Lord's Supper weekly- but are improperly called anabaptiſts, for the Anabaptiſts are another ſect, who baptize all their members every year. The Latin word Anno, from which Anabaptiſt is derived, ſignifieth year, and therefore that denomination may mere plainly be rendered Yearly-Baptiſts.

Of QUAKERS. They are ſo called, becauſe they ſometimes groan and tremble in their prayers. They preach none, unleſs moved, as they view it, by the Holy Ghoſt. Many people are ſo bold to ſay, that this is a deluſion of Satan; but it is very dangerous to ſpeak in that manner, for many good fruits appear in them, ſuch as plain honeſt dealing in the world, mercy to the poor, abſtaining from ſwearing, lying, and the like. They give titles of honour to no man, (Matt. xxiv. 6) nor uncover their heads, though in the preſence of the highest personage, nor in their own places of worſhip, but when they are diſpoſed to ſpeak. They do not name the day of the week as we do, but number them 1, 2, &c. for in their view (in the main it is ſo)) the names at preſent in use were handed down to us from the Heathen. They allow women to exhort in their meetings, but not to rule, Acts xxi. 2-1 Cor. xi. 5.

They appeared first in England in the time of Cromwell. Their founder was one David George, a reſpectable ſhoemaker in Oxford. After him,