QUAKERS. 



behoves tliom to feck for an adeqviate remedy. They arc 

 not, however, ehargi'able with the love of money for its 

 own fake ; no chifs of men being more beneficent, or more 

 prompt to contribute their time and fubftance to various 

 public inllitutioMS, which the fpirit of the Clirittian religion 

 has at length raifed U", for relieving the dillrefles, promoting 

 the comforts, and improving the moral and religious condi- 

 tion of mankind. 



As to the minuter features of their charafter, the Quakers 

 arc prudent and methodicd in their bufinefs ; generally 

 good cconomifts of time ami money. Their converfation 

 has many peculiarities ; fome of which flow from their 

 principles, others merely from- their afl'ociatiiig chiefly 

 among themfelves. They were early thougiit to be habi- 

 tually crafty i" the Quaker fly," lays Pope; ; but there feems 

 no other ground for this, than the extreme caution with 

 which they incur engagements, or make profelTions and pro- 

 mifes. Viewed at a diilaiice, they appear cold, formal, and 

 referved in their manners ; and have hence been unjultly 

 concluded void of domeltic cheerfulnefs, and incapable of 

 the enjoyments arifing from locial coiiverfe, and the inter- 

 courfe of cultivated minds. They are plain in their drefs ; 

 the peculiarities obfervable in which refult, not from any 

 regulations on the fubjeft, but from an indifpofition to vary 

 with the fafhion ; they have, however, (lowly followed 

 changes which have proved general and permanent, and 

 thus become lefs confpicuoufiy fmgular. Mourning habits 

 they rejeft on principle : and with a people whofe ordi- 

 nary drefs is fo grave, the moral reafon for them feems not 

 to exill. They are averfe to fplendour in furniture and 

 equipage : though the rich among them, in thefe articles, 

 and moft of their females in drefs, have contrived, without 

 ceaiing to be known as Quakers, to refine confiderably upon 

 abfolutc fimplicity. 



Doffrine. — A recent publication on behalf of the fociety, 

 entitled, " A Summary of the Hiftory, Doflrine, and 

 Difcipline of Friends," afcribed to one of the fociety, held 

 in high eilimation, inz. Mr. J. G. B-van, who died whillt 

 this article was in the prefs, ilates their doftrine as follows : 



" We agree with other profellors of the Chrillian name, 

 in the belief of one eternal God, the creator and preferver 

 of the univerfe ; and in Jefus Chrifl his Son, the Meffiah, 

 and mediator of the new covenant. 



" When we fpeak of the gracious difplay of the love of 

 God to mankind, in the miraculous conception, birth, life, 

 miracles, death, refurreftion, and afcenfion oi our Saviour, 

 we prefer the ufe of fuch terms as we find in fcripture ; and 

 contented with that knowledge, which divine wifdom hath 

 feen meet to reveal, we attempt not to explain thofe myfte- 

 ries which remain under the veil ; neverthelefs we acknow- 

 ledge and aifert the divinity of Chrift, who is the wifdom 

 and power of God unto falvation. 



" To Chrill alone we give the title of the Word of God, 

 and not to the fcriptures ; although we highly efteem thefe 

 facred writings, in fubordination to the Spirit from which 

 they were given forth ; and we hold with the apoltle Paul, 

 that they are able to make wife unto falvation, through 

 faith wiiich is in Chrift Jefus. 



" We revere thofe moft excellent precepts, which are 

 recorded in fcripture to have been delivered by our great 

 Lord, and we firmly believe that they are pradlicable and 

 binding on every Chrirtian ; and that in the hfe to come 

 every man will be rewarded according to his works. And 

 further it is our belief, that, in order to enable mankind to 

 put in praftice thefe facred pn-cepts, many of which are 

 contradiftory to the ur.regenerate will of man, every man 

 coming into the world, is endued with a meafure of the 



10 



light, grace, or good Spirit of Chrift ; by which, as it is 

 attended to, he is enabled to diftinguifti good from evil, 

 and to correft the diforderly paihons and corrupt propen- 

 fities of his fallen nature, which mere reafon is altogether 

 infufficient to overcome. For all that belongs to man is 

 fallible, and within the reach of temptation ; but this 

 divine grace, which comes by Him, who hath overcome 

 the world, is, to thofe who humbly and fincerely feck it, 

 an all-fufiicient and prefent help in time of need. By this, 

 the fnares of the enemy are detected, his allurements avoided, 

 and deliverance is experienced through faith in its elfe£tual 

 operation : whereby the foul is tranflated out of the king- 

 dom of darknefs, and from under the power of Satan, into 

 the marvellous light and kingdom of the Son of God. 



" Being thus perluaded that man, without the fpirit of 

 Chrift inwardly revealed, can do nothing to the glory of 

 God, or to effeft his own falvation ; we think this influence 

 efpecially necefTary to the performance of the higheil act of 

 which the human mind is capable ; even the worlhip of the 

 Father of lights and of fpirits, in fpirit and in truth : 

 therefore we confider as obltruftions to pure worftiip, all 

 forms which divert the attention of the mind from the fecret 

 influence of this unftion from the Holy One. Yet, al- 

 though true worftiip is not confined to time and place, we 

 think it incumbent on Chriltians to meet often together, in 

 teftimony of their dependence on the heavenly Father, and 

 for a renewal of their fpiritual ftrength : tlius, ' Each not 

 only partakes of the particular refreftiment and ftrength 

 which comes from the good in himfelf, but is a fliarer of the 

 whole body, as being a living member of the body, having 

 a joint fellowftiip and communion with all.' Barclay. 



" Neverthelefs, in the performance of worftiip, we dare not 

 depend, for our acceptance, on a formal repetition of the 

 words and experiences of others ; but we believe it to be 

 our duty to lay afide the aftivity of the imagination, and to 

 wait in filence to have a true fight of our condition bellowed 

 upon us ; believing even a fingle figh, arifing from fuch a 

 fenfe of our infirmities, and of the need we have of divine 

 help, to be more acceptable to God, than any performances, 

 however fpecious, which originate in the will of man. If 

 any fhould objefl the difficulty of laying afide the adlivity of 

 the imaginatioii, let fuch confider the following ftatement — 

 That it is our duty to maintain a watch over our thoughts, 

 by endeavouring to preferve our attention from being carried 

 away by fuch as manifeftly originate in our own natural will 

 or habits, and to wait patiently for the arifing of the life of 

 Chrift ; which by bringing every thought into fubjedlion, 

 produces a true inward filence, and therein affords a true 

 fenfe of our condition. 



" From what has been faid refpefting worfhip, it follows 

 that the miniftry we approve muft have its origin from the 

 fame fource ; for that which is needful for a man's own di- 

 reft:on, and for his acceptance with God, muft be emi- 

 nently fo to enable him to be helpful to others. Accord- 

 ingly we believe, that the renewed afliftance of the light and 

 power of Chrift is indifpenfably neceftary for all true mi- 

 niftry ; and that this holy influence is not at our command, 

 or to be procured by ftudy, but is the free gift of God to 

 chofen and devoted fervants. — Hence arifes our teftimony 

 againft preaching for hire, in contradiftion to Chrift's pofitive 

 command, ' Freely ye have received, freely give ;' and 

 hence our confcientious refufal to fupport fuch miniftry, by 

 tithes or other means. 



" As we dare not encourage any miniftry, but that which 

 we believe to fpring from the influence of the Holy Spirit, 

 fo neither da-e we attempt to rellrain this miniftry to per- 

 fons of any condition in life, or to the male fex alone ; but, 



as 



