The History of the Rise, Increase, and Progress of the Christian People Called Quakers: Intermixed With Several Remarkable Occurrences

The History Of The Rise, Increase, And Progress Of The Christian People Called Quakers: Intermixed With Several Remarkable Occurrences by William Sewel documents a late 17th century chronicle of persecution against the Quaker movement across England, Ireland, Wales, and the Caribbean during the Restoration and the rise of Conventicles laws. It follows leading figures such as George Fox, William Penn, and other ministers who endure trials, imprisonments, and public prosecutions, and it recounts major legal battles, including the 1670 Conventicles Act and disputes over juries, oaths, and Magna Carta rights. The work interweaves martyr narratives, spiritual testimonies, and practical political advocacy, with episodes set in London, Worcester, Barbados, and beyond, supplemented by biographical sketches, sermons, and polemics with Presbyterians, Baptists, and Anglicans. Central themes include conscience versus state power, religious liberty, the inner Light, and the governance and discipline of the Friends. The volume also surveys later developments toward toleration, civil liberty, and the transatlantic reach of Quaker witness through governance, education, and mission.