QUAKERS. 



cion nol tor our fins only, hut for the fiiiS of the whole 

 world ; wp were reconciled by his death, but faved by iiis 

 life i — that divine honour and worfliip is due to the Son of 

 God ; and thai he is in true faith to be prayed unto, and 

 tl^e name of tiie Lord Jefus Chrift called upon, (as the pri- 

 mitive ChriRians did,) becaufe of the glorious union or 

 onenefs of the Father aud the Son." Sewcl's Hillory, 



" The dodlrine of the refurredlion df the dead is fo con- 

 ncdled with the Cliriilian religion, that it will be alfo proper 

 to fay fomething on this fubjeft. In explaining our belief 

 of this doiflrinc,, we refer to the 15th chapter of the id 

 Epillle to the Corinthians. In this chapter (vei'fes 40. 42. 

 44. 50.) is clearly laid down the rcfurreftion of a body, 

 though not of the fame body that dies. Here we rell our 

 belief in this ' myllery,' without defiring to pry into it 

 beyond what is revealed to us ; remembering that ' fecret 

 things belong unto the Lord our God, but thofe things 

 which are revealed belong unto us and to our children.' 

 Principles of Religion, as profeded by the Quakers, by 

 Henry Tuke. 



Dljdpliiic : from the "Summary," with fome abridg- 

 ment. — " The purpofes which our difcipline hath chiefly ni 

 Tiew, are, the relief of the pooi', the maintenance of good 

 order, the fupport of the teftimonies which we believe it is 

 our duty to bear to the world, and the help and recovery of 

 fuch as are ovortakrn in faults : in a few words, the promo- 

 tion of piety and charity. 



" In the practice ot difcipline, we think it indifpenfable 

 that the order recommended by Chriit himfelf be invariably 

 obferved. ' If thy brother fliall trefpafs againft thee, go 

 and tell him his fault between thee and him alone : if he (hall 

 hear thee, thou haft gained thy brother ; but if he will not 

 hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the 

 mouth of two or three witnefles, every word may be efta- 

 blilhed ; and if he (hall neglcft to hear them, tell it unto 

 the church.' 



" To efleft the falutavy purpofes of difcipline, meetings 

 were appointed, at an early period of the fociety, which, 

 from the times of their being held, were called quarterly 

 meetings. It was afterwards found expedient to divide the 

 diftrifts of thofe meetings, and to meet more frequently ; 

 from whence arofe monthly meetings, fubordinate to thofe 

 held quarterly. At length, in 1669, a Yearly Meeting was 

 eltabliflied, to fuperintend, affift, and provide rules for, the 

 whole : previoufly to which, general meetings had been oc- 

 cafionally held. 



" A monthly meeting is ufually compofed of feveral par- 

 ticular congregations, lituatcd within a convenient diftance 

 from each other. Its bufinefs is to provide for the fub- 

 fiftence of the poor, and for the education of their offspring ; 

 to judge of the fincerity and fitnefs of perfons appearing to 

 be convinced of the religious principles of the fociety, and 

 defiring to be admitted into memberlhip ; to excite due at- 

 tention to the difcharge of religious and moral duty ; and to 

 deal with diforderly members. Monthly meetings alfo grant 

 to fuch of their members as remove into other monthly 

 meetings, certificates of their member(hip and conduft ; 

 without which they cannot gain memberfhip in fuch meet- 

 ings. Each monthly meeting is required to appoint certain 

 perfons, under the name of overfeers, who are to take care 

 that the rules of our difcipline be put in praftice ; and when 

 any cafe of complaint, or diforderly conduft, comes to 

 their knowledge, to fee that private admonition, agreeably 

 to the goipel rule before mentioned, be given, previoufly 

 to its being laid before the monthly, meeting. 



" When a cafe is introduced, it is ufual for a fmall com- 

 jnittee to be appointed, to vifit the offender, to endeavour 



to convince him of his error, and to induce liim to forfake 

 and condemn it. If they fucceed, the pcrfon.is by minute 

 declared to have made latisfaftion for the offence ; if not, 

 he is difowned as a member of the fociety. 



