FRIENDS 



Chiist, -s^ear not at all,' and with tin- exhorta 

 tinii of the apostle .lames ' A hove all things, m\ 

 brethren, swear nut, neither li\ heaven, neither hy 

 tin- earth, neither hy any other oath : but let your 

 >eu In- \ea, .-mil \oiir nay, nay; lest ye fall into 

 condemnation ' (see AFFIRMATION). They also 

 rei'ii-ed i<> |'.-i\ tithes for the maintenance of what 

 they hol.l tu In- ;i hiieling ministry, believing that 

 < 'In ist put an end to tin- priesthood and ceremonial 



Be instituted under the Mosaie dispensation, 

 ami tliat lie -ul. -i it ui i^l none in their place. In 

 consequence, all consistent Friends were regularly 

 mulcted of plate, furniture, or other goods, to the 

 \alue of the amount due. The conversion of tithe 

 into ri'nt I'/mrt/e (see TITHE), however, has, in the 

 opinion uf many Friends, largely removed objec- 

 tions to the payment to this ecclesiastical demand. 

 In repaid to the civil magistracy, while they respect 

 and honour it, as ordained of God, they are care- 

 ful to warn the members of their Society againsj; 

 1 1 10 ughtlessly incurring its responsibilities, involv- 

 ing as it does the administration of oaths, the 

 issuing of orders and warrants in reference to eccles- 

 iastical demands, the calling out of an armed force 

 in eases of civil commotion, and other duties incon- 

 sistent with the peaceful principles of the Society. 

 The Friends have likewise consistently protested 

 against war in all its forms ; and the Society has 

 repeatedly advised its members against aiding and 



:ing in the conveyance of soldiers, their bag- 

 gage, arms, ammunition, or military stores. They 

 regard the profession of arms and fighting, not only 

 us diametrically opposed to the general spirit of 

 Christ, whose advent was sung by angels in these 

 words : 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth 

 peace, good-will toward men ; ' but as positively 

 forbidden by such precepts as ' Love your enemies, 

 bless them that curse you, do good to them that 

 hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use 

 \ ou and persecute you ; ' also, ' Resist not evil ; but 

 whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn 

 to him the other also;' and, while they acknowledge 

 that temporary calamities may result from adopting 

 this principle of non-resistance, they have so strong 

 a faith in its being essentially the dictate of divine 

 love to the Christian heart that they believe God, 

 by his wise and omnipotent providence, could and 

 will yet make it ' mighty to the pulling down of the 

 strongholds of iniquity. The world, they believe, 

 will by-and-by confess that the peace-makers are 

 most truly the children of God. The efforts of the 

 Society for the emancipation of the slaves are a 

 part of modern British history. They may most 

 certainly lay claim to having cultivated the moral 

 sense of their fellow-countrymen in regard to this 

 important question. As early as 1727 they com- 

 menced to ' censure ' the traffic in slaves, as a prac- 

 tice 'neither commendable nor allowed,' and gradu- 

 ally warmed in their opposition, until the whole 

 nation felt the glow, and entered with enthusiasm 

 on the work of abolition. In respect to what may be 

 railed minor points, the Friends are also very scrup- 

 ulous; they object to ' balls, gaming-places, horse- 

 races, and playhouses, those nurseries of debauchery 

 and wickedness, the burden and grief of the sober 



1art of other societies as well as of our own.' The 

 'rinted Epistle of the yearly meeting of 1854 con- 

 tains a warning against indulging in music, especi- 

 ally what -oes by the name of 'sacred music/ and 

 denounces musical exhibitions, such as oratorios, 

 as essentially a ' profanation ' the tendency of 

 these things being, it is alleged, ' to withdraw the 

 -soul from that quiet, humble, and retired frame in 

 which prayer and praise may be truly offered with 

 the spirit and with the understanding also.' They 

 object, besides, to 'the hurtful tendency of read 

 ing plays, romances, novels, and other pernicious 

 books; and the yearly meeting of 1764 'recom- 



to every member of our Society toducotUMf 

 and HuppretiM the same.' A similar recommenda- 

 tion was issued by the Society in 1851 for the benefit 

 of 'younger Friends ' in particular, who would 

 appear to have Keen tasting the forbidden fruit. 

 'I he Printed Epistle of the yearly meeting of 1724 

 likewise ' ad vises against imitating the vain custom 

 of wearing or giving mourning, and all extravagant 

 expenses about the int ci mem of the dead,' and thi* 

 iid\ ice has l>een repeatedly renewed. A multitude of 

 other minute peculiarities, which it would !* tedious 

 to note in detail, distinguish the Friends from their 

 fellow-Christians, but one or two of these may here 

 be referred to. The Friends have from their line, 

 by example and precept, urged upon their members 

 ' plainness of speech, Itehaviour, and apnarel,' and 

 hence, in the matters of dress and adurew, have 

 arisen certain outward peculiarities by which a 

 ' Friend ' could always be distinguished. In speech 

 they invariably make use of ' thee ' and ' thou ' in 

 addressing a single person, without respect to 

 rank, station, or authority, and in support of this 

 they plead correct grammar and the example of 

 Scripture. 



They also felt called to cease from denoting the 

 several months of the year and days of the week 

 by the names usually made use of in designating 

 them. Instead of January, February, &c., or 

 Monday, Tuesday, &c., they adopted ' First Month, 

 'Second Month, 'First L)ay,' 'Second Day,' &c. 

 For their practice in this respect they asserted 

 that the names of the days and months used by 

 others were given to them in honour of ' heathen 

 deities,' and this they resolutely refused to coun- 

 tenance. Though there is not now the same uni- 

 formity of practice throughout the body in some 

 of the minor peculiarities, they are to a consider- 

 able extent retained and adhered to. 



( 3 ) Discipline. By the term discipline the Friends 

 understand ' all those arrangements and regula- 

 tions which are instituted for the civil and religious 

 l>enefit of a Christian church.' The necessity for 

 such discipline soon began to make itself felt, and 

 the result was the institution of certain meetings 

 or assemblies. These are four in number: the first, 

 the Preparative meetings ; second, the Monthly 

 meetings ; third, the Quarterly meetings ; and, 

 fourth, the Yearly meetings. The first are usually 

 composed of the members in any given place, in 

 which there are generally two or more Friends of 

 each sex, whose duty is to act as overseers of the 

 meeting, taking cognisance of births, marriages, 

 burials, removals, &c., the conduct of members, 

 &c., and reporting thereon to the monthly meet- 

 ings, to whom the executive department of the dis- 

 cipline is chiefly confided. The monthly meetings 

 decide in cases of violation of discipline, and have 

 the power of cutting oft' or disowning all who by 

 their improper conduct, false doctrines, or other 

 gross errors, bring reproach on the Society, although 

 the accused have the right of appeal to the quarterly 

 meetings, and from these again to the yearly, whose 

 decisions are final. The monthly meetings are also 

 empowered to approve and acknowledge ministers, 

 as well as to appoint ' serious, discreet, and judici- 

 ous Friends, wno are not ministers, tenderly to 

 encourage and help young ministers, and advise 

 others, as they, in tne wisdom of God, see occasion.' 

 They also execute a variety of other important 

 duties. The quarterly meetings are composed of 

 several monthly meetings, ana exercise a sort of 

 general supervision over the latter, from whom 

 they receive reports, and to whom they give such 

 advice and decisions as they think right. The 

 yearly meeting consiste of select or representative 

 memben of the quarterly meetings. Its function 

 U to consider generally the entire condition of the 

 Society in all its aspects. It receives in writing 



