Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER III. Friends despised and condemned by all Professors—Reasons why—Convince- ments—Occurrence at Beverly—G. Fox accused of saying he was Christ— William Dewsbury—Steeple Houses—Friends increasing and forming into a Society—Cruel treatment Received—Instances of the abuse of G. F.— Convincement of two Priests—Francis Howgil—John. Andland—Edward Burrough—Extract from a Letter—Swarthmore Hall—Judge Fell and Wife—Margaret Fell's account of G. Fox's services there—Priest Lampit —M. Fell joins with Friends. Charles I. had been beheaded in the earlv part of 1649, and Cromwell was succeeding in concentrating the power of the government in his own hands, not intending to share it with any but such as were willing to be subservient to his will. As the Independents, of whom he professed to be one, had clamored loudly for liberty of conscience, it was to have been expected that no denomination of Christians would be oppressed on account of their religious belief; and it is probable, that if Cromwell could have had his own way in this matter, without endangering his popularity, such would have been the case. But though the peaceable principles which Friends boldly avowed, restrained them from any attempt to interfere with the government, and their constant assurance that, while couscien- tiously bound to adhere to their own religious views, they were equally bound to maintain Christian charity towards all, they were nevertheless objects of hatred or scorn to very many of their fellow countrymen, perhaps of dread to some. The high, but loose, professors in the different religious Societies, could not bear the requirement of strict self-denial and godly living in every day life, which the doctrines Friends preached enjoined ; nor the destruction of priestcrait and hireling ministr...