"  That  no  man,  nor  number  of  men  upon
earth,  hath  power  or  authority  to  rule  over
men's  consciences  in  religious  matters;  there-
fore it  is  consented,  agreed  and  ordained  that
no  person  or  persons  whatsoever  within  said
province  at  any  time  or  times  hereafter,  shall
be  any  ways,  upon  any  pretence  whatever
called  in  question,  or  in  the  least  punished
or  hurt,  either  in  person,  estate  or  privilege,
for  the  sake  of  his  opinion,  judgment,  faith
or  worship  towards  God  in  matters  of  relig-
ion, but  that  all  and  every  such  person  and
persons  may  from  time  to  time  and  at  all
times  freely  and  fully  have  and  enjoy  his  and
their  judgments,  and  the  exercise  of  their
consciences  in  matters  of  religious  worship
throughout  all  the  said  province."

In  these  "concessions  and  agreements  "  al-
most every  detail  necessary  to  the  proper
working  of  a  new  system  was  anticipated
and  provided  for,  and,  as  was  demonstrated,  it
only  needed  a  sufficient  number  of  settlers  in
the  colony  to  warrant  its  success.
To  say  that  William  Penn  had  neither
part  nor  lot  in  the  production  of  this  docu-
ment would  be  to  ignore  all  knowledge  of ,
the  man,  and  his  subsequent  life  of  useful-
ness devoted  always  to  the  advancement  and
benefit  of  his  fellow-creatures.^

1  William  Penn  afterwards  became  proprietor  of  the
ProTinoe  of  Pennsylvania,  and  with  his  further  history
every  intelligent  reader  is  familiar.  After  a  life  of
great  usefulness,  he  died  on  the  30th  day  of  the  Fifth
Month,  1718,  in  the  74th  year  of  his  age.     His  remains,  ,


THE  FRIENDS  IN  WEST  JERSEY.