•' In difputes between individuals, it has long been the de- 

 cided judgment of the fociety, that its members (hoidd not 

 fuc each other at law. It therefore enjoins all to end their 

 dilferences by fpeedy and impartial arbitration, agreeably to 

 rules laid down. If any refufe to adopt this mode, or, 

 having adopted it, to fubmit to the award, it is the direiiiou 

 of the yearly meeting that fuch be difowned. 



" To monthly meetings alfo belongs the allowing of mar- 

 riages ; for our fociety hath always farupled to acknowledge 

 the exclufive authority of the priefts in the folemni/.atioii of 

 marriage. Thofe who intend to marry, appear together, 

 and propofe their intention to the monthly meeting ; and if 

 not attended by their parents or guardians, produce a written 

 certificate of tlicir conlent, figned in the prcfence of witncdes. 

 The meeting then appoints a committee to inquire whether 

 they be clear of other engagements refpefting marriage ; and 

 if, at a fubfequent meeting, no objeftions be reported, they 

 have the meeting's confent to folcmnize their intended mar- 

 riage. This is done in a public meeting for worfliip, towards 

 the clofe whereof the parties (land up, and folemnly take each 

 other for hulband and wife. A certificate of the proceedings 

 is then publicly read, and figned by the parties, and after- 

 wards by the relations, and others as witnefles. Of fuch 

 marriages the monthly meeting keeps a record : as alfo of 

 the births and burials of its members. A certificate of 

 the date, of the name of the infant, and of its parents, 

 figned by thofe prefent at the birth, is the fubje£l of one of 

 thefe lali mentioned records ; and an order for the interment, 

 counterfigned by the grave-maker, of the other. The naming 

 of children is without ceremony. Burials are alfo condufted 

 in a fimple manner. The body, followed by the relations and 

 friends, is fometimes, previoufly to interment, carried to a 

 meeting ; and at the grave a paufe is generally made ; on 

 both which occafionsit frequently falls out, that one or more 

 friends prefent have fomewhat to cxprefs for the edification of 

 thofe who attend ; but no religious rite is confidered as an 

 eflential part of burial. 



" Several monthly meetings compofe a quarterly meeting. 

 At the quarterly meeting are produced written anfwers from 

 the monthly meetings, to certain queriesrefpefting the condudl 

 of their members, and the meeting's care over them. The ac- 

 counts thus received, are digefted into one, which is fent, alfo 

 in the form of anfwers to queries, by reprefentatives, to the 

 yearly meeting. Appeals from the judgment of monthly 

 meetings are brought to the quarterly meetings. ; whofe bu- 

 finefs alfo it is to afiifu in any difficult cafe, or where remiflhefs 

 appears in the care of the monthly meetings over the indivi- 

 duals who compofe them. 



" The yearly meeting has the general fuperintendence of 

 the fociety in th(? country in which it is eftablifhed : and 

 therefore, as the accounts which it receives difcover the ftate 

 of inferior meetings, as particular exigencies require, or as 

 the meeting is imprefled with a fenfe of duty, it gives forth 

 its advice, makes fuch regulations as appear to be requifite, or 

 excites to the obfervance of thofe already made; and fome- 

 times appoints committees to vifit thofe quarterly meetings 

 which appear to be in need of immediate advice. Appeals 

 from the judgment of quarterly meetings are here finally de- 

 termined, and a brotherly correfpondence, by epiftles, is 

 maintained with other yearly meetings. 



" There are eight yearly meetings, -viz. I. London, to 

 which come reprefentatives trom Ireland ; 2. New England ; 

 3. New York ; 4. Pennfylvania and New Jerfey ; j. Mary- 

 land ; 6. Virginia ; 7. The Carolinas and Georgia ; 8. Ohio. 



" Jn 



